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

Inspection report children’s home: SC456416 1 SC456416 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 is one of several homes operated by a private company. The home’s statement of purpose states that care is provided for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since July 2021. A new manager has been appointed, who is currently in the process of applying for registration.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 9 February 2022

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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: SC456416 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2022 Full Good 08/05/2019 Full Good 15/05/2018 Full Good 09/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC456416 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living at the home moved in in May 2022. She has settled in well and has quickly developed positive relationships with staff. Staff have supported the child to feel welcome at the home. The social worker said, ‘This is the most settled she’s been in any placement. Staff have a good understanding of her needs and behaviour.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the child with well-planned individualised care, which promotes her needs effectively. The child makes measurable progress across aspects of her welfare, physical, social and emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Initially, the child made a positive start in education. However, her attendance dipped prior to the summer holidays. The child will need support to resume her schooling after the summer holidays if her educational outcomes are to improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has enjoyed joining in some positive activities with staff. For example, she has been to theme parks, the cinema, the circus and swimming. The child has also joined a local gym recently but has yet to attend with staff. Staff continue to encourage activities; however, the child is sometimes reluctant to attend these. This is disappointing because activities strengthen positive relationship building between staff and the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to visit her friends and family in accordance with the plans agreed with her social worker. This ensures that family time is a positive experience for the child and enables them to sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is registered with the health services she needs to be healthy, and staff encourage the child’s attendance with her health appointments. This includes accessing specialist support to promote the child’s emotional and psychological well- being. The latter is something that the child may need more support with due to a recent bereavement.

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

The manager ensures that staff promote the child’s safety and that risk management plans are in place to address the needs and vulnerabilities of the child. This includes guidance for staff to keep the child safe from harm.

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

Risk management plans are signed by most, but not all, staff. This means that some staff may not be familiar with the child’s plans or know how to implement these effectively. Inspection report children’s home: SC456416 4 Staff promote and reinforce the child’s positive behaviour and ensure that the use of physical holds and sanctions is kept to an absolute minimum. Staff manage the child’s behaviours safely and effectively. They diffuse challenging situations, which prevents incidents and behaviours from escalating.

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

Staff are responsive to the child’s needs. Consequently, the child knows that she can approach staff to discuss her feelings and needs for support. This ensures that the child feels valued, supported and listened to. The social worker said, ‘[Name of child] receives lots of support and likes the placement.’

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

The child is protected if she goes missing from the home. Staff actively look for her and work closely with the police to promote the child’s safety. On occasions, staff have found the child and returned her home safely. The manager is working with the child’s social worker to have some agreed overnight stays with friends.

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

The child knows how to make a complaint. However, no complaints have been raised since the last inspection. Significant incidents are shared with the appropriate authorities to promote the safety and well-being of the child. The manager shares information with professionals and escalates concerns to ensure that the right action is taken to keep the child safe from harm.

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good

Leaders and managers have addressed and met all the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. The home meets the aims and objectives as described in the statement of purpose.

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good

A new manager has been in post since April 2022. The manager has applied to Ofsted for registration but had an incomplete application returned. This is the second manager’s application for this home in the last 12 months. The registered manager’s post has been vacant since July 2021.

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good

The home has experienced some staffing difficulties due to long-term staff sickness, staff going on maternity leave and a staff member leaving. However, the manager has used staff from her other home to provide the child with a familiar and consistent staff team. New staff have now been recruited.

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good

The manager ensures that the training needs of staff are identified. She has arranged for all staff to attend face-to-face training to raise their awareness of child sexual exploitation. Additionally, staff will also be provided with bereavement training from the home’s clinician. Some staff are trained in self-harm, but other staff require this training.

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good

Staff are supported in their roles and benefit from regular team meetings and practice-related supervision. This encourages staff to reflect on their practice and review the effectiveness of the child’s plans to meet their emerging needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC456416 5 An independent person visits the home on a regular basis to report on the quality of the child’s care. These visits help the manager to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager completes their own internal monitoring and has implemented a development plan to secure the home’s improvement.

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good

Staff are recruited carefully to ensure that they are suitable. The accommodation provided for the child is physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely. Inspection report children’s home: SC456416 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, 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

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the child’s improved school attendance. 19 September

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

that staff help each child to— 19 September Inspection report children’s home: SC456416 7 develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the child’s more regular engagement in positive activities with staff.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 19 September Inspection report children’s home: SC456416 8 This relates to all staff signing risk management plans to ensure that they have read, understood and are familiar with the contents of the children’s plans.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate training to help them meet the specific needs of the children. This specifically relates to staff receiving training to raise their awareness of self-harm, bereavement and child sexual exploitation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC456416 9

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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

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456416 10 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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