Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2496625 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for two children and/or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager has been in post since the home was registered in 2018 and has a recognised qualification in leadership and management. This is the home’s first inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: 2496625 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Members of staff prepare children and young people before they move into or from the home. Members of staff seek the views of children and young people from the outset. This improves the likelihood of placements being successful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make progress from their starting points. They settle quickly. Children and young people want to remain living in the home even if they had been anxious about moving there. They feel that this is their home, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Members of staff provide loving, accepting care to children and young people. Their welfare is the staff team’s priority. Children and young people respond well and form positive relationships with their carers. Children and young people have begun to trust the staff team, and this has a positive influence on the choices the children and young people make from day to day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health outcomes for children and young people are good. They attend routine and urgent medical appointments. Members of staff support them to have treatment when they are worried about doing so. Because of the efforts of the staff team, children and young people are fit and well. They are learning about the importance of healthy lifestyles, which will benefit them as they grow up.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make progress with their education from their starting points. Education plans for children and young people are individualised and take their views into account. This ensures that children and young people have better options for their future, including opportunities for work and further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people live in a home that is comfortable and well maintained. They take part in a variety of activities in the home and outside. This includes playing games with members of staff in a local park. Children and young people feel claimed by their carers, and their lives are enriched by these experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Members of staff support children and young people to spend time with their families, including when they are living far from their home area. As a result, they maintain their relationships with key family members when they are unable to live with them. This helps children and young people feel valued.

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

Children and young people rarely go missing from the home. There is no concern about substance misuse, and children and young people are not involved in criminal activity. Members of staff use positive relationships to talk to children and young people about the consequences of risk-taking behaviour. As a result, children and young people are generally safe. For most, this is significant progress from their starting points. Inspection report children’s home: 2496625 3 Members of staff use risk assessments that are pertinent, reviewed and updated. They know about the risks to children and young people from criminal and sexual exploitation. More training on this topic is scheduled. Because of the structured approach to managing risk, children and young people are being helped to be safe.

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

Members of staff are taught about self-harming behaviour in their induction to the home. However, more training is needed. In particular, training on the risk from ligatures is required urgently. A requirement is made.

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

Members of staff do not always respond to challenging behaviour effectively. Children and young people do not always experience their carers as competent and confident. More training is required for staff, to improve their skills. A requirement is made.

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

The registered manager does not adequately monitor the progress and experiences of children and young people. Although the registered manager intends to develop systems that will highlight concerns and track patterns, these are not yet in place. A requirement is made.

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

The current staff team is not large enough to meet the day-to-day needs of children and young people. The registered manager supports staff by covering gaps in the rota. This means that agency staff are not used. However, it also means that key management tasks, such as reviewing of documents and monitoring, are not prioritised.

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

The planning for admissions to the home has been inconsistent. For some children and young people, the evaluation of potential risks has not been effective. A recommendation is made that the registered manager improves these processes. This will ensure that children and young people are not admitted to the home if their needs cannot be met.

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

The registered manager should ensure that key information is obtained about the plans for children and young people when they arrive at the home. The education arrangements for some children and young people have been delayed, as a result of incomplete information. A recommendation is made.

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

Recruitment and supervision practices are robust. Members of staff reported that the registered manager is supportive, including at times of difficulty. Children and young people benefit from having a staff team that feels valued by its manager.

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

Members of staff, including the registered manager are qualified in line with regulation. Members of staff complete all mandatory training and undertake additional training when required. Children and young people are cared for by a staff team that is gaining valuable skills and that understands the benefit of ongoing learning.

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

The registered manager is aware of the shortfalls at the home and is committed to Inspection report children’s home: 2496625 4 making the necessary improvements as a matter of urgency.

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii) and (vi). In particular, staff should be provided with additional training on the risks associated with self-harm, including specific training on ligatures. 31/05/2019

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c) and (d)). In particular, the registered provider should ensure that the 28/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2496625 5 home has enough suitably qualified staff, who have the skills to meet the needs of children and young people with challenging

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Requirement Due date

behaviour. 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h)) 28/06/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person must challenge (under regulation 5(c)) any placing authority who asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete and current relevant plan, as the expectation that a placement of a child without the necessary information would go ahead (in circumstances other than an emergency) is inadequate in relation to their role. It is essential that homes

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Recommendations

understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child’s placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children in the home (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5). In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the education plans for children and young people are understood at the point of placement.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 2496625 6 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: 2496625 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: 4th Floor, Waterfront, Manbre Wharf, Manbre Road, Hammersmith W6 9RU

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Inspector

Jane Titley, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2496625 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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