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

Inspection report children’s home: SC457272 1 SC457272 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children between 11 and 18. The home’s aim is to provide care and support to children who may have experienced abuse, neglect and exclusion in the past.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered at the home since 2015.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

No children have lived at home since the last placement ended on 13 December 2018. The senior management team made the decision to suspend the service and regroup in the new year. The senior management team envisages that, after a period of reflection and planning, the admission process will start again at the end of January 2019.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The provider has failed to sufficiently meet all of the requirements and recommendations that were raised at the last inspection. Therefore, three requirements and two recommendations are restated.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments for the children who were living at the home are comprehensive. However, important information was missing from one child’s risk assessment. Such Inspection report children’s home: SC457272 2 omissions mean that the staff may not be made aware of all the presenting risks and how these are to be managed. The records of recent physical interventions have not been overseen in a timely way by the manager, and there is no evidence of debriefing with the staff. This does not give the staff the opportunity to talk about their experiences and identify whether the action taken was effective.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted was not notified of a significant incident that was linked to a previous concern, despite the home’s paperwork stating that it would be sent within 24 hours. Failure to notify Ofsted of significant incidents means that Ofsted cannot assess the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and children’s care.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is a lack of timely management oversight of consequences. The use of consequences for unwanted behaviour is not applied consistently to all the children. There is overuse of monetary sanctions. Therefore, staff actions to modify behaviour become less meaningful for the children and do not help the children to understand their behaviours or the actions that they should take to make it right.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager’s monitoring is not effective. It does not include the views of the children, social workers and parents, and some of the language used in the reporting is not appropriate. The evaluation is not clear. The monitoring does not provide a comprehensive view of the service and plans to develop.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been several incidents at the home since the last inspection. Some records are clear and identify that follow-up work is to be undertaken with the children. However, it is not always evident that this work has consistently taken place. This does not support or educate the children about potential risks and choices.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children have gone missing from the home. Individual protocols and records are evident. However, some reports lack clarity. One record does not clearly state the actions taken by the staff to locate the children or make clear how children were safeguarded.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children were able to access car keys from the staff office and, on another occasion, locked staff out of the home. These incidents are recorded and were adequately addressed by the staff at the time. However, as the registered manager is not currently working at the home, the records outlining follow-up work with the staff involved to address the incident and detailing any lessons learned were not accessible.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children’s meetings were not taking place in line with the statement of purpose. These meetings were infrequent and brief. The management team has identified that this is an area that needs to improve.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, supervision for the staff has improved. The staff said that they are well supported and are looking forward to welcoming new children to the home. They described their team as well established and supportive.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Medication training has been implemented since the last inspection. Competency is assessed, and work booklets are used to record and evidence this. Therefore, staff are Inspection report children’s home: SC457272 3 fully equipped to manage and administer medication to the children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Impact assessments are comprehensive. The staff record and identify the potential behaviours of each child and the impact on the children who live at the home. The deputy manager is assessing any new referrals in the absence of the registered manager, ensuring that decision-making is robust and consistent.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staffing rotas have improved since the last inspection. Aspects of the rota are now colour coded and provide a usable record of when staff are working at the home, identifying their shifts and responsibilities. This provides a clear record of accountability.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/11/2017 Full Inadequate 23/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 12/02/19 Inspection report children’s home: SC457272 4 have the skills to identify and act on signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments and missing-from- care records are comprehensive and include all relevant information. The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, when appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; 12/02/19 Inspection report children’s home: SC457272 5 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2))(3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the staff understand and implement the consistent use of positive and negative consequences, and provide timely management oversight of each measure. The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (3)(c)(e)) 12/02/19

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

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’).

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Requirement Due date

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)(5)) 12/02/19 Inspection report children’s home: SC457272 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for leading a team which provides high quality care for all of the children living at the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4) In particular, provide children’s meetings as set out in the statement of purpose.  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. There should be clear lines of accountability. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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Recommendations

In particular, managers should provide staff with opportunities to reflect on the effectiveness of behaviour management following incidents.  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, ensure that all follow-up work with the children after an incident is recorded.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: SC457272 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 W6 9RH

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Inspector

Debbie Young: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457272 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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