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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC437305 1 SC437305 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to eight children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022.

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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: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC437305 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2023 Full Good 23/08/2022 Full Good 16/03/2022 Full Good 18/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC437305 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make exceptional progress from their starting points, including significant improvements with their emotional well-being. One child’s former carer said that they ‘could not believe the change in [name of child]’ and that the child’s attendance at school is ‘amazing and a huge thing, which shows their stability in the home’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff go above and beyond to support the children’s educational needs. All the children are enrolled in education. Most of them have high attendance levels, meet educational goals and sit GCSEs. Older children are receiving professional career advice, and younger children are being supported by staff to engage in activities that are in line with their future aspirations. One child is currently struggling in his provision; however, the manager has taken swift action to meet with professionals to ensure that the child can access education that meets his needs without delay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s understanding of the world is expanded through structured discussions with staff. Furthermore, staff carry out their own research, which is brought to children’s meetings and discussed in a child-friendly manner. This helps the children to understand a range of important issues, such as child exploitation and crime. Children frequently attend the meetings and engage well. They feel confident enough to raise their own opinions and questions during these gatherings with their peers, which leads to effective group discussions and learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s life chances are enhanced because of the quality of care that they receive from staff. Staff understand the children’s needs and how to support them effectively, which has significantly reduced the number of incidents children have been involved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide emotional support to the children, including when children face the bereavement of a relative. Staff are creative in providing happy memories about the relative, which provides comfort for the child. Staff sensitively supported one child to contribute towards the funeral, which helped the child to feel involved and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children feel listened to by staff. Staff consistently seek children’s wishes and feelings through a variety of methods that suit the child. When children make requests, staff action these quickly where appropriate. If requests cannot be met, staff talk to the children about why and look at alternatives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff regularly take children to see their family despite the long distances in travel. For one child, the manager liaised with the local authority to build regular family time with a significant person in his life. The child is due to go abroad on a holiday with this person, which is a direct result of the manager’s dedication and skills. The manager strongly advocates for the children in relation to their family time. As a result, children make positive, long-lasting memories with people who are important to them. These memories are well documented for children to look back on. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437305 4

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

Staff and the manager keep children safer in the home. Children say and show that they feel safe and supported. Children rarely go missing from home. If they do, staff respond in a robust manner.

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

Staff rarely need to physically hold children. When this has happened, it has been proportionate and necessary to keep the child and others safe. The manager has oversight of the action taken to ensure that the child and staff involved are consulted with. Furthermore, children are offered the opportunity to speak to an advocate or their social worker. This helps the manager to develop a clear and thorough understanding of the incident and respond appropriately. The child’s voice is heard to make sure that they are happy with the outcome, which helps to reduce any further incidents.

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

Staff care for children in a way that promotes a strong sense of safety and well-being. The manager and staff know the children exceptionally well. Staff are aware of each child’s personal strengths and areas for development, taking account of their past experiences and trauma in their responses to them. Staff use the home’s model of therapeutic care to consider how best to support each child, using the most effective strategies for them.

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

Staff set clear boundaries for children, supported by lots of positive encouragement and rewards. Staff make use of age-appropriate consequences when necessary to discourage negative decision-making. These have good oversight by the manager, which ensures that they are proportionate.

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

The manager ensures that staff are involved collaboratively in the assessment and planning when looking at each child’s presenting risks and needs. Risk assessments are comprehensive, detailed and written in plain language to aid with understanding. Staff use these as a basis for regular discussions with individual children. Additionally, staff use research and other sources of information in an accessible format to help guide children. Staff support each child to take age-appropriate risks to promote their growth and independence. There has been a sustained reduction in the children’s risks and vulnerabilities since moving to the home.

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

The manager actively promotes a strong culture of safe and reflective practice. This encourages staff to have frank and open conversations with one another and children about any issues or feelings that they may have. Staff have responded to incidents by seeking to learn from these in a constructive manner. This has resulted in the home achieving long periods of stability and very positive relationships between children and staff that have promoted their resilience.

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

The manager has developed excellent relationships with partner agencies and has ensured that the children are actively involved in these. For example, local police representatives regularly visit the home to talk to children about important topics and engage in fun activities to build effective relationships and links. Children have also Inspection report for children’s home: SC437305 5 undertaken fire safety awareness work with the local fire and rescue service. As a result of the strong links with these agencies, children are supported to learn how to keep themselves and others safer, and trusting relationships build between the children and the emergency services.

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

Staff are creative to support children to learn ways of expressing their emotions and behaviour. Furthermore, staff use an outcomes star tool to help track children’s progress towards achievable goals. This is done in a way that children can easily understand. This means that each child is supported to identify and improve specific areas of risk that they find more difficult.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is enthusiastic, dedicated and committed to the children. He has been inspirational in contributing to the changes in children’s lives. The children enjoy spending time with the manager. Additionally, he has monthly chats with each child and ensures that the child’s voice is central to the discussion. The strong bond between the manager and children is evident, and the children trust the manager to keep them safer and support them through their care journeys.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are cared for by a strong and consistent staff team, which creates significant stability in their lives. Some staff members have worked at the home for 12 years and many of the children have grown up with staff. This contributes to extremely positive and trusting relationships. Staff’s commitment to the children was obvious when many staff made their way into work during a period of adverse weather conditions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has high expectations of staff and leads by example. Staff are supported by the manager. The registered manager frequently utilises reflective practice and understands the strengths and areas of development for the home and has active plans to build on these. The manager uses a range of monitoring tools to oversee the home, which supports him in his decision-making to drive improvements in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a strong advocate for children. When other agencies are not fulfilling their responsibilities to the children, the manager will swiftly challenge them effectively to ensure that the children’s needs are met. As a result, children are receiving what they are entitled to from other agencies and have strong trust in the manager to do what is right for them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437305 6

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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: SC437305 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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Inspectors

Ladean Wilson, Social Care Inspector Sam Saxby-Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC437305 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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