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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457621 1 SC457621 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children who have emotional and social difficulties. There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Children were seen and spoken to during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

There have been three enforcement actions since the last full inspection on 2 July 2019. A restriction of accommodation notice was issued in September 2021 following serious safeguarding concerns. It was lifted on 11 June 2024. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457621 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/04/2019 Full Inadequate 15/05/2018 Full Outstanding 17/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC457621 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently reopened after a long period of being closed. This has allowed a new staff team and manager to be recruited and for some repurposing and redecoration of the environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have recently moved into the home. Before children moved in, staff visited them to get to know them and support their move into the home. One child was able to visit the home before moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been decorated to a high standard and offers a pleasant environment. There are spaces for children to relax and play. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and this has been encouraged by staff. Photos of the children enjoying activities are displayed in the downstairs areas. The manager is enthusiastic about developing the home environment further and acquiring new items for the garden, for example a trampoline that arrived during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. This is particularly apparent in their emotional well-being and capacity to develop meaningful relationships with staff. Children seek the company of staff and feel comfortable sharing their worries. Children trust that staff will be able to help them. Professionals have shared positive feedback that reflects that staff care for the children and are working hard to achieve good outcomes for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. They understand the children’s needs and provide good- quality care. For example, when one of the children needed additional support, a staff member took them out of the home to talk to them in a way that suited the child’s preferred method of communication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to pursue their interests by staff. When children have moved into the home from a different region, staff have worked hard to find clubs and activities so they can maintain their hobbies. These form a part of the weekly routine and support them to build confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat children with dignity and respect. Plans to develop their independence are in line with their age and stage of development. Children’s individual risk management plans do not consider the ongoing effectiveness of the use of door alarms.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. When a child made a complaint, it was responded to promptly by the manager. The child was kept updated and the outcome of the investigation was shared with them. There have been no missing-from-home incidents or incidents that led to children being held. When children are distressed, staff Inspection report for children’s home: SC457621 4 implement de-escalation strategies that promote connection and consider children’s individual needs.

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

Children are supported to take risks appropriate to their age and level of understanding. Staff support children to understand risk and the impact of certain behaviours through key-work sessions. These occur in a planned and ad hoc manner. Recent topics covered with children by staff include appropriate relationships, racism and child exploitation.

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

When a member of staff demonstrated behaviour that fell below expectations, the manager took prompt and appropriate action to safeguard children. Staff and children were supported during and after this incident to ensure that their emotional well-being was promoted and upheld.

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

The manager has undertaken a review of safe recruitment and identified that some staff required renewal of their Disclosure and Barring Service checks. There was a delay in applications being made and certificates being renewed, and during this time the manager could not be assured that staff were suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and audit systems are implemented effectively. The manager uses these efficiently to ensure that she has good oversight of the home. Delegation of monitoring responsibilities to senior members of the team encourages staff development, although the manager continues to have overall supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported to build knowledge and skills through ongoing training and development. The manager has identified additional training needs based on children’s experiences. For example, one child had experienced the loss of a close family member. The manager arranged for bereavement training to be delivered to all staff by a specialist organisation so that staff were confident in how best to support the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s updated statement of purpose has not consistently been sent to Ofsted. This has meant that information understood about the staff team has been out of date and it has not reflected action taken by managers to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the home’s development and high expectations of their team. She understands the benefit to children when staff are adequately supported and confident in their role. Team meetings occur regularly and are well attended. Staff speak highly of this being a space where the team comes together to discuss and reflect on practice. Good practice is recognised in these meetings to build morale and encourage staff to feel valued. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457621 5

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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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Requirements Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirements Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirements Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirements Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(ix))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, ensure that the use of door alarms is reviewed and that any changes are reflected in children’s risk management plans. 10 May 2025

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Requirements Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirements Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 30 April 2025

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirements Due date

employ a person to work at the children’s home; 10 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC457621 6 if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirements Due date

Full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

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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: SC457621 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dennise Springett

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Inspector

Becky Rutter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457621 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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