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

Inspection report children’s home: SC456413 1 SC456413 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

The provider states in its statement of purpose that this home provides care for one child suffering with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties that result in complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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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 1 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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

Date of last inspection: 17 September 2019

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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: SC456413 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2019 Full Good 06/08/2018 Full Good 15/06/2017 Full Good 16/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC456413 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has lived in the home for two years. He has built strong relationships with staff. The child told the inspector, ‘I get more support here, than anywhere else I’ve lived since being in care.’ He is proud of the progress he has made and is confident speaking about this. He has invested in this being his home and was visibly excited when the staff arrived.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported the child’s relationships with his family. High levels of communication have been maintained with them. The child feels his relationships with his family have improved, and as a result, he now goes to stay with them on a weekly basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to stay active and take an interest in his health. He regularly goes to the gym with friends. The child’s mental health has improved, and he no longer requires an external service to support him. The company’s clinician is in the process of supporting the team to further embed research-informed practice in the care provided to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although there has been some progress with the child accessing education, he is not currently attending school due to an incident with a peer. The school sometimes sends a tutor, but this is not sufficient to meet his educational needs. Staff are supporting the child to complete some schoolwork in the home, but the day-to-day plans lack structure. This means the child is less likely to achieve qualifications and reach his full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s education, health and care plan (EHCP) lacks detail and does not provide information for staff to support the child’s needs. The manager and staff are also not aware of the local offer, which sets out the support available for children with special education needs or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained. The use of soft furnishings helps to make it feel cosy and inviting. The child has an active role in helping to keep the home clean. Staff incentivise this for him and feel it is important that he invests in his home and learns life skills. As a result, he is now much less likely to damage his home when frustrated. Locks from internal doors have also been removed. This makes the home feel less institutional.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are in the process of reviewing some of the child’s plans to make them more accessible to him. Staff involve the child in developing his incentive plans. He understands the plans and how they will help him make progress and better choices in his life. When needed, the child has also been given access to an advocate to help him express his views and wishes. Inspection report children’s home: SC456413 4

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

Staff have the skills and knowledge to keep the child safe. Regular reflective conversations take place with the child to ensure that he is able to make informed choices and decisions. The child told the inspector that he likes to look at a document with staff that tracks the levels of risks. He feels proud that many of the risks in his life have significantly reduced or disappeared since moving in.

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

Staff work closely with other agencies to share information. Information has also been shared with Ofsted after significant incidents. This meets a previous recommendation. However, the manager does not have records of some of the multi-agency meetings that have taken place. It is important to record the decisions made to ensure that all those who are working with the child are consistent.

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

The child is much more able to self-regulate. No physical intervention has been required. Staff speak proudly about how caring and considerate of others the child has become. The child is encouraged to be creative and exercise regularly in order to help him regulate his emotions. As a result, incidents of violence, aggression and damage to the home have significantly reduced.

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

The child has significantly reduced the amount of time he leaves the home without authorisation. Staff are aware of the steps to take, if this happens, and make efforts to locate him as soon as possible. Risk management plans provide the staff with clear guidelines and the child with expectations of how staff will respond. However, the child on his return home has not always received an independent interview when he returned to the home.

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

The manager has reviewed the suitability of the location of the home. Plans have been made to reduce the risks. The child is supported to spend time with friends who are positive influences in his life. When needed, the manager has made referrals to relevant agencies to ensure he has wrap-around support. This meets a previous requirement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted. She has been managing two solo homes since the last visit. The manager has been attempting to recruit staff but has struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this has been frustrating and difficult for the staff, they have worked flexibly to ensure that the child has received care from staff he knows well. he has good relationships with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and receive regular reflective supervision by a trained person. The staff team meets regularly to ensure consistent care is provided. The child’s views are always incorporated and considered in the team meetings. However, timescales for issues raised are not always set, so he has not always been given a timely response. Inspection report children’s home: SC456413 5 Complaints are treated seriously. Records evidence the actions that have been taken to resolve the issues. An effort is made to maintain positive relationships with neighbours. Feedback from other professionals is also positive. One social worker said, ‘Communication from the manager and staff is great. I am always kept informed. Staff have helped [name of child] to really build on age-appropriate skills, like travelling alone on public transport.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have the skills and knowledge to care for the child, and regularly refresh their knowledge by attending training. Staff speak highly of the support they give each other as a team. One new staff member spoke about feeling warmly welcomed to the home. A thorough induction and additional support through supervision have been given to new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the events in the child’s life. However, when reviewing records, the manager does not always review the staff’s actions in the events. This is a missed opportunity for learning and reflection. Additionally, the manager does raise her concerns with others, but has not used escalation processes effectively when there has been a delay or insufficient responses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited monthly by an independent person. Reports provide scrutiny that the manager then uses to improve the care provided. The manager also completes an internal review of the quality of care. She has requested, and reflected on, a range of feedback in order to inform a clear plan going forward. This holistic monitoring means that the quality of care for the child is always improving. Inspection report children’s home: SC456413 6

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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, the 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they challenge the content of EHC plans if they do not include clear information about the needs of the child. Staff must challenge the child’s education provider if the child does not receive sufficient support to progress as outlined in their relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to staff ensuring that when the child is excluded from school, they are engaged in suitable structured activities.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to managers being aware of the local offer to ensure that any child with special educational needs receives the support they need. 15 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC456413 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should use effective escalation processes when they do not receive appropriate responses or records from other professionals. This is important to ensure that plans for the child are aspirational, time focused and multi-agency decisions are on file. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3)  The registered person should ensure that they take account of information provided by independent return to home 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)  The registered person should ensure that children are able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that evaluation is undertaken for all incidents to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)

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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: SC456413 8

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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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Inspector

Sylvia Eboigbe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456413 9 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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