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

Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 1 SC458028 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 children’s home is owned by a large national organisation. The home cares for up to three children who have social and emotional-related behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 2 November 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/08/2019 Full Good 08/01/2019 Full Good 12/09/2017 Full Good 27/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of inspection, there were two children living at the home. Two children who had lived at the home for a long time have moved to semi-independent accommodation. Two other children have moved on from the home due to an increase in risks. This has meant a lot of change for the existing children and the staff. The manager has been proactive in identifying lessons learned from these endings and directed the independent person to also explore these endings to help inform future planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are warm and welcoming. They know the children well and are able to identify children’s strengths and recognise their progress. Staff also have a good knowledge of children’s vulnerabilities and how to respond to these. Children’s social workers said that the staff go above and beyond in the care that they provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff implement strong, consistent boundaries that encourage the children to attend education. Children are supported to attend education provisions that meet their educational and social needs. Children benefit from learning opportunities that they enjoy and their attendance and engagement in education is high. There are clear and immediate consequences when children do not attend education, and children understand these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are preparing to move on from the home benefit from a structured independence programme. Staff help the children to learn new skills, including the reality of managing money on a small budget. Children who have moved on remain in contact with the manager and staff for guidance and support. One child said that, because of the support they receive, they ‘have reached goals that I did not think would be possible’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have established positive relationships with children’s families. They are supporting one child with a plan to return to their family home. This includes increased visits and involving the child in planning for where they might attend college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children to maintain and enjoy peer relationships, including supporting children to having overnight stays with friends. Staff encourage children to play games, enjoy film nights, pampering sessions, and choose activities outside the home.

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

Children enjoy a calm environment with minimal incidents at the home. There has been a reduction in risks for most children. Staff have supported children who had been involved in criminal activity to change this behaviour. Children who were at risk Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 4 of exploitation have been supported to understand and make new, healthier relationships.

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

The manager maintains effective oversight of the risks for children and patterns in their behaviour. Staff are vigilant around issues of substance misuse and address these risks openly with children. Staff take decisive action to challenge children to ensure that children do not have access to illegal or dangerous items.

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

Staff respond quickly and confidently to incidents of children leaving the home without permission. They follow children and are familiar with the areas that children are seeking to get to. Staff ensure that other professionals are aware of children’s level of vulnerability when reporting children who are missing from the home. Missing-from-home protocols are in place for individual children. However, these protocols do not reflect all the actions that the staff take and this could lead to inconsistencies in the staff responses when children leave the home.

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

Despite high levels of multi-agency working, staff have been unable to disrupt patterns of missing from home for two children they have cared for since the last inspection. One child moved on from the home, as the manager and staff did not feel they were effective in their efforts to keep the child safe from external influences. The manager and staff have a good knowledge of the indicators of exploitation and share their concerns about children in a timely way with relevant professionals. This helps inform planning and the level of support children need.

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

The manager regularly reviews the location risk assessment and uses this when considering new referrals. The home is located within walking distance of a train station. This risk is considered at the point of matching and discussed with the child’s social worker before the child moves to the home. Staff have good links with the local police who share up-to-date information about the location.

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

Children are supported to build trust and increase the time that they spend outside the home without staff supervision. This gives children the experience and responsibility of managing independently in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a detailed knowledge of the home. She joined the home in 2016 and registered as manager in August 2020. Staff are confident in her decision- making and feel inspired by her progression.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly reviews the workforce development plan to identify the training required to meet the needs of children in the home. This includes arranging additional face-to-face training for staff in criminal exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the children’s needs and is committed to their care. She is tenacious in updating children’s plans and involving the right professionals to help improve the children’s safety. Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 5 The manager has established good working relationships with other professionals. She has been successful at escalating concerns about children when a multi-agency response is needed. Professionals said that they appreciate the regular communication and sharing of information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management monitoring systems provide effective oversight of the service and the children’s progress. Some daily records contained repetitive prompts that were confusing. The staff do not always complete room search logs. These records do not provide a clear account, particularly for a child’s future reference.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Visits from the independent person and the manager’s review help the manager evaluate the quality of care provided. These evaluations include the views of children and professionals and have informed the home’s development plan. Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that risk assessments are clear and consistently provide the staff with clarity regarding the arrangements in place to protect children and the steps they must take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. In particular, the missing-from-home protocols should clearly outline all of the actions staff should take to locate children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, staff should ensure that all recording accurately reflects the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standard’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC458028 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: Metropolitan House, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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