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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1156103 1

p.1

Cambian Childcare Ltd

Monitoring visit 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 provides care for five children aged 11 to 17, who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager is applying to be registered with Ofsted.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The home was last inspected in July 2019. This monitoring visit was carried out to enable the regulator to obtain an up-to-date assessment of children’s lived experience at the home since the last inspection.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted did not carry out a physical visit to the home. The inspector gathered evidence in several different ways, including gaining views from children, social workers, parents and staff, and talking to the manager and asking him to provide electronic documents for the inspector to review.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, there has been a change of manager at the home. The previous manager left in October 2020 and a new manager is now in post. This change has not adversely affected children’s care.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Four children are living at the home, two of whom have lived at the home for nearly a year. Children who have either left or moved into the home have benefited from well-planned moves. Consequently, children new to the home have settled well and children who have left have moved in a coordinated way.

p.1

This monitoring visit

During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have needed to be creative in finding ways of keeping children busy. Through using imagination, the staff have helped the children Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1156103 2 to develop their life skills. For example, children have been encouraged to get involved in recycling furniture and learning basic repairs. Children have been helped to form a house band. This has included the staff arranging for the purchase of guitars and a drum kit. Children have also benefited from having garden parties, bake-off competitions, indoor crazy golf, board games and film nights. These varied activities have helped to meet children’s needs and to develop their creativity, physical and social interests and skills.

p.1

This monitoring visit

However, the prolonged nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has started to take its toll on children. Children are increasingly feeling frustrated by the national restrictions that impact on their daily lives. Consequently, children are becoming unsettled despite all the efforts made by the staff.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff actively encourage school attendance and have provided home-learning support when children’s schools have not been fully open due to COVID-19 restrictions. This encouragement has enabled children who have previously struggled to attend school to go from 20% attendance to 100%.

p.2

This monitoring visit

When children have gone missing from the home, staff have been diligent in following children’s plans and trying to find them. However, children have not always been offered an independent return home interview, even when managers have requested one. This means that managers are not able to fully evaluate and understand the reasons why children go missing.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Children’s risk-management plans are not always kept up to date to reflect changes in risk. This omission has the potential for staff not to be fully informed of the measures necessary to protect children from harm.

p.2

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 31/07/2019 Full Good 11/07/2018 Full Good 16/01/2018 Full Good 23/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1156103 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

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;

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.3

Requirement Due date

This is regarding making sure that risk-assessment plans include new risks and the action that staff need to take. 19 March 2021

p.3

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

p.3

Recommendations

Specifically, the registered person should continue to remind local authorities of their responsibility to provide an opportunity for children to have an independent return home interview. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1156103 4

p.3

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.4

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.4

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

p.4

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caretech Ltd, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

p.4

Inspector

Debbie Bond, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1156103 5 to 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.4

Inspector

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.5

Inspector

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

p.5

Inspector

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

p.5