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Inspection report children’s home: SC457501 1 SC457501 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

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people who require support with their emotional and/or behavioural care needs. It is operated by a national provider of children’s homes.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 21 November 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC457501 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2018 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/12/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC457501 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their full potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to fully participate in the daily life at the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1) (a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 10/07/2019

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 10/07/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC457501 4 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;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day to day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2) (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 10/07/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC457501 5

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improvement to be good

The home needs renovation and refurbishment. Damage to furniture has not been repaired prior to a new child moving into the home. The environment is not homely and welcoming. Funding has been secured to carry out improvements.

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improvement to be good

Due to high staffing turnover, opportunities for consistent and stable relationships for children were diminished. Agency staff have also been used who did not have relationships with the children. New staff are now employed and are completing induction and probation periods.

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improvement to be good

Two children have left this home since the last inspection due to staff not being able to meet their needs effectively. It was decided that both children needed to move on as the location of the home was not suitable. This had not been fully considered during early assessments of the children’s needs prior to moving to the home.

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improvement to be good

Observations of children with staff during this inspection were positive. Staff presented as calm and confident during challenging discussions with children. Staff were also providing much-needed nurturing to meet children’s emotional needs. Examples include story reading at bedtime and providing hugs when sought by children.

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improvement to be good

One young person has lived at this home for over 12 months. This young person has made considerable progress. They are engaged in education and becoming increasingly able to manage their own emotions.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide outreach support for young people who have left the home and are living in the local community. This provides much-needed consistency for young people who have limited support networks.

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improvement to be good

During the earlier months of this year, a significant number of incidents occurred at the home. Coupled with inconsistent management and staffing issues, care for children became reactive rather than fully considered and carefully planned.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, children have been missing from home many times. Staff were often required to be away from home searching for them. Several other serious incidents also occurred at this time which placed children at risk.

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improvement to be good

Senior leaders and managers are aware that there was a decline in the quality of practice during these weeks. As a result, a focused support package is in place to raise standards. Inspection report children’s home: SC457501 6 The arrangements in place regarding children’s online safety are weak. Support and guidance to promote children’s ability to keep themselves safe from possible sexual harm also requires improvement.

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improvement to be good

The use of physical intervention is minimal and appropriate. Nurturing practice to support children after such times is consistently good. During this inspection, a child informed the inspector of a further physical intervention that was not evident in recordings.

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improvement to be good

One young person has repeatedly voiced their desire to move on to independent living. Clear messages have not been provided to the young person about when and how this can safely happen.

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improvement to be good

Systems regarding the administration and handling of medication are not effective. However, two errors were identified during this inspection and a subsequent error occurred prior to this inspection.

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

The registered manager was absent from the home for several weeks. Senior leaders and managers supported the deputy manager and the staff team during this period. However, scrutiny of practice lacked consistency and vigour during this time.

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

Some supervisions did not take place during the above time at the home. This meant that important opportunities for staff to fully explore any potential concerns or issues have been lost.

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

Staff do not always have the skills required to meet children’s complex needs. Specialist training has been sought to upskill the staff team.

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

Care planning documents are cumbersome and at times chaotic. Documents are repetitive and information is at times scribbled in biro and not formally recorded. This makes accessing important information difficult for staff.

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

A significant complaint was made by a staff member regarding practice at the home. This matter was appropriately investigated by senior leaders and managers. The investigation led to a considerable amount of learning taking place and a management support plan being implemented.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC457501 7 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: SC457501 8

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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, London W6 9RU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicola McClements

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Inspector

Polly Soper, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457501 9 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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