Midmeadows

Inspection report children’s home: SC457025 1 SC457025 Registered provider: The Cambian Group

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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 up to four children and young people who have variety of challenging behaviours and complex needs. The manager was registered with Ofsted in 2012 and is qualified to level 5 in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 14 to 15 November 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 22 January 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC457025 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2018 Full Good 12/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people receive exceptional care from staff who are passionate about their progress and fully understand their individual needs. As a result, young people make significant progress from their starting points. One headteacher said that a young person made ‘extreme progress’ during the time he was living in the home. From initially not being able to even enter the classroom he became a ‘learner champion’ and took part in forums and fund-raising activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff are proactive in ensuring that young people’s health needs are considered and met well. They engage the advice of health professionals such as dieticians, to help them support young people to remain healthy. To successfully help a young person to lose weight the manager completely changed the culture and ethos of the home. All staff decided to follow the advice from the dietician and the home bought a cross-trainer for all to use.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people experience excellent continuity of care from a stable and experienced staff team. Consequently, young people settle well, develop trusting relationships with staff and have a strong sense of belonging in the home. One parent said, ‘The staff are great and go beyond their duty of care for my son and he gets on so well with all of them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work closely with young people to help them understand their behaviour. Staff use skills and knowledge learned from external professionals effectively. As a result, young people become more self-aware and are able to make significant changes to their lives. Staff worked with one young person using therapeutic and attachment play techniques, and this had a hugely positive impact on his confidence and self-esteem. As a result, the young person was able to participate in activities in the local community for the first time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are well prepared for their future through strong transition plans and excellent partnership work with social workers. Young people who have left the home are now living independently and doing well. One placing authority social worker stated, ‘I was impressed with staff from the home. They went out of their way to make sure [the young person] was safe. They picked up aspects of his care that were outside of Inspection report children’s home: SC457025 3 their remit.’

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

Young people are happy and feel safe. Young people who have previously displayed extremely complex and challenging behaviour are working well with staff. They understand and accept the boundaries that are placed around them to keep them safe. This contributes to a feeling of well-being and security for young people.

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

Young people do not go missing. In addition, there have been no incidents that have required staff to hold or restrain young people. This is a significant improvement and shows the sustained progress that young people have made as they are now able to positively manage their own behaviour.

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

Staff receive a wide range of training to enable them to be able to keep young people safe. This is supplemented in team meetings by external speakers on topics such as county lines, drug use and gangs. This ensures that staff understand fully these risks that young people can face.

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

Excellent interagency working has strengthened young people’s safety. Staff and the manager have developed close links with partner agencies to ensure that young people remain safe. Young people are also encouraged to build their own relationships with other professionals. Developing constructive relationships with others enables young people to learn how to seek help and to access specialist services.

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

External professionals visit the home to speak with staff and young people to educate and support them to keep themselves safe, for example to raise awareness about ‘mate- hate’ crimes. This is when someone befriends another person only to exploit them. Participating in this discussion helped a young person to identify that he also had previously been a victim of crime, and he was able to receive support.

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

The manager constantly reviews and updates all risk assessments. This ensures that they are live documents that accurately reflect the risks young people face. The police home coordinator said, ‘I was particularly impressed with the home’s recent location risk assessment, which was detailed and very informed the best example of one I have seen so far this year.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is passionate and inspirational. She evaluates the quality of care provided to ensure that every young person is making progress and that the care provided makes a positive difference to them. Her enthusiasm influences the staff, who share her passion and drive for achieving the best possible outcomes for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff use research-based practice to drive continuous improvement and to help them to fully understand the young people’s individualised needs. Following recent training around communication, the manager and staff have changed the way they communicate Inspection report children’s home: SC457025 4 with young people to allow them to work in a restorative and reflective way . This has helped staff to support young people to reflect on their behaviour and achieve their goals. A health practitioner stated, ‘The home has done exceptionally well. They have come on leaps and bounds with self-awareness and how their practice can impact on young people.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A key strength of the manager is the relationships she develops with other professionals. The manager is quick to forge excellent partnership working arrangements to meet young people’s needs. She has joined a partnership forum in the area, consisting of different agencies such as mental health, drug and alcohol, education and housing services. Staff are able to access the forum for advice and it is also accessible to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager advocates strongly on behalf of young people in her care. All professionals speak highly of the manager and her work in helping young people to achieve better outcomes. One teacher stated, ‘We have fantastic communication with the home. [The manager] has advocated on a high level for [the young person] to get him into school… She is very proactive.’

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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: SC457025 5

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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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Inspector

Sue Young, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457025 6 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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