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

Inspection report children’s home: SC457430 1 SC457430 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

A private company operates this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home’s manager was appointed in August 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 December 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC457430 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2018 Full Outstanding 15/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/05/2016 Full Outstanding 22/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC457430 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 registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 19/01/2019

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Recommendations

 Regulation 19(2) details sanctions that are prohibited in behaviour management. Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) In particular, ensure that a consist approach is applied to sanctions to help children and young people recognise the impact of their behaviour.  The importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example undertaking life story and

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Recommendations

other direct work. Staff in children’s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 3.14) In particular, take a consistent approach to recording one-to-one sessions and linking them to the placement plan.  Regulations 35−39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. Children’s case records must be kept for 75 years from the date of birth of the child, or if the child dies before the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of his or her death. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’’, page 62, paragraph Inspection report children’s home: SC457430 4

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Recommendations

14.3)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are regularly consulted regarding day-to-day decision-making in the home. This has included the choice of decor, meal planning, activities and holidays, and contributing to their independent self-care skills by undertaking chores around the house. The children and young people see this as their home. They enjoy spending time in their home with the adults that care for them. They equally enjoy independent time away from the home in line with their risk assessments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people receive individualised care from a nurturing staff team. However, their progress is mixed. For one child, there has been an increase in school exclusions. The home’s manager and the staff team have taken a proactive approach to provide alternative educational activities. This is likely to help with the child’s reintegration into school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people build and maintain trusting relationships with the adults that care for them. Most professionals spoken to said in their feedback that this is the home’s biggest strength. This helps children and young people to feel safe and secure. Children and young people regularly engage with the support offered to them, which helps them to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One-to-one sessions to support placement plans are not yet well recorded. In the main, they read as reactive and do not evidence the proactive work that the staff team completes with children and young people to help them make good progress. This was raised at the previous inspection and made as a recommendation at this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement plans and risk assessments are thorough and relevant to each child and young person’s level of need. There is an inconsistent approach to applying strategies identified to manage and disrupt certain behaviours. For example, where sanctions are identified to manage negative behaviour, there is an inconsistent approach to consequences being used effectively. This is likely to give children and young people mixed messages, and if negative behaviours are not effectively addressed they are not likely to help children and young people recognise the impact of their behaviour.

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC457430 5 Children and young people know how to complain if they do not receive a good standard of care. There have been no complaints. One young person said, ‘I know they care about me and I like that. I am really happy here and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.’

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

The children and young people living in this home said that they feel safe and well cared for by the adults who look after them. The staff team understands the assessed needs of the children and young people well. This helps staff to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to help and protect children and young people in their care.

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

There are appropriate staffing levels to ensure that children and young people are provided with the level of support needed. Bullying incidents have not been an issue, and the staff team helps children and young people to be respectful of each other.

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

Restraints have not been used in this home since September 2017. Instead, the staff team uses a ‘Pillars of parenting’ model to respond appropriately to the emotional, behavioural and attainment difficulties that children and young people can present with. This provides nurturing responses to children and young people when they are in crisis situations.

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

There have been nine missing episodes since the last inspection. The appropriate protocols have been followed in all incidents to aid the safe return of each child and young person. Additionally, children and young people are provided with opportunities to speak with an independent visitor on their return. This helps to strengthen risk assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the home has a newly appointed manager. She has been in post since August 2018. She has extensive experience of working in a residential setting. She is already familiar with the home’s daily functions. Her transition into the post has been smooth and caused minimal disruption to the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager is ambitious and aspirational for the children and young people. She leads by example. She is very much a presence around the home, and this helps her to monitor practices. She is confident to challenge professionals when there are shortfalls in the level of service that children and young people receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been four newly recruited members of staff. Appropriate steps have been taken to ensure that safe recruitment processes have been followed. Additionally, there has been an appropriate induction for those members of staff. There is now a diverse range of experience and skills among the staff team. The home’s manager utilises the staff team’s skills to benefit the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager has been effective at driving improvements forward. This was particularly evident in the training that the staff team members have had to enhance Inspection report children’s home: SC457430 6 their skills. In addition to mandatory training, the staff have received specific training linked to the needs of the children and young people. Training includes bereavement and loss, self-harm and eating disorders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records, in the main, are recorded to a good standard. There is good management oversight to monitor the quality of care that children and young people receive. At this inspection, the inspector found numerous documents without dates and signatures to show accountability. Additionally, some records were not recorded in careful detail, making it difficult for the reader to follow. These shortfalls have led to recommendations to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager has ensured that each member of staff receives regular supervisions and that they have monthly team meetings. Safeguarding and whistleblowing are added as agenda items. This helps create a good safeguarding culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of development. She has devised a workforce development plan to help drive improvements forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s last statement of purpose was sent to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspectorate (HMCI) in January 2018. Since then, there have been two amended versions that have not been forwarded. This has been made as a requirement at this inspection.

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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: SC457430 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 Childcare Limited, 4th Floor, Waterfront Manbre Wharf, Manbre Road, Hammersmith, London, Middlesex W6 9RH

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Inspector

Jacqueline Tate, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457430 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 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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