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

Inspection report children’s home: 1236620 1 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 can provide care for up to four children and young people who have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is part of a large private organisation and the company employs its own clinical team. This resource is shared between this home and two other homes within the organisation.

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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: 12 November 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1236620 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/06/2018 Full Good 08/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/04/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1236620 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

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 30/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

37: Other records Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(a)(b)) 30/08/2019

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Recommendations

 The children’s guide should help children to understand: what the day to day routines of the home are (‘what happens in the home’) and the Statement of Purpose of the home (the care they can expect to receive while living there). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22) In particular, ensure a review of the children’s guide is completed to describe the therapeutic environment.  As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, ensure staff who resigned and are re-employed at a later date undergo full recruitment processes.

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: 1236620 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Highly effective monitoring by leaders and managers enabled them to respond sufficiently to a period of instability in December 2018. Because of this, children continued to make good progress. Leaders and managers made significant improvements to how they introduce new children into the home. Since the previous inspection, two children have moved in successfully and are making good progress. Information considered before children move in is now more comprehensive and well thought out alongside the needs of the other children. However, the register of children moving in and out of the home is not well maintained. Staff have high expectations for children and their health and education outcomes improve as a result. Children start school quickly after moving in and go on to complete their exams and go to college. Substance misuse diminishes and work is ongoing to support children to stop smoking. Children benefit from the clinical team’s regular presence in the home. Because of this,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

children quickly develop positive relationships with the clinicians and engage with them frequently. Staff receive clinical support which helps them to understand the children’s clinical needs. Valuing the views, culture and identity of children is a strength. Children often write and review their own care records. This includes them setting their own targets and goals. Staff support children to be aspirational for themselves and the celebration of children’s achievements is a constant feature in the home. Many fun opportunities enhance children’s experiences. Children are frequently out enjoying shopping trips, going to the seaside and spending time with friends and family. Family time includes the home arranging children to go on holidays with their own family. The way that staff help children to build more positive relationships with their family is exceptionally good.

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

Action taken by leaders and managers following an unsettled period of significant incidents was sufficient to ensure that children were helped and protected effectively. Leaders’ and managers’ robust monitoring and analysis identified learning to enable them to make sufficient changes in how they consider the suitability of children moving into the home. Due to a deterioration in one child’s well-being, serious incidents in the home increased for a period of time. Staff were unable to safely de-escalate these incidents without the support from the police. The need for police involvement for this child was proportionate to the risk of harm at that time. The manager took action to meet with the local police force and establish an individual protocol with them to ensure that the child was not Inspection report children’s home: 1236620 5 criminalised. Once the child moved on, the number of serious incidents decreased.

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

Seven restraints have occurred since the previous inspection and all of these were proportionate to reduce the risk of harm. Children and staff receive good one-to-one and clinical support following behavioural incidents. Gradually, this support, alongside the reward systems, impacts positively on how well children manage situations they find difficult. Children receive effective support to help them increase their understanding about risk and safety. One-to-one and group discussions with children tackle very difficult topics sensitively and effectively. Staff also support children’s families to understand the signs of abuse and exploitation. This good-quality work increases the safety and well-being of children. Good collaborative work occurs when there are concerns about a child’s safety with regards to missing from home episodes, exploitation and radicalisation. Caring responses from staff to children when they are worried about them support children to share

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

important information. Independent return home interviews are always completed following any missing periods and information from these interviews informs the care plan. Staff are quick to identify and report child protection concerns as required. However, through leaders’ and managers’ monitoring, they highlighted concerns that, on two occasions, staff did not follow the whistleblowing policy. This shortfall was rectified quickly and there was good collaborative work with safeguarding professionals. Overall, recruitment of staff follows safer recruitment guidance. However, on one occasion leaders and managers did not follow their full recruitment process when re- employing a member of staff who had previously worked in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The therapeutic ethos of the home is understood and effectively implemented by staff. Careful thought and consideration is given to the appearance of the home, from the calming colours to the blankets and cushions which add to the therapeutic environment. The detail in the children’s guide does not reflect this strength and would benefit from review. Leaders and managers provide staff with appropriate training to help them to understand how children’s previous experiences may impact on them. Staff use this knowledge to implement children’s care plans effectively. Children and staff develop positive relationships. The complaints process effectively addresses any concerns that children may have. The manager has developed her responses to children to make them more personal and child focused. Children receive outcomes to their complaints swiftly. Leaders and managers use children’s views to develop the home. For example, children are having input into

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

the changes in the garden, the décor of the home, shopping lists and plans for the school holidays. Leaders and managers are now more confident and self-critical in their monitoring and Inspection report children’s home: 1236620 6 evaluation of the quality of care. Good insightful reflection about serious incidents from senior managers, care staff and children identifies the good practice and areas for improvement. This has a positive impact on children’s experiences. Staff feel supported. However, leaders and managers do not maintain good records that show that staff receive regular formal supervisions.

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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: 1236620 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, London W6 9RU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Elworthy

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Inspector

Nicola Lownds, social care inspector Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1236620 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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