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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke to both children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2021. The manager is currently on leave. The deputy manager is currently managing the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2023

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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

11/12/2023 Full Good 25/05/2022 Full Good 01/09/2021 Full Good 14/07/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy to live in this home and they get on well with staff. Staff have supported the children to personalise their bedrooms to their taste and interests. Both children personalise the home with numerous belongings, including toys, books and clothing. Children are well provided for but do not have enough storage space for all their belongings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children to develop basic life-care skills. Children are interested in cooking, and staff enable them to do this. They are in good physical health and staff encourage the children to take care of their personal hygiene and to keep their bedrooms clean. However, staff do not always follow the cleaning routines of the home environment due to other priorities. Furthermore, maintenance of the home is not timely, and repairs are not attended to quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The cultural and diversity needs of the children are understood. Staff have discussions with the children regularly about their identities, and they help the children to explore their cultures. This helps the children to have positive self-esteem, and guards against discrimination in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak about the children with warmth and understanding. Relationships are a strong focus of the home, and this helps the children to develop good relationships with each other. Additionally, staff support the children to enjoy positive activities together and separately. This helps to provide stability to their relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are enabled to attend school. The headteacher said that staff are extremely caring, and, because of their efforts, both children make good progress in their education. Children receive the help and support they need for their individual needs. Children’s achievements in school are celebrated and this helps them to stay motivated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are motivated to support children to achieve in all areas of their development. Professionals speak well of the efforts that staff make for children to have good experiences of living in the home. Staff promote the children to enjoy a variety of activities. They keep memory books for the children and daily records are written in child-friendly language. This highlights the quality of experiences being provided to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are promoted to spend time with their family and friends. Staff are alert and are concerned about new emerging risks which have arisen in the community when one child has family time. These worries have not been effectively escalated to the lead professionals. One child feels their views about family time are not being considered well by professionals. Advocacy support has not yet been provided for the child to share their views. Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 4

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

Children feel safe. They know how to complain. A professional said that the children love the staff and that they like going home after school. This fosters the children’s emotional well-being and sense of belonging.

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

The risks to the children are known. Managers complete compatibility assessments when children come to live in the home. This ensures that it is safe for children to live together. Risk management plans for both children are comprehensive and are updated when risks increase. Staff have the skills to talk to the children about strategies to reduce risks. However, for one child, not all staff feel confident to have discussions about complex issues. This does not help the child to understand the staff’s concerns about their safety.

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

Managers believe in a child-centred approach rooted in ‘good, homely’ values to manage unwanted and negative behaviours. Staff have developed a culture of openness and trust, and behaviours are challenged and discussed. This has resulted in children not needing to be physically held. Instead, children receive rewards for positive behaviours. On the rare occasions when children are given consequences, staff explain the reason for this action. This helps to build positive relationships between children and staff.

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

Staff complete bedroom searches to remove items that might cause harm. Children are advised of the reasons why some items are removed or withdrawn for their safety. This is always followed up with discussions so that children can learn from their actions. This helps children to stay safer.

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

Staff understand their responsibilities when children go missing or when their whereabouts are unknown. Staff follow their missing protocols, such as following the child and trying to find the child before calling the police. As a result, there is a reduction in children going missing from care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The deputy manager is overseeing the home in the absence of the registered manager. The deputy manager shares an ambitious vision for staff to provide a high standard of care so that children do well and achieve positive outcomes. The deputy manager has addressed the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The deputy manager understands the strengths of the home and areas for development. There are effective management monitoring systems which track the progress of staff development, the effectiveness of the home, and the day-to-day arrangements for the children. Staff are supported through regular team meetings where children’s consultations are discussed so that staff respond better to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is a positive experience for staff. They have time to reflect on the progress children make and staff receive personal support from their leaders and managers. Staff are given opportunities for professional development. One member of staff said the Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 5 home has a strong safeguarding culture due to the training and practice that they receive. This helps the staff to provide safer care of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents speak positively about the effect that managers and staff have on the children. Parents say staff are considerate of the needs of the children. Staff communicate well with them even when things are not working well. This means that staff have an open and honest working relationship with parents about children’s progress. Parents acknowledge the reduction of risks and incidents since the children moved to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment of staff is ongoing for two vacant posts. The home has been affected by staff sickness and extended leave; however, this has not affected the quality of children’s care arrangements. Bank staff are used to cover shifts. In addition to this, the deputy manager and staff support each other to ensure adequate staffing and continuity of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are supported to feel confident to discuss complex risk issues with children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff maintain a nurturing, homely, domestic environment. In particular, the registered person should ensure that the home is kept clean, and staff follow the housekeeping routines. Furthermore, the registered person should ensure that repairs to the home are completed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they can evidence what they have done to achieve engagement, including any actions taken to escalate concerns, in particular where risks are increasing for the child during family time. (‘Guide to the Children’s

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Recommendations

Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.6)  The registered person should ensure that children have access to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 4.16)

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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: 1226978 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Inspector

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 8 regulates and inspects 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 1226978 9

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