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

Inspection report for children's home: SC476262 1 SC476262 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to five children. The home specialises in providing therapeutic care for children who have specific needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024 and is working towards a relevant level 5 qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. All three were present during the inspection and engaged with the inspector.

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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: SC476262 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/05/2023 Full Good 06/04/2022 Full Inadequate 20/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC476262 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from well-planned moves into the home. Since the last inspection, six children have been welcomed into the home. Children are met by staff before they move in and the children’s guide is shared with them. Three children have left the home, moving on to foster care or semi-independent living. One child’s time in the home was appropriately ended to ensure their future safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a warm and welcoming home. Pictures, soft furnishings and personal touches throughout provide a nurturing and homely place for children to live. The children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and make decisions about other areas of the home. For example, they have been involved in developing an arts and crafts room and cinema room. Additionally, the children have access to a well-kept garden, where they hosted a summer party.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. Well-planned and consistent care helps children to settle quickly and engage well. Children have made progress with their confidence, self-esteem and their relationships with peers, adults and family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted. All three children attend full-time education and have good attendance. One child passed all the exams they sat. Another child has secured offers for a number of colleges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s cultural needs are considered. When children have specific personal needs they are given an additional allowance to ensure that they have the products required. Furthermore, staff support children to consider culture and diversity through themed nights and celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. They are registered with local services and staff support them to attend appointments. When needed, referrals are made to specialist services and the children benefit from access to an assistant mental health practitioner from the in-house clinical team. There have been some medication errors for one child, resulting in them missing medication or taking it late. However, staff were quick to recognise this and they sought medical advice promptly.

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

Staff know the children well. Children have individualised in-house care plans, progress plans and behaviour management plans. These plans are kept under regular review and include the voice of the child. As children participate in their care planning and goal setting, they see the progress that they make.

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

There were four incidents when a child who no longer lives at the home went missing. Each situation was managed well by staff, who were quick to respond and report the Inspection report for children's home: SC476262 4 child missing. Additionally, staff worked closely with the child’s local authority to develop an effective trigger plan and to ensure that missing from home interviews were conducted.

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

There have been two recorded incidents of physical intervention. Both were appropriate in helping to manage escalating behaviours and to keep children safe. Following any use of physical intervention, children and staff are spoken to and are able talk through what happened. Children receive additional support through planned one-to-one sessions to check on their well-being.

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

Three complaints and one allegation have been well responded to. Children receive acknowledgment and outcomes letters and are kept up to date throughout the time their concerns are being considered. This means that children feel heard and valued.

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

Staff support children to take appropriate risks. This includes having access to mobile phones and social media. There are clear expectations in place and devices are closely monitored. Furthermore, the use of bedroom door alarms is reviewed according to the progress that children make. This has been a particular success for one child who is working towards independence.

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

Meaningful work is undertaken with children to help them understand their risks, including the risks of exploitation. This means that children have increased understanding and take steps to keep themselves safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably skilled and experienced. She has worked in the home for a number of years, being promoted to deputy before becoming the manager. She has high expectations of herself and has an ambitious vision for the development of the home and positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is open to change and welcomes feedback from others. She is forward thinking in her ideas and uses research to inform and upskill herself and the staff, through interactive and informative team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a high turnover of staff, which coincided with changes in the management of the home and organisation at the end of last year. This has given the registered manager an opportunity to develop a new staff team. A positive comments box has helped staff to feel valued. Staff spoke highly of the registered manager and the help and support they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and benefit from annual appraisals and personal development plans. New staff complete an induction period and have additional supervisions during their probation period. All staff have completed mandatory training, which reflects the manager’s positive expectations of staff. Inspection report for children's home: SC476262 5 The manager has developed effective monitoring systems that give her oversight of the home and all aspects of the children’s care. Additionally, she ensures that the information contained in different documents is assessed to help her to track and monitor progress. This also means she is quick to identify any areas for development and acts promptly to address these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback is positive. One external professional said, ‘The staff create an inclusive environment where the child is encouraged to express themselves and participate in decision-making, which I hope will promote the young person’s confidence and self- esteem.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC476262 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. In particular, that medication is administered as prescribed for the child. (‘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: SC476262 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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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

Stacie Sharpe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC476262 8 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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