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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 1 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

A private company owns and manages this children’s home. It provides care for up to two children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2022 Full Good 01/09/2021 Full Good 14/07/2021 Full Inadequate 03/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have regular discussions with staff and can share their views, which supports the registered manager and staff in providing positive opportunities for them. Staff ensure that the children have access to activities in the community and in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s records are of good quality and are written to the child for their future reading. The children’s views are listened to, and their voices are heard. Memories are captured in the children’s daily journal, which includes photos.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to emotional support, which is provided through access to the mental health practitioner. Their health and development needs are well understood and promoted by the staff team. Staff support children to attend health appointments and encourage them when they are reluctant to go. The registered manager challenges other professional services to ensure that the children have access to the right support and acts as an advocate to ensure that the child’s voice is heard .

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are accessing education and engaged in learning in accordance with their needs. The staff actively encourage school attendance. This has resulted in children who have previously been out of education attending full-time and making academic progress. When barriers to learning are identified, staff work closely with the schools to consider more flexible arrangements to support the children and enable them to access their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them. The staff support family time for the children and their families. Families receive updates on what the children have been doing regularly. The home prioritises communication with family members and welcomes them into the home if appropriate. The staff ensure that the children can attend any family time arrangements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with children using a caring and nurturing approach. Staff are knowledgeable about the home’s therapeutic approach; this has supported children to develop trusting and secure relationships with staff. Children are welcomed into the home. They are given a child-friendly guide to help them to settle at a time of change. The children’s guide is personalised for each child, so it is specific for them before they move into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are not able to raise a complaint anonymously if they want to about any aspect of their care. The children can choose personalised items for their bedrooms. However, the majority of the home’s communal areas lack the personalisation of being a domestic family home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 4

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

Children told the inspectors that they feel safe in the home. One child told the inspectors that he had no worries and it was easy living at the home. This means children are helped and protected within the home by staff who ensure their care.

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

The registered manager has made multi-agency links and has relationships with professionals relevant to the care of the children. The feedback from professionals about the staff and the home is positive, praising staff for ensuring that children build up positive relationships and maintain lines of communication, while ensuring quality of care for children.

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

The registered manager and staff adopt a restorative approach with the children. The staff have access to a mental health practitioner who offers clinical support to ensure that this is effective. The children have positive relationships with staff and can talk openly. Staff use the strength in these relationships to address any issues. This supports children to manage their feelings in a more positive way. This approach is effective and as a result there are few incidents of physical restraint and few missing-from-home incidents reported.

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

The registered manager and the staff welcome children through planned admissions. There are detailed risk assessments to ensure that each child’s needs are considered and met. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the risks the children face and are knowledgeable to support children to stay safe.

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

The registered manager and staff record in case files when incidents occur. Nevertheless, there are some incidences of paperwork not being signed and manager oversight from a covering manager not being accurate. This does not support the welfare and safety of children on these occasions.

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

The registered manager and staff have failed to follow the homes fire risk assessment on occasion. This resulted in the emergency lighting being covered in the staff sleep-in area, making it ineffective in an emergency. The registered manager was made aware of this during the inspection and action was taken to address this. However, it was noted that a similar requirement had been made previously. One staff member failed to follow the missing-from-home protocol within timescales, which delayed a multi-agency response for a vulnerable child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff feel valued and supported and feedback for the registered manager is positive. The staff are provided with regular supervision. The supervision records are detailed and maintain the child and the quality of care as the focus. Staff have the right support to promote the welfare of children effectively. Supervision records lack reflection, and time for a reflective discussion to support further development for staff to improve practice and identified learning opportunities could be missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 5 The registered manager is working towards her level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. The established staff are qualified, and the therapeutic model adopted by the home is understood by the staff, who provide good care to the children. However, some mandatory training is not up to date. For some staff, there are some shortfalls in the training matrix which the registered

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has effective monitoring systems in place, providing a good level of oversight. The oversight includes consultation with children, professionals and families. These monitoring systems provide the necessary information to support the manager in progressing practice improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Significant incidents are reported to ensure the children’s safety and well-being. The incidents are being reported promptly. This provides a safeguard that the actions being taken by staff are the best to safeguard the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff follow policy in line with children’s plans. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi)) 22 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the emergency lighting in the staff office and sleep area is fully visible. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)) 18 July 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home provides a nurturing, supportive and homely environment that meets the needs of the children. This includes the staff maintaining the grounds around the home for children to enjoy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that children are aware of the complaints procedure and can access the forms and make a complaint without the need to Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 7 ask staff, to protect their privacy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)  The registered person should ensure that there are systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect

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Recommendations

on their practice and development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should have a workforce plan. The plan should detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety, and mandatory qualifications). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 1226978 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Inspectors

Kate Jackson, Social Care Inspector Lisa Finch, Regulatory Inspector Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under

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Inspectors

the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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