Children's Home run by Calcot Services for Children Limited in Wokingham

Unique reference number SC054468 Inspection date 09/10/2012 Inspector Emeline Evans Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 16/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

The home is privately owned by an established company. The home is registered to accommodate a maximum of three young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. A therapeutic approach is taken in working with children and young people with the aim of enabling them to return to their family home or to an alternative family placement.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from outstanding levels of support, encouragement and praise. There are consistently high aspirations for young people and the enthusiastic and committed staff team provide a high level of well planned and highly individualised care. Staff enjoy their work and comments from staff include: 'there are some amazing and dedicated staff who work here' and 'we all want the best for the young people - we have grown together and learnt from each other.' There are various photographs on display around the home which demonstrate how the young people have fun with each other and with the staff. Young people talk positively about the care they receive and have formed very close and trusting relationships with the staff. The support provided contributes effectively to increase confidence and self- esteem; young people are happy and proud of their achievements.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people's views are taken into account in the running of the home and there are many opportunities provided to integrate with the community through activities and organised events. The management seeks the views of the young people during regular consultation and uses this information to further improve the quality of care provided. An area for improvement is to ensure young people, staff and parents are consulted during Regulation 33 monitoring visits as at present it is not evident if this is consistently taking place.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people say they feel safe and parents and social workers reiterate this. Young people live in a safe and secure environment and young people take pride in the home’s appearance.

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Overall effectiveness

The shortfalls identified primarily relate to records not being fully maintained and do not have an impact on young people’s quality of care. The home’s practice is very child-centred with a real commitment to improving outcomes for the young people and this is ratified by the professionals working with the home.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) obtain for all staff, before they start work at the home, all the information set out in Schedule 2 (Regulation 26)(3)(d)) 29/10/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the person carrying out the visits shall interview with their consent and in private, children accommodated there, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the home. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 29/10/2012

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure the fire signage is consistent with the fire evacuation plan (NMS 10.9)  accelerate the process for reporting notifiable events to the appropriate authorities. (NMS 21.1)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making considerable progress in many aspects of their lives in relation to their starting points. Through the individualised support received, they have moved on emotionally and are beginning to have an understanding of their background. Young people’s confidence and self-esteem are developing very well and young people recognise the progress they have made.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff and therapists work with the young people to address risk-taking behaviours such as police involvement and being missing from care. Staff are aware that at certain points in therapeutic intervention these behaviours increase and support the young people during these times. A consistent approach by all the professionals has resulted in these behaviours being reduced over time.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are given numerous opportunities to discuss and make decisions on their health and what this means for them. This is achieved in a range of areas such as the food they eat and the exercise they take. Young people feel involved in their health and are now booking their own appointments. This is enabling young people to become more confident in their abilities.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are very well supported in attending full-time education. Young people are not only attending but are achieving with their educational attainment. Young people talk positively about their learning opportunities and achievement is celebrated. Individual extra-curricular interests are pursued; one young person has recently had poems published. This success has contributed to enhancing self- esteem.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported with contact visits and telephone calls to their family members. They benefit from the emotional support of staff at these times. This practice enables young people to maintain relationships with significant people in their life.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Community involvement is encouraged and young people are members of youth clubs, guides and sporting activities. This engages young people in an activity and provides an opportunity to socialise with others in the community, outside of the residential group. Young people develop a wide range of practical skills for independent living and are all supported to carry out household chores and cook simple meals. Young people are positive about their achievements and are involved in the implementation of individual goals to prepare them for adulthood.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people flourish as a result of positive and constructive relationships with staff who ensure young people are at the heart of all care planning. Staff are clearly concerned with the young people’s welfare and this results in young people feeling confident and happy in their placement. Young people are extremely positive about the care provided and comments from young people include, ‘the staff are great here’ and ‘the staff make it feel like a home.’

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Quality of care

Staff use imaginative ways to ensure young people can express their views and feelings. Consultation is evident through day-to-day discussions, house meetings and individual direct work. Young people are involved in the running of the home and in decision making for matters such as the selection of menus; activities; re- decorations; new furniture and new staff. A clear dialogue exists between staff and the young people, enabling young people to understand why some of the young people’s wishes cannot be met. Alternative solutions to these requests are achieved through working together.

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Quality of care

Positive relationships between staff and young people foster a culture of openness where questions can easily be raised. The home has received one formal complaint since the last inspection, which has been resolved. This low number of complaints is attributed to the ease with which young people can raise issues with the manager and staff team. Young people can access independent advocates and report that they understand how to make a complaint. Further information on how to access a wide range of support services is displayed.

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Quality of care

Young people’s needs are clearly shown in comprehensive placement plans that are indicative of the young people’s individual requirements and clearly outline cultural needs and personal identity. Placement plans are excellent and ensure staff are kept up to date and fully aware of the individual needs of the young people. Young people are supported to attend review meetings. This ensures young people are able to make their views known about their care and as a result, feel involved and consulted.

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Quality of care

Staff are dedicated to improving life chances for young people, including educational achievement. They support young people’s educational placement with good communication between the home and school staff. Individual education packages are in place for each young person. This includes supporting young people to attend college one day a week to further improve skills to achieve positive outcomes. Young people’s needs are continually monitored and successes celebrated.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy good physical health with limited use of prescribed medication. The home ensures young people can access health services. This may include appointments with the local doctor, dentist or optician. Therapeutic intervention is arranged with a range of therapists to suit the individual need. Within the home there is a range of resources to assist in following healthy diets and lifestyles, including information on sexual health, the danger and health risks associated with smoking, drinking alcohol and the use of drugs.

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Quality of care

The home is decorated and furnished to a very high standard. Young people have been involved in decisions regarding décor and as a result are proud of the home. Professionals describe the home as, ‘as lovely home’ and ‘very comfortable.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s safety is a key feature in all aspects of care planning and risk management. Young people say they feel safe and that staff do all they can to keep them safe. Staff work closely with outside professionals such as police officers and therapists to ensure young people’s welfare is actively promoted. Each young person has a risk assessment in place, which identifies individual vulnerabilities and the measures that are used to reduce known risk and promote young people’s safety. Staff receive regular training on safeguarding. As a result, they demonstrate a sound understanding of the action to take should they have any concerns about a young person’s safety or well-being.

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Safeguarding children and young people

If a young person leaves the home and staff do not know where they are, young people’s well-being is the prime concern. There is effective liaison with professionals and the police to look at the triggers to minimise the risk of reoccurrence. Individual files contain up-to-date photographs and information about the young people in case of emergency and local police are actively and positively involved with the young people and the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people understand the rules of the home and staff are proactive in promoting positive behaviour through the use of praise, encouragement and recognition through certificates. As a result, young people generally behave appropriately and interact positively with each other. Sanctions are proportionate and young people are encouraged to reflect on their behaviour. Young people are able to use this process and work through negative behaviour and therefore incidents of restraint are low. Staff are vigilant and identify patterns of behaviour and young people feel assured staff will intervene to protect and support them.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is careful selection and vetting of staff working with young people in the home. However, on one permanent staff members file, gaps of employment were not fully documented and it was therefore not clear if they were explored at the time of recruitment. This was rectified by the manager on inspection and an email sent to support verbal confirmation. Young people are protected by good health and safety routines. Frequent fire checks and evacuation takes place to ensure young people are clear on actions to take in the event of fire. The outside kitchen door has signs to suggest this is a designated fire exit; this is not documented within the fire evacuation plan and this door is kept locked. This could lead to confusion in the event of an emergency.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living in a home, which is managed extremely well with effective leadership. The Registered Manager ensures the home is well organised and staffed to ensure that young people receive stability and consistency of care. The manager is both approachable and supportive, which is appreciated by staff and young people. Feedback from staff include, ‘management are good and ensure all concerns are addressed’ and ‘there is a clear and consistent expectation from the managers.’ The staff and management work as a team and are clear on the aims and ethos of the children’s home and the Statement of Purpose. This consistent approach ensures young people’s needs are at the centre of their practice. The manager ensures she is able to consult with the young people and makes herself available to them and the staff team.

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Leadership and management

Monthly monitoring of the quality of care is completed by the manager and a designated person from the organisation. There is clear evidence that the manager seeks the views of the young people and uses this to further improve the quality of care. However, the Regulation 33 monitoring visits do not consistently involve consultation with the young people, staff and significant others to inform the quality of care provided. Feedback forms are sent by the manager to parents, professionals and the young people and their comments are incorporated into the home’s development plans. This ensures the manager has a grasp on the strengths of the service and any areas to improve on. Development plans are very child-focused and young people are involved in the implementation of these plans. This practice ensures young people feel valued and listened to and in turn enhances self-esteem.

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Leadership and management

The home is proactive in engaging and working in collaboration with other professionals and agencies in order to support young people. Social workers report high levels of satisfaction with the care provided by the home. One social worker commented, ‘the team have a genuine interest in supporting the young people, the communication from the home is fantastic.’

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from being cared for by a consistent and enthusiastic staff team who are clear about their roles and responsibilities. The staff team benefits from a high quality, comprehensive training programme with individual training needs identified in yearly appraisals. Staff report that they receive valuable support and advice through good quality supervision.

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Leadership and management

Written notifications are submitted to Ofsted as required. Appropriate action is taken in all instances; however, there is at times a slight delay in notifying the necessary authorities. The manager is aware of this shortfall and has addressed this with the staff team to ensure this process is accelerated.

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Leadership and management

Record keeping is very comprehensive with good systems in place for effective monitoring of the development and progress of young people. Monthly summaries contribute towards care plan objectives and subsequently statutory reviews. Young people’s files are stored securely and contain a wealth of information. This helps staff in supporting young people to understand their background.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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