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

Inspection report children’s home: SC433290 1 SC433290 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

The home provides care for up to six young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is part of a large private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is currently contracted to provide services for a single local authority.

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC433290 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/04/2018 Full Good 19/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/09/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC433290 3

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Recommendations

 Chapter five of the regulations sets out guidance in relation to the child’s records. Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and the importance of careful recording. Staff must also be familiar with information- sharing requirements relating to children they care for. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraphs 14.4 and 14.7)  The registered person should ensure that they and their staff engage proactively with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care on an ongoing basis (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3). In particular, that the registered manager should obtain from the placing authority completed delegated authority agreements and minutes of placement review meetings.  The registered manager must lead and manage the home in a way which delivers

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Recommendations

the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4). In particular, implement a system to record all positive consequences and rewards gained by young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who have had different experiences of being looked-after are cared for in a positive way which is individualised to their needs. This means that each young person receives care which recognises and supports their differences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to maintain their cultural identity. For example, a young person who was new to the home was supported to celebrate Eid by cooking and sharing food. As a result of this, his sense of identity and heritage were promoted. In addition, he was made to feel valued and welcomed into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are cared for by a stable and consistent staff team. This means that they are able to build relationships with trusted adults who know and understand them. They are cared for in an environment which provides them with a sense of belonging. One young person said, ‘They listen to me and tell me if I am making bad choices. I appreciate that.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are good links between staff and schools. The importance of education is promoted. Where provision is not meeting the needs of young people, staff advocate on their behalf and different educational opportunities are explored. Young people leaving Inspection report children’s home: SC433290 4 school are supported to plan for further education and training. This gives young people a sense of purpose and optimism for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regular meetings are held between the home and the local authority to review the progress of young people. The records of these meetings are not always given to the home. This means that they are not part of young people’s care records and are not available to the home in order to inform effective care planning.

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

Young people who are at risk of exploitation have clear risk assessments in place which are regularly reviewed and followed in practice. The resulting risk-management plans are used well, to help reduce the risk of harm to young people. Specialist support is in place for young people through the local authority. Staff from these services work with the home to protect young people.

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

When young people go missing from care, staff are proactive in their response. There are clear action plans which staff follow and there is a coordinated response between the home, the police and the local authority. Staff have been successful in reducing missing- from-care episodes for a number of young people. One family member told the inspector, ‘I can sleep at night now because I know she is being kept safe and looked after.’

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

Incidents of bullying between young people are identified and addressed in order to keep young people safe. Individual work and group sessions are undertaken with young people in order to share concerns and discuss the impact of these behaviours. Staff work hard to build positive relationships between young people. On the whole, this is successful. Where bullying and intimidating behaviours have continued, this has, on occasion, led to placements being ended. These decisions have been made taking into consideration the needs of all young people in the home.

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

Young people and staff have completed work in relation to the dangers of knives and knife crime. This was prompted by risks identified within the home. One member of staff said this had helped her to address the issue with young people in her care, in a more confident and informed way. It helped her to have a better chance of making a difference to the views and behaviours of young people.

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

Young people know how to make a complaint and said that they feel confident to do so. In isolated incidents where complaints have been made against staff, swift and appropriate action has been taken. Complaints have been thoroughly investigated and resolved. Young people have been at the centre of decision-making and their wishes and views have been considered. Inspection report children’s home: SC433290 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s registered manager has been in place since May 2018. The post-holder provides the local authority and other agencies with appropriate challenge. This means that the best outcomes for young people remain at the forefront of decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has maintained the practice of leaving three weeks between the admission of young people. This has worked well in ensuring that young people entering the home have time to settle and establish themselves. It also means that the young people who are already established have an opportunity to manage these changes and build relationships with their new peers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive development plan in place for the home. This gives a framework through which the progress of the home can be measured. Good monitoring systems are in place. These provide the manager with information on the progress of individual young people as well as the ability of the staff group to meet the needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been proactive in identifying training required for staff linked to the needs of the young people in the home. For example, staff have undertaken training in respect of gender identity and transgender issues. This supported staff to meet the needs of young people who were dealing with complex emotional issues. There are examples of good practice following some training where staff have completed post- training questionnaires. This has assessed the impact of training on the staff’s knowledge and their practice with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The majority of case records are maintained to a high standard. In some isolated incidents, information was on the wrong file and documents provided by the local authority were incomplete. Comprehensive case records are important in helping young people to contribute to and understand their life stories. Information is also needed by the home in relation to delegated authority for individual young people, which will help them to carry out their duties.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home follows a model of practice which praises and rewards positive behaviours. The current recording systems do not reflect this practice. Systems are heavily weighted towards the recording of negative sanctions. In order for young people to reflect on and enjoy the progress they have made, systems are needed to record and celebrate positive achievements.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC433290 6 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: SC433290 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

Dawn Parton: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC433290 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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