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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC446325 1 SC446325 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and managed. It provides care and support for two children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, there were two children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022.

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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 outstanding

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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: 28 February 2024

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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: SC446325 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2024 Full Good 24/08/2022 Full Good 24/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC446325 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home. Both children are kept safe, and they are happy, stable and extremely settled. Children have good relationships with staff, who support and care for them effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A stable staff team provides children with stability and consistency in their lives. Children benefit from well-planned care that promotes their needs effectively, supporting change and improvement in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff organise enjoyable activities for children to help them explore their interests and hobbies. As a result, children have a great time together, improving their social skills and developing their confidence. Recently, staff and children participated in a muddy fun run to raise money for charity. They have also enjoyed going to the zoo, theme parks and the gym, and having a summer holiday together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support family time taking place to ensure that children sustain their important relationships with the people who matter most to them. A social worker reported, ‘Staff work hard to understand the children’s needs and build an environment suitable for them whilst also respecting the challenges the children have faced.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are dedicated to promoting children’s education. They support children’s regular attendance at college or home tutoring. One child is enrolled at a local grammar school but is refusing to attend school despites staff’s best efforts. The child is currently provided with part-time home tuition and staff provide additional educational activities to supplement their education and learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s attendance at health appointments to secure their positive health. They work closely with health professionals to ensure that the health needs of children are met effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children’s independence by helping them develop practical skills in cooking, shopping and budgeting, to prepare them for adulthood.

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

Staff create a positive environment for children to live together safely and happily. Risk management plans provide staff with clear and up-to-date information on managing the children’s vulnerabilities safely.

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

Staff are trained in child protection to ensure that they understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe from harm. There have been no safeguarding concerns or significant incidents since the last inspection. Additionally, there have been no complaints or allegations. Inspection report for children’s home: SC446325 4 Staff are trained to manage behaviours that challenge. Staff praise positive behaviour and ensure that consequences are kept to an absolute minimum. There has been no use of restraint or of negative consequences by staff since the last inspection.

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

Neither of the children have gone missing from the home. There are clear protocols for staff to follow in the event that children were to go missing from home. Staff are aware of the triggers for this and are vigilant to the possibility of such incidents occurring.

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

Staff provide children with a physically safe, welcoming, comfortable and homely living environment. Health and safety matters are managed efficiently to ensure a safe and hazard-free environment for children.

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

Staff employed to care for children are recruited and vetted carefully. This ensures that children are protected from unsuitable people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and supporting deputy manager are experienced, skilled and enthusiastic leaders who advocate effectively for the needs of children. They lead staff by example, and channel their efforts and enthusiasm effectively. Staff are extremely well supported, managed and led, and have positive views about the support that they receive from leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that children living at the home are compatible with each other and can live together safely. They ensure that staff have the right skills, knowledge and training to care for the children. This approach has led to consistently positive outcomes and sustained improvement in the lives of children over consecutive inspections. The manager has high expectations of staff to deliver a high-quality service for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Creative and innovative practice continues to develop through the manager and staff team’s strong and confident knowledge. The manager has researched the topic of school refusal in order to help one child overcome their barriers to attending.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children who were previously reluctant and found it difficult to engage in activities are now more confident and socially outgoing. Children now attend a range of positive and enjoyable activities together. They continue to be extremely stable, resilient and settled, with no safeguarding issues or presenting risks. Staff are fully invested in the children and make a real difference to their progress and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A stable and consistent staff team is employed to care for children, offering them continuity of care from familiar staff. There has been no use of agency staff, with any shortfalls covered by existing and permanent members of staff who know the children well. A recent visit from the placing authority’s commissioning team reported that ‘the home runs like clockwork’ and ‘is a very settled home’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC446325 5 Children benefit from well-qualified, trained and experienced staff who receive relevant and regular training to help them meet the specific needs of children effectively. The manager is on track to complete the relevant leadership and management qualification this month. Staff benefit from child-centred team meetings and receive regular, practice- related supervision to reflect on their performance and the impact on the lives of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager makes excellent use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to ensure continuous improvement in the care provided for children. Reports from independent monitoring activities are consistently positive about the progress and experiences of children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC446325 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff consistently pursue children’s full-time attendance in education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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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: SC446325 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

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC446325 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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