Children's Home run by The Caldecott Foundation Limited in Nottinghamshire

Unique reference number SC466284 Inspector Rachel Griffiths Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person The Caldecott Foundation Limited Registered person address Caldecott House Smeeth Ashford Kent TN25 6SP

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Responsible individual Helen Jones Registered manager Sarah Alice Orriss Date of last inspection 21/05/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 05/01/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection None

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

Young people are making very good, and in some cases, exceptional progress while living in this home. A parent commented: ‘The staff are fantastic. I am over the moon with the progress my child has made. I cannot thank the staff enough.’ All young people regularly attend school and for some this is a significant improvement. A social worker said in respect of a young person: ‘They are making good educational progress. They were out of education for most of last year and now they attend full time and they are really enjoying it.’ The engagement in education enhances young people’s sense of achievement and their opportunities and choices in later life are greatly improved.

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This inspection

Young people enjoy improved physical health as a result of eating a healthy balanced diet, attending regular core health appointments and engaging in regular physical activity. Their behaviour and emotional health is enhanced and improved by engaging with therapeutic programmes and as a result of consistent routines and boundaries being provided by staff. A parent said in respect of his child: ‘Their temper is calmer, they have grown up, they understand things more.’ Positive relationships develop between young people and staff. This, and the praise and encouragement young people receive, helps improve their confidence and self- esteem.

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This inspection

Staff are knowledgeable about the needs of young people and this knowledge is enhanced by a multi-agency approach to meeting young people’s needs. Close liaison between young people’s schools and care staff, and twice-daily staff hand over meetings ensure that all adults have a full understanding of the issues affecting young people on a day-to-day basis. This as well as weekly meetings with the home’s psychologist ensures that robust care plans are regularly reviewed and monitored to meet individual needs. The way the staff work with other professionals is consistently described by social workers as ‘excellent’. It ensures consistent 3 of 6 approaches to care are provided. This provides certainty for young people and impacts positively on their sense of security and stability.

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This inspection

There has been a marked reduction in instances of young people going missing from this home in recent months. A social worker commented in respect of a young person who has a significant history of going missing: ‘There has been no absconding due to the location of the home and the vigilance of staff.’ A requirement in respect of missing from home made at the last inspection has been met. The manager has implemented a missing from care policy specific to the home. In addition to this, each young person has individualised missing from care protocols and plans. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of these and the risks associated with young people who go missing and who are at risk of child sexual exploitation. Robust missing from care procedures, as well as work undertaken with young people to help them understand risk in relation to going missing, helps provide a high level of protection for young people in this area.

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This inspection

Young people are well supported with their behaviour. An embedded ethos of proactive behaviour management is effective. All young people have individualised reward systems which help to promote positive behaviour. Strategies used to de- escalate challenging behaviour have resulted in a reduction in the use of physical interventions for young people from their starting points. A requirement made at the last inspection in respect of the recording of physical intervention has been met. Now, when physical intervention is used, incidents are well recorded and young people are always debriefed. New monitoring systems introduced by the manager have resulted in improved monitoring of the effectiveness of physical interventions. In addition, regular guidance from the home’s psychologist is sought to continually explore alternative options and improve practice in this area.

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This inspection

Young people’s views are regularly sought in respect of the day-to-day running of the home through weekly young people’s meetings and through regular key working sessions. Young people know how to make a complaint and they are confident in doing so. Complaints made by young people, no matter how trivial they may seem, are fully investigated. Young people receive both an informal and formal response to their complaints and an opportunity to consult with an independent advocate should they be unhappy with the response. As a result, young people feel listened to and that their views are valued. This helps to raise their self-esteem and confidence.

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This inspection

The management of the home is very effective. Both requirements from the last inspection have been met. The enthusiasm and the energy of the management team filters down to the staff team. Staff are child-focussed and motivated and share their managers vision that the welfare of young people is paramount and that young people need and deserve exceptional standards of care. A member of staff said: ‘I could not ask for a better manager. I am really happy in my job. I want to progress to be a deputy and I am being supported to achieve this.’ Staff morale is high and a cohesive staff team ensure that young people are very well supported. 4 of 6 Managers and leaders are very reflective and learn from their experiences in order to improve practice. For example, in respect of placement matching, the Registered Manager, as a result of experience, is extremely mindful about how crucial it is to ensure that the mix of young people living in the home at any one time does not

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This inspection

pose safeguarding risks. Age, gender, as well as individual needs and vulnerabilities of each young person are carefully balanced alongside staffing numbers and skills. As a result of this and high staffing ratios, young people are protected from potential risks they pose to each other. Bullying is not tolerated within the home. When young people join the home, they as well as the existing young people are supported to develop mutual respect and understanding for each other. This helps to minimise any bullying or instability in the home.

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This inspection

Improved and recently introduced systems to monitor the progress young people make while living in the home are effective. Data in respect of young people’s patterns of behaviour is collected on a monthly basis. The data is analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively in consultation with the home’s psychologist. This ensures that young people’s care plans remain effective and that changes are instigated to improve the quality and effectiveness of individual plans. The manager is now able to demonstrate clearly the impact and value living in the home is having on young people’s lives and how their life chances are improving.

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This inspection

Quality assurance monitoring, both internal and externally, is effective in identifying strengths in the home as well as minor shortfalls. Shortfalls identified by the external independent visitor are discussed in team meetings and promptly addressed. Regular consultation with young people, parents and stakeholders result in monitoring reports being more rigorous and effective in driving improvements. This as well as the organisations plan to undertake a full internal audit of the home is indicative of a service which wants to continually assess, develop and improve practice so that young people can achieve better outcomes. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is intended for up to seven young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is owned and operated by a registered charity. The home undertakes assessments for a period of three to six months, of young people in crisis and in need of either an emergency or planned placement.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/05/2014 Full good Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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