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

Inspection report for children's home: SC405713 1 SC405713 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 home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager is in post and is in the process of submitting their application to register with Ofsted.

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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 for children's home: SC405713 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/04/2022 Full Good 18/05/2021 Full Good 21/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC405713 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child lived at the home at the time of the inspection. Since the previous inspection, three children have moved on from the home. Of these, two children moved on from the home successfully in line with their pathway plans. However, another child had moved in and out of the home after six weeks. This followed a decision that the service was unable to continue to meet the child’s complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to form strong bonds with the child and encourage them to have positive experiences living in the home. The child is making progress in key areas of their development. A professional who supports the child explained how staff helped the child to settle into the home. They said, ‘A lot of effort has gone into [staff] getting to know [name of the child], and that’s showing.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, and there is equipment to support the child in activities they enjoy, such as painting. Maintenance work is carried out when required. One of the communal showers is no longer in use. This does not affect the child, as they can use the alternative facility. The responsible individual explained that there is a planned programme of works to change the use of the shower room.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to develop their independence skills and broaden their experiences. For example, they encourage the child to use public transport to travel to their educational provision. They have supported the child to secure a voluntary work placement to help them achieve their work aspirations. The child said they enjoy their job.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child expresses their views and wishes during weekly discussions with staff. The child said they feel listened to. For example, they had chosen their bedroom decor and helped to decorate their room. They said they know how to make a complaint if they needed to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have a good understanding of the child’s health and psychological well-being. Staff work closely with health professionals and strive to ensure that the child has access to services to support their needs. A social worker said that staff ‘accessed support for [name of the child] quickly’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support arrangements for the child to keep in touch with people who are important to them. This helps the child to feel more settled.

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

Staff are aware of the risks for the child and support them in a safe way according to their needs. Staff use the child’s behaviour management strategies to help reduce the need for physical interventions. When physical intervention has been required, it Inspection report for children's home: SC405713 4 is only as a last resort and for the shortest duration possible. Reflective work has been carried out with the child and staff to ensure that the actions taken were proportionate.

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

There has been one occasion since the previous inspection when a child went missing from home. Staff had taken action to return the child to the home safely. However, due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, staff had not been able to follow the child’s protocol, and there was a short delay in contacting the police. Reflective work has been carried out to improve the management of future incidents.

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

When a new risk to the child emerges, staff put strategies in place to manage the risk. Staff engage with professionals who support the child to ensure that they receive appropriate support to maintain their safety. A social worker gave positive feedback, saying that staff share information and act quickly to keep the child safe.

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

Staff who administer medicines are suitably trained, and medicine is stored securely. However, there is no medicine administration sheet for one of the child’s prescribed medicines. Records relating to the child’s blood sugar level did not clearly indicate what action had been taken if levels were not within the required ranges. Staff were able to explain what actions had been taken to support the child to remain safe. The manager took action to improve the child’s records straight away.

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

New staff are safely recruited. This means appropriate checks have been made to help determine whether staff are suitable to work safely with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is undertaking their level 5 qualification. This is their first role as a registered manager, and they receive mentoring in their areas of development. Professionals and staff speak highly of the manager’s leadership qualities. A social worker said, ‘The manager is very hands-on, and that's been really positive.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been significant staffing changes since the manager began their role. Some permanent staff were redeployed to the provider’s other homes, and there was an increased use of non-permanent staff while new staff were recruited. The responsible individual has good oversight of the service and has worked with the manager to support them to retain the new staff team and ensure that it is suitably skilled. The manager is committed to improving the service and explained that they have learned from this experience and taken action to ensure staffing levels are maintained to provide consistent support to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the manager and receive regular, reflective supervision. They feel listened to and able to make suggestions to improve the quality of the support children receive. A member of staff said, ‘[Name of the manager] is great. If I need help, I can just ask. They give me helpful feedback.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC405713 5 Staff are positive about the quality of their induction and training. They receive specific training from the provider’s clinical team to help them support children with their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff maintain close working relationships with professionals who support children. The manager advocates for children and challenges professionals when they feel children are not receiving a good enough service. For example, prior to one child leaving the home, the manager raised concerns with the local authority about the child’s plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met one requirement and one recommendation from the previous inspection. However, one requirement from the previous inspection has been restated. This is because the manager did not notify the regulator of significant incidents related to one risk. Inspection report for children's home: SC405713 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; and

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to repeated incidents that form a new pattern of behaviour, which may indicate an increased risk to the child. This also relates to incidents requiring police involvement.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection. 30 October 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records are kept of the administration of all medication. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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 for children's home: SC405713 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, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Virginia Vickers, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC405713 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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