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

Inspection report children’s home: SC451174 1 SC451174 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 provides care and accommodation for up to two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is privately owned. The home’s manager registered with Ofsted in April 2019.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC451174 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/05/2017 Full Good 25/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC451174 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1) This relates specifically to obtaining a copy of a young person’s pathway plan and recently completed AIMs assessment.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, this relates to ensuring that staff receive specific training on working with young people who may have sexual harmful behaviours.  First aid boxes should be provided and maintained. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.13)

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Recommendations

This relates specifically to having more ligature cutting equipment available and accessible to staff at the home.  Children’s home staff should take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the individual child’s needs and developmental-stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action. Staff should discuss the decision with the child’s placing authority where appropriate. If a child makes a choice that would place them or another person at significant risk of harm, staff should assist them to understand the risks and manage their risk-taking behaviour to keep themselves and others safe. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7) This relates specifically to having a risk management plan in place for young people’s unsupervised use of the internet when using games consoles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress in relation to their individual starting points across aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. Young people benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A social worker reported, ‘[Young person] has made significant progress. The staff team Inspection report children’s home: SC451174 4 meets his needs to a very good standard and provides regular updates to the social worker. The residential home has utilised resources available to it to manage [young person’s] emotions and behaviours and has utilised strategies to manage these effectively within the home. [Young person] has developed positive relationships with staff and will seek support, advice and guidance when needed.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy good relationships with staff, and they develop and sustain their positive attachments. Young people are registered with a doctor, a dentist and an optician and have access to these services, when they need them. There are effective arrangements in place to promote the young people’s good health. Medical consent is in place and staff are clear about the types of health decisions and responsibilities that are charged and delegated to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, staff have purchased specialist equipment to treat young people who may self-harm. However, additional equipment would prove useful in ensuring that staff have ready access to this equipment to keep young people safe from harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote contact for young people to ensure that they can sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff facilitate contact taking place even when young people are placed a long way from their homes. Young people are encouraged to participate in activities at the home and in the wider community to help develop their specific interests and hobbies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff allow young people to take appropriate risks to facilitate their growth and natural development. Young people benefit from the support that they need to develop their independent living skills with cooking, shopping and budgeting to assist their readiness for independence. Pathway plans have been requested for eligible care leavers who require them to support their transition towards adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school regularly, with good support and encouragement from staff. Relevant plans are in place to promote young people’s educational achievements and learning. Young people reported, ‘Staff help me with my revision and they help me if I have any problems. I like this place. It’s calm and quiet.’

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

The safety of young people is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice irrespective of the challenges that this presents. Staff have a very good understanding of young people’s needs and emerging vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Young people are kept safe and have a strong sense of personal safety. A young person reported, ‘If I’m angry, or upset, the staff address it. They’ve helped me a lot. It’s not just the placement that’s good, it’s the people in it. I’m happy with the support I’m getting here. I deal with stress badly, and staff are good at talking and listening. There’s friendly banter between us and the staff.’

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

Young people benefit from a warm, supportive, caring and nurturing environment and Inspection report children’s home: SC451174 5 feel protected from bullying, abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Staff are suitably trained to deal with allegations and disclosures. There have been no allegations of abuse or referrals to children’s and young people’s services since the last inspection. Young people know how to make a complaint and their rights are promoted effectively. Young people raised no complaints in relation to their care during this inspection.

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

Risks associated with young people are well known and understood by staff. However, an AIMs assessment is required for a young person, so that staff know how to support him with relationships and safe behaviours. The use of robust risk assessments and highly effective safe working practices contributes to a safe environment for young people. However, while young people are encouraged and allowed to use the internet safely, there are no specific risk assessments in place to control this activity. Consequently, a recommendation is made in respect of this issue. Regular one-to-one key-work sessions with staff ensure that young people are aware of the potential dangers of using the internet. Staff remain vigilant to the risk of young people being exposed to harm.

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

Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities so that the right action is taken by the right professional agencies to support and protect young people. Young people rarely go missing, and if they do, staff are fully familiar with the procedures to be followed to locate the young people quickly and to secure their safe return. Young people do not engage in high risk-taking behaviours and there are no issues with offending, anti-social behaviour or substance misuse.

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

Staff are trained to manage the behaviours of young people safely and effectively. There have been no incidents of restraint since the last inspection. The use of restraint is rare, and if used at all, restraint is always a last resort that is only ever used to protect young people from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager is registered for this home and another of the provider’s homes. The postholder registered with Ofsted in April 2019. The registered manager demonstrates strong and effective leadership and has consistently high expectations of staff and high aspirations for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed efficiently and effectively. The registered manager leads staff by example and ensures that staff are managed effectively and are well supported, supervised and professionally led. The registered manager provides staff with a clear sense of purpose and direction.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home meets the aims and objectives, as set out in its statement of purpose. The home has met and addressed all the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. Sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, well trained and experienced staff are now employed to meet the specific needs and numbers of young people living at the home. Staff have now undertaken ligature training since the last inspection to enable them to respond more effectively and proactively to any incidents of self-harm. However, Inspection report children’s home: SC451174 6 staff still require face-to-face training on working with young people who may have sexually harmful behaviours to help young people living at the home. This training has already been requested by the registered manager. Repairs to the home are undertaken more quickly and staff ensure that the home is consistently maintained to a high-quality standard for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective systems in place for scrutinising the performance of the home. An independent person visits the home on a monthly basis and prepares a written report about the conduct and performance of the home, which identifies the home’s strengths and any weaknesses. This enables the registered manager to have a good understanding of the needs of the home. Any shortfalls identified with the home’s practice can therefore be tackled quickly to secure the home’s continuing improvement. Combined with the registered manager’s own internal monitoring activities there are effective systems for reviewing and improving the quality of young people’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home maintains effective partnerships with all external professional agencies to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all-round support. The registered manager will escalate concerns and will actively challenge professional decisions if he considers this to be in the best interests of young people. This ensures that the needs of young people are championed and prioritised effectively.

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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: SC451174 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 9RU

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC451174 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 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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