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

Interim inspection report children’s home: SC457181 1 SC457181 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 home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child up to the age of 18 years.

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Judgement at last inspection: good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A child has recently moved out of the home due to serious safeguarding concerns. Despite the team‟s commitment and determined efforts to keep the child safe, the location of the home and the staff‟s decreasing ability to positively influence the child‟s behaviour resulted in the placement breaking down and the child being moved to another home in the company.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff had not been equipped with the knowledge, skills or clinical guidance to meet the child‟s specific needs. As a result, the child‟s welfare, safety and placement stability were compromised.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Similarly, the child‟s progress was undermined by the staff‟s lack of knowledge and understanding of her needs. Although staff were responsible for providing home tuition Interim inspection report children’s home: SC457181 2 due to the child being placed on a reduced timetable and during temporary exclusions, they did not obtain the child‟s revised personal education plan (PEP) or education and health care plan (EHCP). Consequently, staff were unaware of her educational needs, targets, and the effective strategies to support her learning. The child has not, therefore, been provided with the opportunities to progress with her education and achieve to her full potential.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In the main, staff appropriately respond to high-risk behaviour, including when the child has been missing from home. However, improvements can be made in the home‟s written risk assessment to ensure that the assessment provides staff with clear risk management strategies to enhance consistent practice across the team.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although the team had successfully forged positive working relationships with some local services, including a specialist youth club, partnership working with the child‟s placing authority was inconsistent. For example, the registered manager failed to share important safeguarding information with the child‟s placing authority in a timely way. Consequently, the child‟s social worker was unable to make an informed assessment and decision regarding the suitability of an alternative placement for the child, which had been identified by the registered manager.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Additionally, the registered manager and team did not consistently challenge the placing authority, for example when the social worker failed to visit the child following a serious safeguarding incident.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is registered for two homes. She has recently taken on another senior role which involves deputising for the responsible individual, as well as undertaking investigations within the organisation. Her additional duties and responsibilities have clearly affected her availability and day-to-day management of the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Internal monitoring is weak. The registered manager does not have sufficient oversight of the quality of care provided in the home. The quality of care review report lacks analysis of the impact that staff‟s care has on the child‟s progress and experiences.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Over the past six months, the team has experienced a very difficult period. Frequent assaults on staff, allegations and escalating safeguarding concerns have resulted in staff sickness and staff being moved to other homes as a safeguarding measure. Such changes in the staff team weakened the continuity of care provided to the child.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In the main, staff are provided with regular supervision and opportunities to meet as a team. However, the registered manager has not provided formal supervision to staff when serious concerns regarding their professional conduct arose. Interim inspection report children’s home: SC457181 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/05/2018 Full Good 22/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/03/2017 Interim Sustained 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to involve each child‟s placing authority effectively in the child‟s care, in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child‟s needs; and, if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‟s or a relevant person‟s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‟s needs are met in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, inform the placing authority of all potential risks prior to them making decisions about future placements; secure therapeutic support and guidance to meet children‟s emotional needs; and, challenge the child‟s placing authority and school when they are not acting in the best interest of the child. 12/04/2019

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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. 12/04/2019 Interim inspection report children’s home: SC457181 4 In particular the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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 and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and, ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(c)(e)) 12/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the registered manager undertakes practice-related supervision with staff when concerns are raised about their professional conduct. 12/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and, are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, obtain children‟s updated EHCP and PEP. 12/04/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that children‟s risk management plans are personalised to Interim inspection report children’s home: SC457181 5 the child‟s needs and provide clear and effective strategies for staff to follow.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, pages 64 -65, paragraph 15.2)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that the review provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality of care provided to children, including a clear analysis of children‟s progress and experiences.

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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‟.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4th Floor, Waterfront, Manbre Wharf, Manbre Road, Interim inspection report children’s home: SC457181 6 Hammersmith, London W6 9RH

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Inspector

Marina Tully, social care inspector Interim inspection report children’s home: SC457181 7 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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