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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457181 1 SC457181 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 owned by a large national provider and provides care for one child who experiences social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 20 October 2021.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC457181 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 20/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC457181 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home and one child has moved in. Transitions in and out of the home are thoughtfully planned to ensure children feel supported throughout the process. One child was helped to move to a home nearer to their local community, in line with their expressed wishes. They were introduced to staff in advance, which contributed to a smooth transition and helped the child settle comfortably into their new environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is actively supported and encouraged by both the manager and staff. Effective collaboration with children’s families has played a key role in enabling one child to return successfully to their family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children experience bereavement, staff provide sensitive and thoughtful support to help them process their grief. This includes recognising anniversaries and marking special occasions in meaningful ways.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s educational needs. When children are not in mainstream education, staff provide creative opportunities for learning and enrichment. The manager and staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the educational barriers that children may encounter. They work proactively alongside external professionals to identify and address these challenges, ensuring that children are supported to engage positively with their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are understood, and staff ensure that they are registered with all relevant services. Referrals to specialist services are made when required to support children’s emotional well-being. Staff and the manager work closely with the provider’s clinical team to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to meet children’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained and is a safe environment for children. Children personalise their bedrooms in accordance with their interests. Children are able to have a pet of their choice and are encouraged to care for them. This helps children to build independence skills and learn responsibility. This also gives them a sense of belonging in the home.

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

Children are kept safe by staff who are attuned to their needs and know their strengths and vulnerabilities well. Staff build trusting relationships with children. A social worker said: ‘This is one of the best homes I have worked with. They care for [name of child] like they were their own.’

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

Staff have a good understanding of therapeutic practices and they are able to defuse incidents effectively when they happen. Positive behaviour is promoted using rewards Inspection report for children’s home: SC457181 4 and incentives. Staff hold regular discussions with children on important issues, such as staying safe, managing relationships and emotional well-being.

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

Risk management plans are personalised to children. They are comprehensive, easily accessible and guide staff practice. Plans are regularly reviewed and updated by the manager to address any emerging patterns or new risks. This means that incidents involving children are infrequent.

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

Missing-from-home episodes have been well managed and responded to promptly by staff. Staff search for children and collect them when they are ready to return home. Clear records are maintained documenting the actions taken and include effective management oversight.

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

Children are supported to take age-appropriate risks and staff support children to use the internet safely. Staff complete regular checks to balance opportunities for children to access technology independently alongside keeping them safe.

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

Staff recruitment is done safely to ensure that only suitable individuals work with the child. Most staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and how to escalate any safeguarding concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. She is child focused and aspirational for children. The manager is supported by a strong deputy manager, who plays a key role in ensuring consistency and effective leadership across the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and dedicated staff team. When staffing shortages occur, the manager ensures that a small pool of staff from other homes work alongside core staff members to ensure consistency for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a wide range of training. The manager is committed to enhancing staff skills and knowledge through tailored training that addresses children’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel supported by the manager. They benefit from regular supervision sessions which encourage reflection on their practice and promote learning. Yearly staff appraisals take place. However, appraisals lack feedback from children, and this limits the manager’s ability to fully assess the impact of staff practice from the children’s perspective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are child focused. The clinical team also attends meetings on occasion. This provides opportunities for staff to deepen their understanding of the children’s needs and supports ongoing learning. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457181 5 The manager has established effective systems to monitor and evaluate the quality of care delivered. These systems are used not only to track children’s progress but also to identify development opportunities for staff, supporting their continued professional growth.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains strong working relationships with external professionals, promoting collaborative and coordinated care. Both the manager and staff consistently advocate for the children, ensuring that their best interests are at the centre of all decision-making. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457181 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)  The registered person should ensure that all yearly staff appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, 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)

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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: SC457181 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: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Eve Ostridge, Social Care Inspector Shauna Morley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457181 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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Inspectors

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