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

Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 1 SC456857 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s purpose is to support and meet the needs of one child or young person, irrespective of gender, up to the age of 18 years. The home is equipped to take a child or a young person who has high-level complex needs. Needs range from an inability to manage their emotions, to anti-social and dangerous behaviour that their home or foster care have not been able to manage.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

A new registered manager has been in post from 8 March 2018. She is currently undertaking her level 5 management qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 25 September 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/08/2016 Full Good 11/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of 31/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 4 compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x) and (b)) 10: The health and well-being standard

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) and (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 31/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 5

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Recommendation

 All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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improvement to be good

In some areas, the young person has made progress and his accomplishments are celebrated. Small achievements are acknowledged and some outcomes are measured in terms of their significance to the young person. Further improvements are required in terms of the young person’s education and health needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff are genuinely interested in the young person. They provide an understanding and nurturing environment for him. The young person, who has previously found it difficult to build trusting relationships with adults, now has trust in his staff.

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improvement to be good

Recorded placement sessions do demonstrate an understanding of how the young person communicates his feelings about past traumatic experiences and the effect that his experiences may have on him.

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improvement to be good

As a result, the young person, who at times is verbally abusive and aggressive towards his staff, does reflect on his actions and staff support him to understand and regulate his emotions. The views, wishes and feelings of the young person are clearly listened to by the staff and manager in the home.

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improvement to be good

The young person enjoys the activities of his choice. These include playing on his game console and riding his scooter locally, walking dogs and swimming. Staff also encourage him to become involved in the local community and will join in activities with him. This builds his confidence and enables him to play with children Considering a lack of attendance and engagement in education at previous placements, the young person has made some progress in his education since arriving at this home. However, he is far from reaching the target of 25 hours each week.

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improvement to be good

Where difficulties arise in education, the staff seek to advocate for the young person and liaise with other professionals to find a suitable resolution. However, an alternative and suitable education provision has not been found. This could have an effect on the young person’s opportunities in later life and is currently limiting his potential academically.

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improvement to be good

The young person is supported well to access local services to meet his physical health needs. Although in its early stages, observation of the young person’s diet, sleep patterns and personal hygiene is intended to assist staff to monitor and help the young person reduce his weight, sleep and eat better. Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 6 The manager has identified an appropriate mental health service which can potentially offer support for the young person. However, there is a risk of further delay in the young person accessing this service as the initial referral has not been chased up. Staff do have the support of the organisation’s clinician, who provides advice on how best to manage the young person’s behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff are very good at arranging contact for the young person with his family, in line with agreed contact plans. They arrange overnight accommodation and meals, due to the considerable travel distance. The young person’s parent told the inspector, ‘They [staff] do a good job and I know they always have my son’s best interest at the heart of the work they do with him.’

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

The staff are knowledgeable and trained in safeguarding, and they are led by a manager and deputy manager, who ensure that this is a priority. The staff have a good awareness of the young person’s needs and vulnerabilities.

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

Risk assessments are clear about the control measures that staff need to take to safeguard him. The staff fully understand these risks and they follow the guidance set out in the risk assessments to ensure the young person’s safety and welfare. The manager regularly analyses these risk assessment documents and, over time, the risks to the young person have decreased.

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

Comprehensive behaviour management plans are in place to help the staff support the young person to develop appropriate ways of dealing with his anger and frustration.

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

As a result, the triggers, patterns and trends of the young person are known, staff mostly use de-escalation techniques rather than needing to use physical interventions. This provides the young person with space in order for him to calm down and reflect on his actions. When physical intervention is used, the records show that this is only to guide the young person away from danger, or the staff using blocking techniques to protect themselves from physical harm.

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

Staff are proactive in preventing the young person from going missing and there has been only one episode of him going missing, from school, since the last inspection. There is a detailed chronology of this event, including a return home interview, in the records kept in the home.

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

Apart from the new manager, there have been no new staff since the last inspection. This stability in the workforce provides the young person with consistency in his care. Recruitment procedures are thorough, and the young person benefits from a well- organised and motivated staff team.

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

The ongoing work around the home to improve the decor and furnishings is now complete, including the young person’s bedroom, which is personalised and decorated to suit his taste. The physical environment is safe and generally homely. The management Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 7 team recognises the need to continue to make the environment as homely as possible and have requested that more structural work is carried out on the conservatory and rear garden. This has yet to be completed.

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

The young person’s social worker complimented the work that the staff do with the young person and confirmed that she feels that he is safe in the home. She feels that more investment from the organisation should have gone into this home, referring to more therapeutic input for the young person and investment in some structural work needed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new manager joined the organisation in February 2018 and, following her induction, she commenced work in the home on 8 March 2018. The manager was interviewed on 22 May 2018 by Ofsted and found suitable to be the registered manager of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

As a result, the previous issue of the home being without a registered manager for some considerable time is now resolved. The new registered manager is on target, in line with regulation, to complete her level 5 management qualification. She has residential managerial experience and she is ambitious and has a clear improvement vision for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager also has responsibility for another single occupancy home that is a short distance away from this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has addressed and complied with the six requirements and the one recommendation from the last inspection. Supported by her deputy, changes to the administration systems in the home and better support for the staff have been implemented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is now being carried out regularly and staff appraisals, which have not happened for some time, are now underway. This will enable the registered manager to evaluate her staff competencies and provide them with opportunities to reflect on their work and identify any future support or training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Delegated actions have given the staff members key responsibilities for auditing areas of specific work carried out in the home. These responsibilities are now linked to the quality standards, regulations and Ofsted framework.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Visits by an independent person provide detailed and impartial scrutiny of the running of the home. The registered manager’s review of the quality of care is informative.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose has been revised to reflect the management change and sent to Ofsted in line with regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The changes the registered manager has made will need time to embed in the home before they can be judged for their impact and effectiveness and improve the young Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 8 person’s overall experiences and progress in the home.

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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: SC456857 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London, Middlesex W6 9RU

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Katie Davies O’Brine

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Inspector

Mark Kersh, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 10 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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