Children's home run by Cambian Asperger Syndrome Services Limited in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482294 1 SC482294 Registered provider: Cambian Asperger Syndrome Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to 29 children with a primary diagnosis of autism. Children live in 3 houses and attend the school that is located on the same site.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 8 children were living in the homes.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 24 April 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

The education provision was not inspected during this 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 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: 25 November 2024

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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: SC482294 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/11/2024 Full Good 04/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/06/2022 Full Good 28/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC482294 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living at the home and attending the on-site school. They have warm and caring relationships with a committed team of staff who all know the children very well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek to understand the children and to help them overcome the barriers that they face, rather than expecting them to change to fit a set model. This means that the children have bespoke plans to meet their specific needs and to develop their skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a wide range of activities and experiences to help build their confidence and independence. They are part of community groups, such as music and dance clubs, in addition to the activities that they enjoy with others in the home, such as trips out and going on holidays. Children learn about others in the community through charity work, raising funds and collecting items for the local food bank. Children talk positively about these experiences, and photo books help them to celebrate their successes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Joint working across the departments in the home and school means that children benefit from a consistent approach. Additionally, plans and living arrangements are tailored to the children’s needs, which means they can live alone or alongside others, depending on their current needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and met effectively. They have regular access to universal services, as well as more specialist health services when required. Managers are proactive in seeking relevant health advice when needed. Since the last inspection, there have been 3 medication errors; there are clear processes in place for medication administration, which means that any errors are identified promptly. However, the investigations are not always recorded effectively to demonstrate the level of follow up and oversight.

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

Children are confident in their surroundings and know who to talk to if they are unhappy or worried. The staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe, and they follow the home’s safeguarding approach. They understand each child’s vulnerabilities and swiftly share any concerns they may have.

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

Staff know the children well, using their positive relationships to guide and support children when they are worried or distressed. They recognise all behaviours as the child communicating a need, and they seek to understand the cause of the distress. Strong joint working with the school’s therapy team means that all staff have the support and guidance they need to help the children navigate uncomfortable feelings. A focus on understanding when children are beginning to feel unsettled has resulted in very few Inspection report for children’s home: SC482294 4 physical interventions being required and children learning to self-soothe. Staff comment that joint safeguarding responsibility across the teams in the home and the school has been very helpful when supporting children in crisis.

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

Children are encouraged to explore their identities, friendships, relationships and sexuality. They learn how to give and ask for consent to ensure that they feel safe in their relationships. Difference is celebrated, leading to a sense of safety for children to express themselves freely at the home and school.

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

Children are well protected from risks in the community through staff knowledge and understanding of exploitation in all forms. This means that children who have been exploited or who are at risk of being exploited are helped and guided to have positive experiences in the community, with staff helping them understand risky situations and how to stay safe.

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

Overall, the homes are very well maintained, and children contribute to the decor and design. However, some areas still have an institutionalised appearance, most notably the bathrooms in some homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the wider management team are committed to the children who live in the home. They aim for all children to succeed to the best of their abilities, and this determination is echoed by all the staff who work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has effective systems to ensure that he has oversight of the children’s care and day-to-day progress. This includes regular monitoring of children’s records and plans and ensuring that progress is shared effectively with children’s parents and carers, as well as celebrating successes with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Joint working with partner agencies is a strength in the home and across the school. Feedback from children’s families, carers and linked professionals is extremely positive, praising staff support for children and commenting on how well they are developing their social and independence skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team benefits from regular supervision; staff say that they feel well supported by the management team. Staff are listened to and value the wide range of child-specific training and guidance. The therapy team provides ongoing sessions for all staff, including twilight sessions for night staff. However, concern remains about the slow speed at which staff are attaining suitable level 3 qualifications. A requirement in relation to this has therefore been restated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482294 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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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (2)(a) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 27 March 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the residences are homely and in keeping with a typical domestic setting. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that records relating to investigations of medication errors are clear and reflective of the discussions with individual staff and demonstrate management oversight. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) Inspection report for children’s home: SC482294 6 Inspection report for children’s home: SC482294 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: SC482294 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Asperger Syndrome Services 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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Inspectors

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Kelly Marchmont, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC482294 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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