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

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people enjoy positive and trusting relationships with the adults who care for them.  Young people make good progress at this home emotionally and academically.  The home shares information promptly with other agencies and stakeholders such as social workers and safeguarding teams. This promotes young people’s safety and well-being.  Young people’s health needs, especially their emotional health needs, are promoted to a very good standard.  Members of staff are very aware of each young person’s individual needs and vulnerabilities and use this knowledge to keep them safe.  Recording is not always clear and consistent. Key documents such as risk assessments do not always contain accurate and important information. While young people’s safety has not been compromised, this undermines the effectiveness of monitoring systems and managerial oversight.

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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

13 The Leadership and Management Standard.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with regard to ensuring that the effectiveness of the home’s internet safety fire wall is reviewed and risk assessments are updated, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(1) (b) enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that promotes their welfare

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Requirement Due date

(2) (h) uses monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 30/10/15

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): Ensure that placements are accepted only for young people the home can respond effectively to as recorded in the child's relevant placement plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. This is with regards to ensuring there is an individual protocol in place for each young person which specifically outlines what steps are to be taken in the event they are missing. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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Recommendations

Ensure staff are familiar with the homes policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. In particular that records accurately reflect when individual key work sessions have taken place, how action plans have been implemented, and that risk assessments address current issues. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

This service is a children’s home providing care and accommodation for up to eight children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is run by a registered charity.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

02/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people benefit from close and supportive relationships with staff. The young people seek company, reassurance, and approval from staff. They say they have a number of adults they can talk to and express their feelings.

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Good

Members of staff offer close support and show a genuine interest in the opinions and activities of the young people. This helps young people develop trust and stability and learn that their views can have an influence on their home lives. For example, young peoples’ views are sought as part of the home’s development process and are taken into consideration when making decisions about decorating, activities and holidays.

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Good

Young people are confident to complain about their care. They are able to access the complaints process. Records show complaints are thoroughly investigated and resolved and young people receive feedback.

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Good

Young people do very well at school making improvements in attendance levels and academic attainment. Some young people have been able to integrate back into mainstream education as a result of the support and nurturing they have received. The value of education is promoted and bespoke plans enable and support young people to make very good progress.

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Good

Young people are encouraged and supported to access a variety of activities in the community. These are planned in line with each young person’s ability to cope with the demands the activities place upon them. For example, one young person attends army cadets and another a football club; staff stay at the club to help of the young person needs it.

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Good

Young people’s health, especially emotional health, is promoted to a good standard. Young people receive sensitive support to attend appointments with health care professionals. This includes appointments with therapists on a regular basis. Therapists work closely with members of staff so that everyone is aware of each young person’s emotional stability at any given time. This knowledge means that extra support is given to the young people when needed.

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Good

The carefully planned support given to the young people acknowledges their troubled backgrounds and provides them with the stability to explore their feelings and develop their emotional resilience. Staff provide very good support to the young people in preparing them for contact with their families. At times some young people find this contact unsettling and emotional. Staff members are very alert to the challenges this presents to individual young people and provide close and sensitively planned support during this time.

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Good

Arrangements for safeguarding are good. Members of staff are fully aware of each young person’s individual vulnerabilities and what steps they need to take to keep them safe.

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Good

Members of staff understand risks. They respond quickly to any incidents in order to protect the young people. While staff knowledge of the young people is good, they do not consistently update key records. For example, risk assessments and care plan strategies are not updated after an incident. Although this shortfall has not impacted upon young people’s safety it does undermine the quality of some records, the learning from events and the effectiveness of monitoring and quality assurance provided by managers.

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Good

Incidents of young people going missing are rare. Young people do on occasion go absent without permission but these incidents are short-lived and the young people return promptly. Staff, on the whole respond quickly if this occurs as they are acutely aware of the young people’s vulnerabilities.

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Good

Missing person protocols are generic and do not specify what action staff should take. For example, which specific areas they need to search when a young person is missing.

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Good

All young people are supported closely. This support enables them to manage and reflect upon their behaviours and actions with adult guidance. As a result they develop strategies which improve their behaviour and ability to tolerate frustrations and conflict to a very good degree, especially when bearing in mind their starting points.

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Good

Where restraint is used there are good records which describe and explain why it has occurred. The Registered Manager checks and evaluates the incidents to ensure that the use of restraint is proportionate and appropriate. There are also debriefing sessions for the young people to explore the reasons behind any incident of restraint and to ensure that their feelings and opinions are acknowledged. Staff are all trained in internet safety and are aware of the dangers posed to young people using this medium. Additionally, young people are expected to complete training in e-safety before they use the home’s internet. This is further supported by having an internet firewall which is designed to prevent young people accessing inappropriate web sites. On at least two occasions young people have been able to circumvent the firewall and have managed to access inappropriate web sites. The effectiveness of the home’s internet firewall is questionable and this was addressed

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Good

by the Registered Manager during the inspection.

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Good

There is a robust recruitment process in place which ensures that all members of staff are checked as suitable to work with young people before they begin to work at the home.

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Good

All members of staff attend safeguarding training which ensures that they are aware of their obligations in the event that there are concerns about a young person’s safety. This means that any concerns are passed on to relevant safeguarding agencies promptly and effectively.

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Good

The home has effective links with the Local Area Designated Officer (LADO) and this ensures that any issues are shared promptly so that investigations can be carried out in order that young people’s safety is protected to a good standard.

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Good

Young people live in a safe environment where all health and safety checks are carried out. Young people know what to do in the event of a fire as they take part in regular fire evacuation drills.

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Requires improvement

An experienced Registered Manager has been in post for over three years. She is suitably qualified and has achieved a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children’s and Young People’s Service.

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Requires improvement

There are sufficient staff on each shift to meet the needs for supervision and support of young people. Staff receive varied and good quality training which ensures that they are effective in carrying out their roles.

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Requires improvement

There is inconsistent monitoring of some records and documents; this means that good quality records are not maintained across the board. One shortfall was not updating risk assessments to reflect increased staffing to ensure young people were closely supervised following an incident. Another was a care plan was not amended after a case management review had agreed a change in routine, although the agreed practice was implemented. This shows that auditing of documents has not been thorough.

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Requires improvement

Managers and members of staff describe how they have changed their practice as a result of learning from incidents. There is sometimes little written evidence to show how this has been achieved as changes are not sufficiently documented.

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Requires improvement

The Registered Manager assesses the suitability of new admissions and examines how moving into the home may impact on that young person. The impact on the established group of young people is not assessed. This means that admissions can have an impact on the young people already living in the home and this is not planned for.

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Requires improvement

There is close working with external agencies and this ensures that there is a co- ordinated and cohesive approach to promoting young people’s wellbeing and safety. External professionals speak very positively about the standard of communication achieved and the prompt exchange of information when it is needed.

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Requires improvement

Young people’s progress is monitored by all members of staff and records show how each young person has benefited from their stay at the home and how they have achieved their goals and targets. For example, records show clearly how young people have improved in both attendance and achievement in their education and how incidents of challenging behaviour have lessened over time.

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Requires improvement

Members of staff receive regular supervision and all report positively about the good level of support they receive. Records of supervision do not always clearly record how practice or issues have been addressed or improved. Nevertheless, the impact of working with challenging behaviour is carefully considered. Members of staff also attend ‘mentalisation’ meetings in which dynamics and group processes are considered and discussed. This enables them to reflect on their practice and to consider the impact of behaviours. This process is further underpinned by members of staff having access to a therapist for further support if needed.

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Requires improvement

There is a comprehensive statement of purpose which is reviewed and updated regularly to ensure it is up to date and relevant. This means that members of staff and stakeholders, such as social workers and parents have a clear document to refer to which explains what service the home provides.

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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

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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