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

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people make excellent progress in this home, particularly in relation to their emotional well-being and safety, restoring positive relationships with families and maximising future life chances. Young people reflect on this progress.  The young people have exceptionally good relationships with the staff team and feel that staff have an interest in them and care about what they are doing.  ‘I like how staff work together with us and I like how everyone treats us like a family.’ This is one of many positive comments by the young people – this was seen in practice; an enthusiastic and motivated group of staff provide an experience that is as close to family life as possible.  The persistence of staff and their strong understanding of the young people helps ease young people’s anxieties and create a culture of openness and acceptance.  Staff balance the need for young people to have choices, with their need for

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

clear boundaries that help them feel safe. As a result, young people are safe and feel safe.  The young people’s views are sought and taken into consideration on how the home is run and they have many opportunities to bring about changes that affect their daily life.  Considerable progress in seen in developing independence. Young people develop strong independent skills to a competent level.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Maintain records for each child in Schedule 3. This specifically relates to ensuring a copy of any plan for the care of the child prepared by the child's placing authority is obtained, and of the placement plan and the result of any review of the placing authority's plan for the care of the child.

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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 staff have the skills to recognise signs that children may be at risk and know the referral process to follow. This specifically relates to concerns around radicalisation and extremism. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  Ensure any sanctions and strategies to manage behaviour are incorporated into care planning and these are evaluated for effectiveness in communication with therapy teams. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 16, paragraph 3.15)  Ensure staff are aware of the aims in relation to the Statement of Purpose and in particular, the therapeutic models the home uses. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 14, paragraph 3.5)

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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, an alternative family placement or move on to independent living.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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outstanding

‘This is an open and honest house, it’s not like a children’s home,’ ‘everything is good,’ ‘ the honesty of everyone and the atmosphere created by the adults and children is what makes it good,’ ‘I feel so happy here.’ Just some of the many positive comments received from the young people. Young people make exceptional progress whilst in the home. They say that they love the home and really like the staff, one young person saying, ‘I like how staff work together with us and I like how everyone treats us like a family.’ Young people spoken with were overwhelmingly positive about their experiences; they are able to highlight how well they are doing as opposed to before they came to the home. They are optimistic about their future life chances. There are excellent outcomes, for example, young people disengaging from self- harming and destructive behaviour and finding other ways to understand and manage their difficult and challenging emotions. They utilise new skills and,

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outstanding

through open discussions and support, are able to put protective measures in place. The introduction of a puppy to the home has had a positive therapeutic impact according to staff and the young people themselves; they have realised the importance of building attachments and this has enabled them to reflect on their past behaviours. Young people feel very comfortable with staff and interact well with them in a relaxed manner. The highly individualised support, keeping young people at the centre of practice, generates a culture of respect and acceptance. Young people learn appropriate responses and behaviour through consistent role modelling. They learn to reciprocate the respect and dignity afforded to them. This means that challenging behaviours are infrequent. Young people make excellent progress in education with consistently high levels of attendance and improving achievements. Educational achievement is high taking

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outstanding

into account starting points at the time of placement. Staff guide, encourage and support them in their options around college placements. Young people engage enthusiastically with the process. This means that young people are using their time wisely to prepare them for adult life and maximise their opportunities. They are very proud of their achievements and are keen to share these; an example of improved confidence. A strength of the service is the supportive and nurturing environment provided in which young people start to feel safe. Staff demonstrate an extremely thorough understanding of the individual and complex needs of each young person, working consistently to support them to reflect and learn from the way they may feel internally. Young people are secure in the knowledge that people are available to them to help them process traumatic events and experiences. Young people say the staff always listen to them. The opportunity for the development of more

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outstanding

socially acceptable behaviours is therefore maximised. Excellent attachments have been formed as a result. Young people have an excellent understanding of how to make a complaint but believe they can resolve any issues by talking directly to staff or other young people. They report that there are numerous opportunities to be able to do this. This has resulted in no formal complaints being received since the last inspection. Within the home, the young people develop a range of life and independence skills that prepare them for moving on and into independence. All young people have daily chores to complete and young people receive an allowance to be able to budget, shop and cook meals. Young people are enthusiastic about this opportunity and work to be able to develop the skills necessary to achieve this level of independence. They make considerable progress such as being able to travel to college and school independently while staying safe. Young people

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outstanding

develop strong independent skills to a competent level. Young people are very well supported with contact visits and telephone calls and they benefit from the emotional support of staff at these times. Individual contact arrangements are fully supported and facilitated by staff. Young people confirm that they understand the contact plans and arrangements that are in place. One young person commented, ‘I am so glad I moved into here and this has helped me to build better relationships with my mum.’

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good

Overall, there are good arrangements to safeguard young people. The young people say they feel safe all the time. Effective management and adherence to robust policies ensures all are protected and supported. The culture embedded in the home ensures that the young people benefit from an approach in which their emotional and physical safety is paramount. There have been no incidents where young people have gone missing from the home; young people feel secure because their needs are being met. Staff are aware of their vulnerabilities and are very clear what action to take should an incident occur. The home has clear protocols with the local police, to ensure there is a prompt response if one of the young people goes missing. Good and effective links have been developed. Likewise, incidents of bullying are unknown; placement planning and extensive knowledge of young people's needs and vulnerabilities ensures they live in a calm

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good

environment. The ethos and expectations of the home extends from the staff to the young people; appropriate challenge to behaviour or attitudes by peers is part of the therapeutic process that helps young people to adapt coping strategies Young people currently in placement are not identified as at risk of child sexual exploitation, however staff are very aware of the risks and indicators. The home continues to work effectively in partnership with external agencies such as health services to reduce the risks and instances of self-harm. This has had a positive impact on these behaviours. Young people respond well to the tight boundaries of the home. Staff are trained in the home's approved behaviour management programme. There is minimal need to use physical intervention, since the last inspection there has been no physical interventions recorded. Staff communicate clear expectations regarding boundaries

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good

that help young people to begin to understand the consequences of their behaviour. Young people are encouraged to reflect on their behaviour and consider how it impacts on others. Young people respond positively to the rewards and consequence system adopted by the home, while their underlying emotional needs are being addressed. Sanctions are not punitive and are used effectively. However, in care planning documentation it is not evident if some sanctions are an approved and effective to be used in correlation with therapeutic intervention and nor could staff confirm this. All staff undertake safeguarding training and receive regular refreshers. This ensures they are kept up-to-date with the action to take should they have any concerns about a young person’s safety or well-being. The home works with local agencies to keep young people safe. The company has recently complied a policy in relation to combatting radicalisation. The policy does not state the procedure to

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good

follow for referral or recording if staff had concerns. Staff spoken to were not aware of what they would do if they has a concern. The environment is physically safe and secure, taking account of the needs of the young people cared for. There is a rigorous approach to health and safety matters. Comprehensive risks assessments clearly identify risks associated with premises, environment and activities. As a result, young people benefit from a safe environment that has a positive impact on their welfare.

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good

Young people benefit from a Registered Manager and staff team that are committed and focused on improving the quality of care provided. The Registered Manager has recently commenced maternity leave and an acting manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted. The management team are enthusiastic and use the inspection process to develop and further enhance the service provided. They fully understand the strengths of the service and are aware of areas to be developed. The managers and senior staff team are both approachable and supportive, which is appreciated by the staff team and young people. They actively consult with young people and make themselves available to them and the staff team. The home offers care and accommodation for young people in line with its statement of purpose. The aims and objectives of the home are understood by authorities who place young people in the home. Professionals confirm the service

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good

provides `very good care and support’. During discussion with staff, they were not clear on what the therapeutic models of care identified in the statement of purpose were and how these are implemented in practice. A robust admissions process gives each young person the opportunity to succeed in this home and improve their life chances. There has been one admission and one discharge since the last inspection. These have been well managed and young people well prepared for moving into the home. A sufficient number of staff are deployed to meet the needs of young people living in the home. Staff receive excellent levels of supervision and support. A comprehensive training programme ensures continued professional development opportunities. Effective communication and team work are consistent features in this home. Staff know the most up-to-date needs of the young people. There is reflective practice to improve and update the quality of the service. Young people

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good

are supported by staff who are well supported themselves. Morale is high and there is a positive atmosphere in the home. Young people’s files do not all currently contain an up-to-date copy of the plan for the care of the young person prepared by the child's placing authority or the placement plan. In addition, the result of recent reviews of the placing authority's plan for the care of the young person was not on all the files. The absence of this information means staff do not have a clear indication of the aims of the placement to be able to most effectively support young people during individual one to one time. In addition, managers are unable to have a clear understanding of the progress young people are making in respect of the long term plans for them. Monthly monitoring of the quality of care is completed by an independent person and the manager also conducts monthly monitoring. The monitoring of the home

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good

has developed into a robust process and actions identified from the systems are promptly addressed. This ensures the management team has a grasp of the strengths of the service and any areas to improve on. There is a focus on evaluating progress for the young people. The home has built very effective relationships with external professionals this has enabled young people to progress. There is all round support being offered to young people and this includes close working relationship with the placing authorities. This means that social workers and young people are clear about the home's objectives. There have been no complaints due to the excellent relationships formed with young people, families and professionals. All have confidence in the setting's ability to address any issues raised in a timely and professional manner.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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