Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report children’s home: SC457181 1 SC457181 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child up to the age of 18 years. The registered manager has been registered since January 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Good

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Good

Date of last inspection: 22 February 2018

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC457181 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC457181 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review, and complies with all matters listed in schedule 1. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 14, paragraph 3.5) In particular, the statement of purpose should show how the home promotes appropriate gender role models when all or the majority of staff are of one gender. A copy of the updated statement of purpose must be provided to Ofsted.  Ensure that the workforce plan includes any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 53, paragraph 10.8)  Ensure that the arrangements for contact are included in the placement plan agreed between the registered person and the child’s placing authority. (‘Guide to

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Recommendations

the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 58, paragraph 11.15)  Ensure that children’s details are stored securely. In particular, sensitive information should not be displayed on the office wall. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a welcoming, homely and safe environment. The home is maintained to a high standard, which shows the children that the manager and staff value and care for them. An experienced and dedicated team fosters warm and trusting relationships with the children. Staff understand the children’s needs well, and invest time in supporting them to reach their full potential. This is particularly evident in the children’s educational achievements. Children’s attendance and engagement with their education consistently improve from their starting points. The staff team makes sure that the children have access to a good range of activities. Children’s memory books capture them having fun with the staff. Activities include visits to a farm, a safari park, and baking cakes in the home. Staff support the children to try new experiences, for example attending specialist youth clubs that support the child’s

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

specific needs. As a result, children’s confidence and self-esteem improve. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s health needs and they quickly link them with specialist services when required, such as child and adolescent mental health Inspection report children’s home: SC457181 4 services. This helps to ensure that the children’s emotional health is appropriately assessed and supported by relevant professionals. Comprehensive placement plans support the children’s progress and help staff to provide consistent care. Children’s case records demonstrate the child’s journey, their strengths, particular needs and their vulnerabilities. The manager acknowledged that these plans could be strengthened further by ensuring that they detail the child’s contact arrangements and include the child’s views and wishes. The manager makes sure that she obtains sufficient information from placing authorities

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

at the point of referral. Consequently, children’s needs are fully assessed by the home’s manager before the placement is agreed. Compatibility assessments are thorough, which means that the children who move into the home are suitably placed and their needs are well met. On the whole, staff promote children’s privacy and confidentiality well. However, children’s privacy and safety were potentially compromised when their personal details were displayed on the office wall. Once this was pointed out to the manager, she took immediate action and removed these details from the wall.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

All risks are comprehensively assessed and staff follow clear, protective strategies to prevent and reduce harm. Children are well supervised, and this helps staff to know where children are and that they are safe. Children rarely go missing from home. When they do, staff proactively implement rigorous missing from home procedures, which enables the child’s quick and safe return home. Staff focus on positive behaviour and the children thrive on praise and rewards. Additionally, staff support the children to think about their feelings, behaviour and consequences at regular key-work sessions. These sessions are helping the children to learn to respond to difficult emotions and situations safely. Children are seldom physically restrained because staff are skilled at de-escalating harmful situations. Staff only use physical intervention when it is necessary to keep the child or others safe. Such incidents are comprehensively recorded, and the child’s views

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

and comments are routinely sought. This enables the manager to thoroughly review the incident and ensure that behaviour management practices continue to be child centred and safe. Staff are not risk averse; they carefully balance risk with the need for children to become independent. Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks and they work tirelessly at establishing trust. Staff teach children how to identify potential risks and hazards, for example by talking to them about safe relationships and safer use of their mobile phone. Inspection report children’s home: SC457181 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager brings a wealth of experience in children’s residential care, and she is in the process of completing her level 5 diploma in leadership and management. She receives monthly professional supervision, and her ongoing training is keeping her up to date with recent research and practice developments, for example with regard to autistic spectrum conditions. Relationships between the manager and staff are extremely positive. Staff are suitably trained and they benefit from monthly professional supervision where they discuss their work, reflect on their practice, and continue to learn and develop. As a result, the team is wholly equipped with the knowledge, skills and expertise to care for the children well. A workforce development plan is in place which supports the manager to review staff’s learning needs continually. This plan can be further strengthened by including all staff’s recent training so that it accurately reflects staff’s knowledge and any gaps.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Strong partnership working arrangements with parents, social workers and schools are enhancing the children’s progress and life experiences. The home’s statement of purpose provides a clear overview of the service’s aims, objectives and value base. However, it does not explain how the service promotes positive gender role models when the team is predominantly made up of one gender. Additionally, revised copies of this document have not been sent to Ofsted as required. This has prevented the service regulator from evaluating significant changes in the service. Effective service monitoring is helping the manager to identify the strengths of the service and areas that need developing. As a result, the service has made significant improvements across all areas.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC457181 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian Group, 4th Floor Waterfront Building, Chancellors Road, Hammersmith Embankment, London W6 9RU

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Inspector

Marina Tully: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457181 7 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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