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

Inspection report for children's home: SC455991 1 SC455991 Registered provider: Cambian Signpost Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a large national provider of children’s social care services. The home is registered to care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 30 January 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC455991 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2023 Full Outstanding 12/05/2021 Full Outstanding 13/11/2019 Full Good 14/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC455991 3

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outstanding

Children benefit from living in this comfortable home, which has been personalised to their wishes. They looked relaxed and happy as they came home from school. Each room is decorated to a high standard with photos of children and staff in frames throughout the home. Children gather in the kitchen with staff to chat about their day and enjoy a home cooked meal with them.

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outstanding

Staff develop strong and positive relationships with children. These relationships contribute to children making excellent progress from sometimes difficult starting points. For example, one child shared about the significant positive impact staff and the manager have had on their life.

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outstanding

Children are supported by a staff team who are dedicated and provide warm and nurturing care. Staff and managers have a strong understanding of children’s individual needs enabling them to quickly adapt their approach to help to maximise the progress children make. They are highly aspirational for children and take pride in their achievements. The kindness and care afforded to children by staff has great outcomes, enabling children to feel confident enough to try new activities and to seamlessly adapt to their new routines.

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outstanding

Staff provide informed and creative support to children with their education. Before moving to this home, one child had not attended school consistently for a significant period. This child is now attending education, is achieving academically and has secured a college place. When children are not attending school, they are well supported to maintain a good daily routine and to take part in educational and constructive activities.

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outstanding

Moves to and from the home are carefully planned, with children’s needs and experiences reflected throughout. Before children move into the home, a whole team approach, including the integrated therapy team, helps to ensure they have considered everything they need to make moving into the home a success for children. Managers also consider the likely group dynamics prior to children moving into the home and identify any important issues that staff may need to consider when caring for the children. If necessary additional training is secured for staff.

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outstanding

Staff and managers keep in contact with many children after they have left the home. One child made excellent progress while living in the home and was supported well to have a planned move, when the time came for them to move on. Staff continued to provide outreach support to the child for a short period after they had left. They still keep in touch with them and offer their help and guidance as appropriate. Last Christmas, staff and children who have previously lived in the home got together to enjoy a festive meal. Inspection report for children's home: SC455991 4 Therapeutic practice is both strong and well-embedded throughout the home. Staff are fully engaged in the therapeutic approach and understand how this can make a positive difference to children’s lives and experiences. The organisations integrated therapy team visit the home at least once per week, more if required, they provide consultation to staff and undertake direct therapeutic work with children. This

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outstanding

impacts positively on children’s experiences and progress.

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outstanding

Staff and managers demonstrate a proactive approach to safeguarding children and understanding risk and work effectively with other professionals. As a result, the level of risk and number of safeguarding concerns for each child generally reduce over time. For one child, since they have been living here, episodes of them going missing have reduced significantly.

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outstanding

A good knowledge of children, their experiences, families and friends means that staff are well equipped to support and deal with both existing and potential risks. Staff understand children’s friendship groups well. They know where they spend time when they are away from the home, and with who. Staff and managers are quick to act when concerns arise. Since the previous inspection, there has been one episode of a child going missing from home. Staff responded appropriately by looking for the child and reporting them missing, and records are clear and detailed.

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outstanding

Staff and managers take robust action to safeguard children when there are concerns about exploitation. Staff demonstrate persistence and professional curiosity and have a thorough understanding of the signs of possible exploitation. Records documenting concerns are meticulous, and this information is shared effectively with other professionals. When there are concerns about the responses from external professionals, managers are quick to escalate these.

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outstanding

Understanding children’s starting points is a strength. Staff use this information to plan children’s care and the goals they are working towards. They engage children well in this process. Staff are realistic about the speed of progress children make and, despite their desire to see more rapid results, through the support of the therapy team, they have learned to be patient and not put undue pressure on children.

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outstanding

Staff are attentive to children’s needs and celebrate the even the smallest steps of progress that they make, especially when there are prominent risks, such as from the misuse of drugs. Although it is sometimes difficult to help children to make progress, or to make progress as quickly as staff would like them too, managers and staff do not give up on trying, for example, being creative by introducing an amnesty box in the hope that children may feel more comfortable about handing in items that they should not have without being questioned.

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outstanding

A high level of engagement with professionals and the wider network to promote children’s safety and well being is done well. Staff clearly know how to safeguard Inspection report for children's home: SC455991 5 children and do their best to manage any risks, incidents and concerns. Written plans and records are clearly written and up to date. They contain good strategies which staff find it easy to follow.

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outstanding

Door alarms are currently used on children’s bedroom doors at night. However, risk assessments for each child do not clearly set out the reasons for the use of alarms and do not contain a clear time frame for their review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is dedicated, aspirational and child focused. She is very present in the home and adapts her working hours to ensure she is around at the most important times of the day for children and her staff team. She ensures she is there for children when they need her, no matter what day or time. She has worked hard to establish a strong positive culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring systems are highly effective and managers have a very good understanding of the strengths and challenges in the home. They have embedded a therapeutic model of care, and culture, which staff understand and implement seamlessly. They share these successes across their wider organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a clear vision for the home and staff understand her expectations. Staff enjoy working at this home and benefit from a supportive and reflective environment with a focus on learning and improving practice. Managers have created a diverse staff team with differing skill bases in care, education and therapy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

This broad range of skills has been an important ingredient in the development of a strong team, to which each team member brings their particular strengths and which, taken together, are having a very positive impact on the children who live in the home. Some staff champion their strengths and share their skills, knowledge and practice with other homes in this large national organisation so more that children can benefit from their expertise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

When there are concerns about staff practice, these are identified quickly and appropriate action is taken to address any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive training that is specific to the needs of the children living in the home. Managers respond to the changing needs of children and work quickly to get additional support and training for staff as needed. Supervision is regular and meaningful, and consequently impacts positively on the quality and effectiveness of the care staff provide to children. Reflective practice is embedded within this positive culture, staff are always willing and eager to learn.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Research-informed practice is embedded throughout the home and the manager shares her experience and knowledge with others to support with the development of the wider organisation. Inspection report for children's home: SC455991 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the reasoning for any surveillance or monitoring of children is clearly documented in their care and support plans, along with consent from relevant parties and clear timescales for review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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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: SC455991 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Signpost Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Janet Jauregui, Social Care Inspector Nicola Lownds, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC455991 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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