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

Unique reference number SC411616 Inspector James Harmon Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Calcot Services for Children Limited Registered person address 200 Brook Drive Green Park READING RG2 6UB

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Responsible individual Harvinder Singh Registered manager Hayley Jane Wiles Date of last inspection 26/02/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 19/12/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness outstanding

Outcomes for children and young people outstanding Quality of care outstanding Keeping children and young people safe outstanding Leadership and management outstanding

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Overall effectiveness

The home has demonstrated an exceptional ability to assist young people by paying attention to detail and undertaking individualised care planning. This has ensured positive outcomes for young people at the home. The home uses therapeutic principles by consulting with a therapeutic team which offers staff support on how they speak and interact with the young people and manage their behaviours. Staff work very effectively with other professionals, and parents to determine how to best meet each young person’s needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people have a positive view of the home. This is due to the highly positive relationships formed between the staff and young people. The voices of young people are heard and incorporated into practice in the home, contributing to positive progress.

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Overall effectiveness

The safety of the young people is paramount. Robust procedures and policies are in place and followed extensively which has enabled all young people to be safe physically and emotionally. Young people appreciate the efforts made to keep them safe which allows them to focus on achieving their goals.

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Overall effectiveness

The registered manager has brought stability and new ideas that have motived the 3 of 9 staff team. The registered manager's passion for the quality of care young people receive and strategic plans for them have been understood and delivered by the staff resulting in a calm, warm and family-style atmosphere. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

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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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 27/11/2013 Full outstanding 20/03/2013 Interim good progress 11/09/2012 Full good 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

The home provides a family-orientated atmosphere. Young people who have found it difficult to cope with family loss and separation develop a great understanding and self-awareness which leads to significant improvements in their behaviour. Young people are not placing themselves at risk, and acting out aggressively. There have been no significant incidents in the past five months.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

An independent reviewing officer said, ‘it was as if magic dust was sprinkled on the young person, the transformation over six months has been amazing’. A placing social worker said, ‘the young person has made significant progress, is generally happy. The dramatic change around in attitude and behaviour is incredible’.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people have made significant progress in terms of health. Young people understand and engage in health eating by actively planning and preparing meals. Young people do not misuse substances and they engage in activities that promote an active lifestyle. For example, activities undertaken include: cadets; going to the gym; horse-riding; attending youth club; and having singing lessons. These result in enhanced confidence and self-esteem.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

There is excellent communication with child and adolescent mental health services to support young people. Young people are routinely given access to services that meet their individual needs such as anger management.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

There is considerable effort by staff to promote family contact for young people. In some instances staff supervise contact while working directly with family members. Excellent outcomes have been achieved through the support the home has provided for the individual young people’s contact arrangements.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Educational outcomes for young people are outstanding. All young people are in full time education and some attend mainstream education. Young people have excellent attendance records and educational placements are stable. Appropriate documentation is evident in the young people’s files representing their individual educational needs. Young people are supported by the home to make successful transition, for example by attending college open evenings.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people contribute to the community and are supported to do so. Young people have participated in charitable events such as collecting toys and games to donate to a local organisation. A young person spoke about how good it felt to participate in charity work.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people successfully develop independence skills in the home. They learn life skills through an accredited organization; this enable young people to obtain 6 of 9 certificates for different areas of competence. This contributes to the young person's sense of self-worth and accomplishment. Their developments make tangible improvements to their lives; for example, one young person has learned to travel on public transport independently after it was previously viewed as too risky.

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Quality of care outstanding

The relationship between staff and young people is excellent. Young people have an open and honest relationship with staff that also consists of appropriate boundary setting and thoughtful guidance. Staff assist young people to understand aspects of their care that they are unsure about. A young person said, ‘staff go above and beyond, unlike some staff at other places that just come and go daily’.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people understand their rights. Young people routinely expressed the view that staff listen to their views and incorporate their ideals into the running of the home. There have been no complaints by a young person for over a year but young people believe that all complaints big or small will be taken seriously.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people benefit from personalised placement plans and documentation formulated with the input of the young person. This allows a young person’s journey in the home to be tracked and progress monitored. Key worker sessions are consistent and assist in building positive relationship with each young person.

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Quality of care outstanding

A clearly understood therapeutic model is well implemented by staff by staff. This enables staff to thinks about their interaction with each young person and how they can better understand them. A ‘stable minds’ assessment is undertaken on young people coming into the home. This appraises all that is going on in the young person’s life from their perspective and makes recommendations which informs their on-going care.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

There is a high emphasis on safeguarding young people. There have been no safeguarding issues for young people and young people expressed that they feel safe and secure with in the home. The location of the home is risk assessed in consultation with the local police which considers the impact of the surrounding area on young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff are trained in safeguarding through the local council and there are well- established links with the police. Creative methods are utilised when dealing with the needs of young people, this has resulted in a drastic reduction in physical interventions in the home. There have been no physical interventions in five months; it is genuinely a last resort measure for young people. Consequences are fair and 7 of 9 propionate to young people’s behaviour. One young person said, ‘that the consequences in the home assisted her with reflecting on her behaviour’.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Young people do not go missing. If young people did go missing there is a standard missing person’s policy in place in addition to an individual missing person policy for each young person. There is an effective e-safety policy in place for young people, which alerts the registered manager to situations that could otherwise expose young people to concerning situations on the internet.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

There have been no incidents of bullying in the home and young people understand that bullying is not acceptable. Risk assessments are undertaken on the suitability of the young people living together in the home. A young person said, we have never felt as safe as we do at the home and with staff'.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Recruitment of new staff is robust and safe recruitment procedures are followed. Disclosure and Barring Service checks are always gained for all new staff, alongside other robustly collected recruitment checks. This ensures that young people are cared for by suitable adults.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Health and safety is audited externally which is an excellent practice. Routine health and safety checks are undertaken, for example, fire and gas checks have been promptly completed and will be reviewed next year.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The current registered manager was registered in post in August 2014. Young people were involved in the recruitment process. The registered manager instantly brought a new, effective approach to dealing the young people which consisted of being open and honest in feedback to young people. This approach has been the driving force behind the reduction is physical interventions, effective consequences and improved behaviours of the young people.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Young people believe that the registered manager has made a great difference in the home and how they interact with staff.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The registered manager has displayed exceptional leadership by showing awareness of the strength of each staff member while highlighting areas for development. The registered manger and the team leader provide oversight for documentation in the home which ensures it is consistently of a high standard. The management team is robust in challenging any staff member they feel has not acted within the policies and procedures governing the home.

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Leadership and management outstanding

All staff are fully supported with their personal and professional development specifically core training. A comprehensive induction is undertaken and on-going supervision ensures that staff have a positive impact in the lives of young people at 8 of 9 the home. Young people are benefiting from being cared for staff who continuously develop their skill an knowledge through additional training and learning.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Regulation 33 and regulation 34 reports are very detailed and completed on time, ensuring robust management monitoring of the conduct of the home. Regulation 34 reports openly assess the strengths and weakness of the home. The management team implements effective strategies through a very robust development plan. There are no requirements or recommendations arising from this inspection. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management outstanding

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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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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