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

Inspection report children’s home: SC457553 1 SC457553 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 part of a large national provision and is located in a rural setting. The home is registered to provide care for up to two children. Its statement of purpose states that it provides care for children with emotional and social difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 16 December 2021. They also manage a nearby sister home.

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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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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 February 2020

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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: SC457553 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2019 Full Good 18/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/12/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC457553 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully presented, with cosy and contemporary spaces for children to relax and spend time in. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their taste and are clean and tidy. The garden is large and well maintained. Carers create a homely atmosphere for children. Children attend school regularly. Education is valued and reluctant learners are supported to attend and remain in mainstream school. Children living in the home who previously had poor school attendance, now attend every day. Children’s health needs are consistently met. They have healthy diets, good sleeping patterns and access to health professionals when required. Carers seek additional support from health specialists when children have additional medical needs. Children do well in the home. They make positive progress in all areas. Two children have returned to their family homes since the previous inspection in February 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves from the home are generally well planned, at a pace that meets the children’s needs. One child experienced an unplanned move, which was well supported by the home’s managers and staff. Carers support children’s emotional well-being through informal discussion and targeted work. This helps children to develop strategies to manage emotional discomfort and resolve difficulties in a healthy way. Carers model positive, respectful relationships in their team. They help children to understand that, despite differences, others can be a source of positive support.

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

Bullying is not tolerated in the home. When it occurs, the registered manager addresses it immediately. When children report experiences of being bullied at school, the registered manager swiftly communicates with the school to ensure that this is dealt with. Restraint is rarely used. There has been one incident of physical intervention since the previous inspection. The recording of this was not sufficiently detailed. Leaders and managers investigated this shortfall thoroughly and lessons have been learned through training and sharing of good practice. Children do not often go missing from home. On all but one occasion, carers have followed correct procedure to ensure that children have returned home promptly and safely. The registered manager informs appropriate professionals and families when children go missing from home. Carers seek to understand children’s reasons for going missing from home, to prevent further incidents. When correct procedure

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

is not followed, leaders and managers conduct thorough investigations. Disciplinary action is taken when necessary and performance management plans ensure that mistakes are not repeated. Inspection report children’s home: SC457553 4 The team maintains consistently good guidance and boundaries for children. Carers work as a cohesive team to give children stability and security. Carers respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns. Children report that they feel safe living in the home. The home has an effective complaints procedure that is easily accessible to children. Carers support children to have their voice heard and recognise that their views are important. Complaints are dealt with swiftly and fairly. When investigations identify learning, positive changes to practice are made. Procedures for storing and administering medication in the home are not robust. The inspector identified incorrect recording of medication during the inspection.

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

When this was raised with the registered manager, they immediately booked medication refresher training for the team. This error did not adversely affect children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has had a change of registered manager since the previous inspection. Carers report that this transition has been managed well, with limited disruption. Leaders and managers are well respected by the team. They have responded effectively to feedback from carers when changes have been required. Leaders and managers have good oversight of the care children receive. Care plans are detailed and tailored to each child’s specific needs. The registered manager has high expectations for children and drives improvement in the home to ensure that children reach their potential. Leaders and managers support carers’ development by providing regular, good- quality training. During COVID-19 restrictions, this has been accessible online to the whole team. Additional face-to-face learning is provided when this is permitted. The team is skilled and knowledgeable. When children’s needs change, skill gaps are

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

quickly resolved. There is good management oversight of the team’s training needs and competence. When weakness in practice is identified, leaders and managers respond swiftly to ensure that children’s safety is not compromised. Thorough investigations take place and disciplinary action is taken when appropriate. A strength of the home is that the registered manager develops good relationships with other agencies. This ensures that the children’s plans are continually revised and driven to ensure good outcomes for children. The registered manager robustly challenges other professionals when plans do not meet children’s needs. One parent told the inspector, ‘The manager is driving everything. They are brilliant.’ A professional reported that the home is good at raising the views of children and keeping plans on track. Inspection report children’s home: SC457553 5

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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

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 11 March 2022

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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: SC457553 6

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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, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Elworthy

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Inspector

Penelope Kutz, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457553 7 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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