Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Essex

Inspection report children’s home: 1258092 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is able to provide support to up to four children who have particular emotional needs and who may have an additional learning disability. The purpose of the home is to provide care and support to children or sibling groups who might be in crisis at home or foster care. The children need a period of stability and therapeutic interventions to allow planning to take place with the goal of reintegration back to family life or fostering. The duration of the stay for children is determined by their levels of need but should not usually be for a period of more than 18 months. The manager was registered for this new home in August 2017.

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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: 13 December 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1258092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1258092 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 20/08/2018

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Recommendations

 Comply with relevant health and safety legislations. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that all children are given recorded and clear fire instruction within 48 hours of admission.  Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  Each child should have permission for staff to administer first aid and non- prescription medication from a person with parental responsibility for them recorded in their relevant plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.14) Inspection report children’s home: 1258092 4  Ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems

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Recommendations

of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) In particular, ensure suitable review of each record of restraint by someone who was not involved in, or witness to, the incident.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placements are well planned and the manager ensures full consideration of the needs of all children prior to any new admission. The staff are highly child-focused. As a result, children who have often experienced multiple placement breakdowns are settled and thriving. A social worker said, ‘Honestly, he [the child] is almost unrecognisable from the child who arrived.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children develop strong bonds with the staff. For example, a child on their return from school ran in to give the staff big hugs and tell them all about their day. A teacher said that a child ‘absolutely lit up’ when they saw a favourite staff member was there to cheer for them at sports day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to develop their skills and maintain optimum physical and mental health. The therapeutic ethos permeates the home. Each of the children enjoys the individual time that they spend with the on-site therapist.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has advocated for suitable educational arrangements. The children are making good progress from their starting points. Due to the encouragement of staff, they have regular attendance in education and much-improved learning engagement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are constantly active. They enjoy a wide variety of fun activities and enrichment opportunities that build their skills and self-esteem. The children are developing friendships at school, and they were particularly delighted to be invited to their neighbour’s dog’s birthday party. Personalised photograph books help the children to remember and share these memorable moments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is held in high esteem by professionals and families alike. A parent said, ‘The care that they [the staff] give is brilliant, and the kids are really well looked after.’ Another parent said, ‘It’s 100% perfect for him.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was given a non-prescribed medication, but no record was held of why the medication was given. The parental consent forms specify that non-prescribed medications will be approved by a doctor. However, on at least one occasion, non-prescribed medication has been given that has not been approved as suitable by a doctor. This is particularly relevant as this child has specific healthcare needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has sustained damage that has not consistently been well repaired. Consequently, particular areas of the home do not provide sufficiently high-quality accommodation. Inspection report children’s home: 1258092 5 The children are consistently consulted on everything. They said that if the home was on a game show it would get the ‘gold buzzer’ because they like ‘everything’ about the home. When asked what they might change, they said that they would not change anything, because it is really good.

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

The children feel safe. Due to the sincere relationships that the staff foster, the children feel able to share any worries or concerns. A social worker said, ‘[The child] has very secure attachments to staff. There’s a lovely rapport between him and staff.’ Families have absolute confidence that the staff keep the children safe.

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

The staff receive suitable training in safeguarding, and are keenly aware that keeping children safe is their core duty. Effective collaborative working arrangements with other agencies, such as the police, promote the children’s welfare.

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

Comprehensive and regularly reviewed risk assessment and care management plans guide staff in how to manage risk. The children are supported to take risks appropriate to their age, understanding and particular vulnerabilities as they enjoy normal childhood experiences, sometimes for the first time. It is not unusual for the children to have minor bumps and scratches from riding their bikes or even climbing on the rocks at the beach.

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

The positive behaviour management strategies are effective. The staff recognise behaviour as a means of communication, and help the children to communicate their feelings through socially appropriate means. The children are supported to reflect on and consider the impact that their behaviours have on them and the people who they care about. Consequently, children are learning to repair fractured relationships. As a result of the skilful and intuitive approach by staff, the levels of challenge have significantly reduced.

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

The competently trained staff only use physical intervention to maintain the child’s or others’ safety. The manager reviews all records of restraint, including one occasion when the manager was involved in the restraint. This limits effective independent reflection. The manager’s ability to contribute to meeting the ongoing and changing needs of the child is therefore potentially undermined.

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

The building is safe and fire prevention arrangements are robust. However, the manager has not ensured that all of the children undertake a fire evacuation within a short time of their admission to the home. This has the potential to limit the child’s ability to swiftly and safely exit the building in an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides a positive working environment for the staff where their opinions are respected and they feel valued. The staff understand their roles and are well supported and challenged to develop reflective practice through regular focused supervision and effective training. Inspection report children’s home: 1258092 6 Staffing levels are high and meet the children’s individually assessed needs. This allows the staff to spend valuable time with and be emotionally available to the children. For example, one child enjoyed singing pop songs with the staff, practicing for their school show. The enthusiastic and dynamic staff all speak warmly about the children, highlighting their strengths and personalities. This gives the home a very nurturing atmosphere that is recognised by the children, families and professionals alike.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and manager work exceptionally well in partnership with others to improve the children’s experiences and outcomes. Strong partnership working with families ensures that when possible they remain critical figures in their child’s daily life. A parent said, ‘The staff are good and are an essential part of his life now. We work as a team.’ Another parent said, ‘The staff are really lovely. They are an amazing team and he’s doing fantastically.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective internal monitoring systems are in place, and the manager has a strong sense of the strengths and areas for development at 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: 1258092 7

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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, Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London W6 9RU

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Inspector

Joanna Heller: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258092 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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