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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 1 SC456539 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home has not had a registered manager since 25 July 2017. The new manager has submitted her application to HMCI.

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Information about this children’s home

There were no children living in this home during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a large national organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The home‟s statement of purpose states that this home is part of „the complex needs services and is registered to accommodate one young person up to the age of 18 (17 on admission). The young people who are considered for accommodation at this home often have needs ranging from emotional and mental health problems, self-harm, severe anger, aggression problems and attachment issues.‟

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, inspectors considered the actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations, alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection, to inform judgements.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 2 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2018 Full Inadequate 12/07/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. The standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff promote opportunities for each child to learn informally, and to help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(v)(viii)) 03/08/2018

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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; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— have access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) This is with particular regard to ensuring that children‟s bedrooms are maintained to a safe, clean and hygienic standard. 03/08/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 4 The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person‟s report to HMCI (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”). The registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report

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Requirement Due date

within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children‟s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12 (2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 03/08/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 5

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Recommendations

 Expectations of standards of behaviour should be high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships with staff in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The notification must include clear and specific details of the action taken by the home‟s staff in response to the event. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Recommendations

 A missing-from-care return interview should be carried out within 72 hours of the child returning to their home or care setting. This should be an in-depth interview and is normally best carried out by an independent person (for example, someone not involved in caring for the child) who is trained to carry out these interviews and is able to follow-up any actions that emerge. („Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care‟, page 14, paragraph 32)

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Recommendations

 If a child has run away two or more times, the manager should ensure that a discussion is held with the local authorities, to offer further support and guidance. Actions following earlier incidents should be reviewed and alternative strategies considered. („Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care‟, page 17, paragraph 46) Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 6

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improvement to be good

Inconsistent staff working practices in the home limit the opportunities for children to build secure and trusting relationships with the adults who look after and care for them. This, and a reluctance from children to engage in services and support, has resulted in significant incidents increasing and escalating over recent weeks. Consequently, children‟s health, safety and well-being are compromised, and the progress they make is limited.

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improvement to be good

Children do not achieve academically, as they do not have an identified school provision. The manager took adequate steps to escalate this shortfall with the child‟s placing authority. However, the manager and staff failed to provide the child with any meaningful educational activities in the interim period.

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improvement to be good

Health outcomes for children require improvement. Children refuse to attend appointments with the doctor, dentist and optician. Although referrals have been made for additional health services, such as specialist drug and alcohol services, this support has yet to start.

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improvement to be good

Children‟s health outcomes are further hindered as the provider does not routinely use the services of the in-house therapy services as identified in their placement offer letters.

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improvement to be good

The home has recently been redecorated. However, the manager has failed to ensure that staff have provided support to children to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy and free from any avoidable hazard.

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improvement to be good

Staff are committed to supporting children to build positive relationships with members of their family and friends.

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improvement to be good

The behaviour management strategies used within the home are ineffective. The current strategies do not help children to manage and change their violent and aggressive behaviour. Although staff talk to children about their behaviour, staff do not directly challenge and address poor and dangerous behaviour, because they are fearful of how children may respond. Consequently, children continue to respond to difficult situations with outbursts of aggression and violence towards the staff and members of the public.

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard to keep children safe if they go missing from the home. Staff are aware of the risks associated with this behaviour and they try to prevent, distract and disrupt this behaviour in their attempts to keep children safe. When children go missing from Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 7 the home, staff follow the agreed protocols and go out and look for them, and children are welcomed home by the staff when they return.

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improvement to be good

The management team has made some attempts to ensure that independent return home interviews are conducted with children, in line with the home‟s and placing local authorities‟ policies and protocols. However, despite this, these have yet to be carried out. Furthermore, the manager has failed to request a strategy meeting for children who regularly go missing from the home. This hinders the care planning process and does not ensure that relevant and up-to-date details and information are obtained and shared with all relevant agencies.

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improvement to be good

The manager is not fully able to keep children safe from any potential risks in the local community. The manager has not considered all the relevant information about the local area in her safe area risk assessment and has not included the views of other professionals.

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improvement to be good

The manager is aware of her safeguarding responsibilities and takes adequate action when required. Although the manager has failed to notify Ofsted of one significant incident as required, she has been clear with her senior managers and placing authorities when the risk for children becomes unmanageable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Changes in the staff team have left the home short-staffed. These vacancies have been covered by the core staff team, along with staff from the provider‟s other children‟s homes and an outside agency. A recent recruitment drive has identified two new members of staff to join the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has improved the supervision arrangements for the core staff team. However, some staff still do not receive the additional supervision that they require when they are new to their role. Furthermore, there are no systems in place to ensure that the additional staff used from the provider‟s other services and agency staff are supported and monitored through the supervision process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager makes adequate use of the external monitoring systems. The independent visitor, who visits monthly, provides an account of children‟s progress and identifies areas for continued development. Although the manager acts to address the areas of development, the provider has failed to ensure that reports are shared with Ofsted as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Internal monitoring by the manager does not meet regulation. The regulation 45 report was completed by the previous manager but was not submitted to Ofsted in a timely manner. Furthermore, the manager failed to seek the views of parents in the quality of care review. This, and the lack of any detailed plan identifying what and how improvements in the home are to be made, hinders the manager‟s ability to improve the services for children. Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 8 Staff understand that family members wish to remain involved in their children‟s lives. A parent confirmed that staff remain in contact with them and provide up-to-date information about their child.

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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: SC456539 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: Cambian, Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London, Middlesex W6 9RU

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Inspectors

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Lynn O‟Driscoll, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC456539 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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