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

Unique reference number SC054468 Inspection date 21/01/2013 Inspector Emeline Evans Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 09/10/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

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Progress

At the last inspection in October 2012, the overall effectiveness rating for the home was judged to be good. There were two requirements and two recommendations made. This children’s home demonstrates continued improvement in the quality of care provided with a clear and focused commitment to service development. Young people’s welfare is enhanced by the relationships that exist between staff and young people. The staff are clearly very passionate about promoting good outcomes for young people and work as a team to ensure this is achieved.

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Progress

On the last inspection, a requirement was made in relation to recruitment records. Record keeping has been adjusted and future records will confirm all gaps of employment are fully explored and documented. The manager now has more responsibility in this area and this strengthens the arrangements which safeguard young people. The home currently works with universities to enable students to complete placements at the home. The management team ensure all the necessary checks are obtained for these students including the Criminal Record Disclosure reference numbers. However, the level of the disclosure and the outcome of the check are not documented.

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Progress

Since the last inspection, the manager has addressed the recommendation to accelerate the process for reporting notifiable events to the appropriate authorities. The manager has in place clear guidance to enable staff to be aware of the process to follow; this ensures that the appropriate people are notified immediately.

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Progress

Young people are supported in imaginative ways to progress across several areas of their lives, particularly in education and behaviour. There have been continuing improvements in outcomes for young people across these areas. Young people have extremely good attendance at school and have engaged with a vast range of educational opportunities provided by the schools. Young people have been well supported to achieve their educational potential beyond assessed expectations. The home has been successful in supporting young people to move back to their family home since the last inspection. This has been achieved through well-planned transitions which are individual to each young person, and by the emotional support provided by staff during the process. Young people are proud of their achievements and this is further enhancing their self-esteem and confidence.

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Progress

The home has recently reviewed the fire risk assessment and taken action to remove a sign above the outside kitchen door, which suggested it was a designated fire exit. The fire evacuation plan is consistent with the current arrangements. Frequent fire checks and evacuation takes place to ensure young people are clear on actions to take in the event of fire.

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Progress

The home offers a range of activities and trips, which are greatly appreciated by the young people. Young people are supported to be involved in a variety of community activities and events including guides, trampolining and youth clubs. This provides an opportunity for young people to socialise with other people in the community. Young people are also actively involved in raising money for a local charity. This involvement has recently been acknowledged by the local newspapers. This enables young people to gain a greater sense of achievement.

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Progress

Since the last inspection, much work has been done to evaluate the current level of service, to progress service development plans and to plan ahead for future areas of development for the coming year. Effective monitoring systems review the quality of care that young people receive and identify areas where outcomes for young people may be improved. Extremely detailed reports of monitoring visits are produced which now takes place when young people are present to ensure consultation with staff and young people takes place on a regular basis. This ensures any shortfalls in the quality of care are identified and promptly addressed. There is a commitment to providing a high quality service. All staff are vigorously working towards further improving outcomes.

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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 children's home has a record of the recruitment and vetting checks which have been carried out on those working (including as volunteers) for the children's home which includes: CRB Disclosures, including the level of disclosure, the unique reference number, and the outcome of the check including whether the individual is barred (in line with eligibility to obtain such checks). (NMS 16.3 (b))

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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