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

Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 1 SC456795

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Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager resigned in July 2022. Since then, the home has been run by interim managers. The latest interim manager started working at the home on 18 November 2022. They are also the manager of another children’s home that is run by the provider. The manager has not applied to Ofsted for registration.

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Information about this children's home

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2022

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Information about this children's home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children's home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 Children do not live in a comfortable and homely environment.  The failure to complete repairs does not protect children from avoidable hazards to their safety.  Staff have failed to engage with children and develop positive relationships.  Staff do not have the confidence and skills to respond to children’s emotions and risky behaviour effectively. They fail to defuse difficult situations safely, resulting in children’s behaviours escalating and increasing the risk of harm.  The leadership and management of the home are ineffective.  The lack of a stable, confident, experienced and skilled staff team is contributing to children’s disengagement with the home.  The manager and responsible individual fail to take effective action to improve the quality of care and protection in the home. This has compromised the safety, experiences and progress of children living at the home.

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The care of children

The child does not have positive relationships with staff. Staff continue to struggle to engage with the child and gain their trust and respect. The manager and staff’s failure to build trusting relationships with the child compromises their ability to support the child’s development and progress.

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The care of children

The child is not achieving good outcomes in education. The child continues to miss part of the school day by being late. Staff’s attempts to get the child to go to school on time are not effective.

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The care of children

Staff do not meet the child’s health needs effectively. For example, they have not been successful in supporting the child to go to the dentist and a hospital appointment. Staff have not explored with the child to understand their reluctance, support them with any worries they may have and prepare them for the next appointment.

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The care of children

Staff make sure that the child sees their family regularly. The child enjoys spending time with their family, and this is a positive experience.

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The care of children

Staff encourage the child to take part in activities outside of the home. The child has joined a drama group at a youth club. Therefore, the child is taking part in activities with other children and has opportunities to make friends and develop their social skills. Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 3

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The safety of children

The child does not live in a pleasant and well-maintained home. The manager has not addressed the shortfalls in relation to the physical environment that were identified at the last inspection. In fact, the standard of the environment has deteriorated.

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The safety of children

There is considerable damage throughout the house. This includes broken windows and damage to doors, furniture and kitchen cupboards and drawers. The manager and staff do not make sure that the child’s bedroom is well maintained and suitably furnished. For example, the child does not have a wardrobe to hang their clothes. Damage to the bathroom door means that children and staff cannot lock it to provide the appropriate level of privacy.

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The safety of children

Significant delays in completing repairs are not protecting the child from avoidable hazards to their safety. Living in an unpleasant environment does not help the child to feel well cared for and valued.

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The safety of children

The manager and staff’s management of unwanted behaviour is ineffective. Risk assessments and behaviour management plans fail to provide staff with effective strategies to manage the child’s behaviour or minimise risk.

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The safety of children

Staff struggle to respond effectively when the child experiences difficulties in regulating their emotions. They fail to prevent situations from escalating. This results in the child displaying aggressive behaviour to staff, damaging the house, going missing from home and staff having to restrain the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Significant shortfalls in the leadership and management of this home continue to compromise the child’s experiences and progress. These shortfalls hinder the staff’s ability to care for the child effectively and protect them from the risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager and responsible individual are not leading the home in a manner that is consistent with the aims outlined in the statement of purpose, including to help children gain self-control through warm and positive relationships. Their failure to address significant risk-taking behaviours and the child’s disengagement with staff exacerbate risks to the child’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The management team has failed to respond to the shortfalls that were identified at the last inspection. Managers have not addressed the weaknesses in staff’s ability to engage the child or the incredibly poor home conditions. Furthermore, they have not acted to improve the child’s education or meet the child’s social, emotional and health needs. They have failed to ensure that the child’s needs are met in accordance with their plan. Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 4 The management team’s oversight of the home is poor. The manager does not spend sufficient time at the home to exercise effective leadership, monitor the operation of the home and the quality of care that children receive, or provide staff with adequate guidance and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Changes to the staff team are not providing the child with appropriate continuity of care. The child said, ‘I don’t like strangers looking after me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

A lack of stability for the child does not help them to build positive relationships with the people caring for them over time. Consequently, staff have not established trusting relationships with the child, which would enable them to respond to the child’s emotions and behaviour effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff do not have the confidence and skills to respond to the child’s needs. Despite staff receiving training in behaviour management, the weaknesses identified in the staff’s ability to defuse challenging situations demonstrate that the training is ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

A mental health practitioner offers support to staff to help them develop their skills and understanding of the child’s specific needs. However, the manager has not made sure that every member of the staff team is making use of this support. Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/02/2022 Full Good 03/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/11/2018 Full Outstanding Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 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;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child's relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 28 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; 28 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 7 children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child's health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child's health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child's health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child's well- being;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to making sure that children have a healthy and nutritious diet, are encouraged to be physically active and are supported to attend dentist and other health appointments.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 28 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child's behaviour, in accordance with the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child's behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child's respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 9 have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)(c)(d)) 2 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

* The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 2 April 2023 Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 10 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 11

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: SC456795 12 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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