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

Inspection report for children's home: 1159258 1 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

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 11 November 2024.

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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: 6 November 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: 1159258 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2023 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Good 05/05/2021 Full Good 31/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1159258 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All four children were spoken to during the inspection. Since the last inspection, two children have left the home. Staff have stayed in contact with children who have moved out of the home. On one occasion, the provider ensured that a child had additional financial funding as there was a delay in their student funding becoming available. This ensured that the child had sufficient access to living costs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff, who understand children’s lived experiences and know them well. Children are regularly consulted about the care they receive. They say staff listen to them and respond to their requests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend routine and specialist health appointments. Staff understand children’s current health needs and how to meet them. However, the health plan for one child lacked detail about their presenting needs and how staff should respond to this specific need. This does not ensure that all staff are provided with the knowledge and guidance to support the child effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from well-thought-out independence planning. Regular consultations with children and professionals take place to ensure that arrangements are made in line with children’s wishes and abilities. In addition, children are supported to develop independence skills such as cooking and budgeting. This helps to prepare children for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children achieve their academic goals. They are supported to identify and attend their chosen education provision. Furthermore, staff help children to learn at home. Consequently, since the last inspection, children for whom English is not their first language now speak it fluently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress from their individual starting points. For example, staff have helped one child to lose weight by helping them to understand the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a spacious and warm home. However, one child’s bedroom needed some improvements to make it more comfortable. This was discussed with the manager and addressed during the inspection.

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

Children and professionals view the home as a safe place to live. Leaders, managers and staff prioritise the children’s safety and well-being and work closely with professionals to keep children safe. Inspection report for children's home: 1159258 4 Missing-from-home incidents for children have reduced since moving to the home. One child’s social worker stated that they believe this is because the child trusts the staff and feels protected.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted in a variety of ways. The manager uses incentives to encourage children to participate in educational activities when they are reluctant to do so. Children’s achievements are acknowledged and rewarded, and they are supported to learn strategies to manage their own emotions. For example, the manager used his knowledge and experience of boxing to support a child to develop boxing skills to help manage their emotions.

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

Children are helped to take risks appropriate to their age and level of understanding. For example, staff ensured that one child could travel to London safely by making the journey with them. As a result, the child can now safely travel independently to London.

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

Safeguarding processes are good. Leaders and managers ensure that before staff can work with children, pre-employment checks are made to determine their suitability. In addition, disclosures made by children are appropriately reported to safeguarding professionals to ensure that these are quickly addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He is supported by a deputy manager and a team of experienced staff who have worked at the home for a significant period. Together they offer children security and stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high aspirations for children and advocates for them. He listens to children’s views and escalates concerns if responses from partners are not satisfactory. This ensures that children receive the right support that meets their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong focus on meeting the individual needs of children. Leaders and managers ensure that staff receive training to build their skills and knowledge around supporting children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to staff learning and development. He uses a reflective model to encourage staff to learn from their practice. Staff are encouraged to develop in the home through progression to senior positions and receive support to gain their qualifications. This helps staff feel valued and supports stability in the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have formal supervision where they are encouraged to use a reflective model to consider their practice. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that the performance of staff is annually reviewed to support their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good professional relationships with external agencies. Placing authorities are complimentary about the quality of care children receive and the frequent communication between them and the staff team. Inspection report for children's home: 1159258 5 The manager uses a range of systems to monitor the experiences and progress of children. These are used to maintain a good standard of care to children. However, some children’s plans are not up to date and contain details about children’s lived experiences before moving to the home. This does not ensure that the care children receive is addressing their current needs. Inspection report for children's home: 1159258 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s health plans reflect their current health conditions and provide guidance to staff on how to meet children’s needs effectively.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s placing authority plans reflect their current living arrangements. 8 January 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are given an opportunity to have their performance appraised each year to address any practice issues, and the staff member is given an opportunity to reflect on their practice. This appraisal should take into account, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children's home: 1159258 7

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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: 1159258 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

Registered managers: Natalie Bygrave and Richard Dolan

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1159258 9 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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