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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457089 1 SC457089 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. The home provides care for up to three children who have social and emotional difficulties. There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC457089 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/02/2024 Full Good 17/01/2023 Full Good 14/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC457089 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the previous inspection, one child has moved out of the home and another has moved in. At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children engaged with the inspector during the visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm and welcoming environment. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, which supports their sense of identity and belonging. Communal areas offer a variety of spaces that enable children to spend time together or alone, depending on their needs. The enclosed garden offers opportunities for outdoor play; however, broken play equipment poses a safety risk and detracts from the overall presentation of the space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences of moving in and out of the home have been varied. One child left the home under distressing and unplanned circumstances, which resulted in a negative experience. Following the child’s departure, staff and the manager did not maintain contact, missing an opportunity to provide emotional support and closure. This lack of follow-up demonstrates insufficient consideration for the child’s emotional well-being. In contrast, the child who recently moved into the home did so at short notice. Staff made efforts to support the child’s transition, including helping them personalise their bedroom, which contributed to the child settling well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences of education are inconsistent. One child has recently returned to school following a prolonged absence from education. Staff worked effectively with external professionals to facilitate this positive outcome. Another child has experienced significant challenges in education, culminating in a permanent exclusion due to escalating incidents that the school felt unable to manage. The school reported that the child struggled with the differing approaches to care between the home and the school, which contributed to the child feeling unsettled. The child is currently receiving education within the home while a suitable alternative provision is being identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children report that they enjoy living in the home and have positive relationships with staff. They are able to identify trusted adults and speak positively about spending time with them. Staff have taken account of children’s individual interests when planning activities and a summer holiday, which has resulted in children having enjoyable and meaningful experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. One child’s social worker described staff as committed to ensuring regular and meaningful contact with the child’s sibling. This support promotes family relationships and contributes to the child’s sense of identity and belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457089 4

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s individual needs and respond to them effectively. The strength of relationships between children and staff is reflected in a reduction in incidents of children going missing and the use of physical restraint. Children report feeling safe with staff and are receptive to the support provided.

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

Where physical restraint is used, it is necessary and proportionate. However, some aspects of practice require improvement. Children do not consistently receive a debrief following incidents of restraint. When debriefs do occur, they involve children selecting images to express their feelings. While this approach aims to engage children creatively, the subsequent recording lacks detail about how children were supported after the incident. This limits the home’s ability to develop a deeper understanding of children’s emotional responses and experiences.

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

Efforts to establish a constructive relationship between the home and the local police have been ineffective. This represents a missed opportunity to strengthen safeguarding arrangements and build meaningful links within the community.

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

A significant reduction in the use of agency staff has contributed to increased stability in the home. However, staff are frequently deployed from other homes within the organisation. As a result, children continue to experience inconsistency in their caregiving, which may contribute to feelings of being unsettled.

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

Health and safety arrangements within the home are not consistently managed in a timely manner. Issues identified through external monitoring have not been addressed promptly, compromising the safety and quality of the home environment.

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

Recruitment processes are robust and ensure that staff employed in the home are safe and suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left the role. A new manager took up post one week prior to this inspection. During the interim period, the home was overseen by a peripatetic manager. Although changes in leadership have created some uncertainty, the consistent presence of a manager has helped maintain a degree of stability for both children and staff. The newly appointed responsible individual has demonstrated commitment to the home by commissioning an external review of practice and developing a plan to address identified shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Monitoring systems are in place but have not been used consistently or effectively. This is partly attributable to the changes in management, which have weakened leaders’ oversight and led to missed opportunities to identify and address shortfalls in a timely manner. Serious incidents have not always been recognised or reported to the regulator promptly. However, recent changes in leadership have begun to address this, and historical incidents have now been notified. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457089 5 Staff receive supervision, but this is not provided consistently. Records show that supervision sessions include discussion of children’s needs and experiences, but there is limited focus on staff development. This remains the case even when training needs have been identified. For example, the quality of debrief practice has been a long- standing concern, yet it has received little attention within supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are held regularly and provide opportunities for staff to reflect on practice and discuss the running of the home. A mental health practitioner frequently attends these meetings, offering insight into children’s behaviours and supporting staff to better understand the care children require. Opportunities for consultation with the practitioner further promote professional curiosity and enhance staff understanding of children’s individual experiences and needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457089 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h)). 31 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 31 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC457089 7 seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must make every effort to have effective relationships with the local police in working together to keep children safe.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children, and will, in most cases, be homely and domestic environments. This specifically relates to ensuring that the garden areas are tidy and play equipment is well maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC457089 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: 4th Floor, Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspector

Becky Rutter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457089 9 regulates and inspects to 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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