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

Inspection report children’s home: SC423741 1 SC423741 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children or young people on a short-, medium- or long- term basis. The home provides care and accommodation for children and young people who require high levels of support in a structured environment. The registered manager has been in post since May 2017.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 November 2019

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC423741 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/08/2019 Full Inadequate 23/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/05/2017 Full Good 01/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC423741 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the last inspection, inspectors found that the safeguarding practice at this home was inadequate. A visit took place to monitor two requirements that were subject to compliance notices. These were found to be met. This re-inspection has evidenced that the manager and staff have addressed well all the requirements made at the last full inspection and received a significant amount of training, which has improved the quality of care provided.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is nurturing and child-friendly. The warmth and positive relationships with the staff are a key feature of this home. This helps the children to settle quickly and immediately feel a sense of permanence. One child said: ‘I want to stay at this home. I really like it here.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children who currently live at the home make good progress across all aspects of their lives, including their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. This progress takes into account their individual starting points. Staff understand their history, and are attuned to their individual needs and how these influence behaviour.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is evidence of change and improvement in the lives of the children, who benefit from stability and consistency of care in a highly supportive environment. The children are thriving on predictability and clear boundaries. They receive praise and positive encouragement from staff who genuinely care about them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of regular attendance at school and have high aspirations for all the children. They are good advocates and actively promote the importance of learning. They are quick to source the right educational environment and involve the child in that process.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to keep in touch with family members and others who are significant to them. Parents feel very welcome and visit the home. This helps to nurture and strengthen family relationships, resulting in improved family contact and, for one child, the possibility of a shared-care arrangement. Parents report excellent communication with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a strong voice in the home. Their views matter and they have an influence over how their home is run. The culture and atmosphere in the home are very family- oriented. The manager regularly brings her dog into the home, and he is very much part of this extended family. The environment is vibrant, with lots of memorabilia, photographs and achievements on display. The staff and the children are spontaneous in their affection, and they appear relaxed and comfortable in their surroundings. Inspection report children’s home: SC423741 4

p.3

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

Following the last full inspection, the risk management strategies have been improved and are now underpinned by well-documented risk assessments. Individual plans give clear guidance for staff on how to manage identified risks, such as self-harm, alcohol use and risks associated with children going missing from the home.

p.4

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

Despite the very thorough safeguarding and supervisory measures in place, there was a further incident that resulted in a child being discharged from the home. Although immediate action was taken by staff and the police to locate the child, their risk-taking behaviour could not be prevented. Once the child was located, immediate action was taken to protect the child. Notwithstanding the urgency of the situation, a well-planned transition from the home was achieved.

p.4

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

Staff have received further enhanced training in safeguarding and are fully aware of their responsibilities. Since the last inspection, additional training has taken place in relation to autism spectrum disorder, self-harm and all forms of exploitation.

p.4

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

The staff are trained in carrying out physical intervention, but such methods are used only on rare occasions. This is as a direct result of consistent early intervention to defuse challenging situations. The use of distraction and deflection has helped children to learn appropriate ways of expressing themselves.

p.4

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

Meaningful discussions are undertaken with children following any significant incident. This affords them the opportunity to discuss their wishes, views and concerns in a safe space. This supportive approach provides children with an opportunity to reflect on their behaviours and make more-informed choices.

p.4

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

Staff are patient, tolerant and have high resilience thresholds when managing challenging behaviour. They understand the children very well and their approach affords each child security, stability and acceptance.

p.4

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

Children experience a well-structured and coordinated transition during the admission and discharge process. Admissions and discharges are tailored to the individual needs of the child, even in emergencies. Children are consulted at every stage, and their views are valued and acted upon.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is an effective leader who is supported by a committed staff team. She is child-focused and motivated, and endeavours to help children to have positive outcomes. Staff feel valued and share the manager’s vision to improve the life experiences of children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team benefits from regular supervision, team meetings and participation in development opportunities. This ensures that the staff are well equipped to meet the individual needs of the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC423741 5 The home has sufficient staff who have a broad range of experiences and skills to meet the everyday challenges of caring for the children. Staff training is up to date and additional training has been delivered since the last inspection. The manager and staff recognise that this has helped to improve and strengthen practice. Equally, the manager’s monitoring and auditing systems are more robust.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Procedures are in place to ensure that relevant professionals and agencies are informed in the event of a serious incident. Professionals report good multi-agency working practices and communication that enhance the well-being of the children and ensure that their needs are being met. Inspection report children’s home: SC423741 6

p.5

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 difference 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.

p.6

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: SC423741 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Road, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

p.7

Inspectors

Cath Sikakana: social care inspector Ceri Evans: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC423741 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8