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

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.

p.2

The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The home delivers outstanding outcomes for young people in relation to their starting points regarding their health, emotional wellbeing and educational attainment. Young people flourish within an environment which provides nurturing care. Staff commented that ‘from where the young people started to now, they are all in such good places in their lives, they have rocketed, it’s phenomenal’. One parent said, society ‘needs more places like this as it has worked and my son is achieving so much now thanks to Hornbeam. I wish more young people could benefit from their help’.  Multi-disciplinary meetings involving care, school and therapy staff ensure that the young people’s holistic needs are considered and that all behaviour is understood within the context of being a communication of feelings. An established staff team manage very personal and complex issues with great thoughtfulness. This helps the young people develop a more positive view of

p.3

The children's home provision is outstanding because:

themselves.  The Registered Manager exercises excellent judgement in her assessment of young people’s needs, which leads her to make good admission decisions. This positively impacts on the safety of the home and the ability of young people to remain long term.  Staff are highly skilled at making extremely positive relationships with young people. This ensures young people’s welfare is wholly safeguarded and promoted. Young people can accept the support staff offer having established trust and safety in the adults who look after them. Feedback from young people, parents and social workers confirms that young people have exceptional relationships with staff.  Staff state that they feel safe and effective here and that they are successfully supported to meet their potential. Young people are kept safe in the home through robust policies and good quality safeguarding practice. They are very rarely restrained and do not go missing. The number of

p.3

The children's home provision is outstanding because:

incidents has reduced considerably over the past year.  A Social Worker stated ‘the outcomes for this young person have significantly improved in many areas of her life since residing in this particular home. It is because they have such a high level of understanding of the young person’s complex needs this placement works so well. They are able to identify possible triggers, allow the young person to feel they have them in mind and give them ways to promote them making the right choice in life’. Staff say ‘there is a strong culture and sense of family between the children and staff. The commitment and handwork of the staff is exceptional.’ A young person said ‘this is home, my home. Staff do the things that I like with me, this is a great family’. Another young person stated ‘I actually want to stay here and you have to give it 10 out of 10’.  The Registered Manager provides exceptional care for children and young

p.3

The children's home provision is outstanding because:

people and drives ongoing improvement in this home. She has excellent knowledge of the young people and is able to identify their progress in detail and understand their needs. She is constantly exploring innovative and creative opportunities for young people to succeed and fulfil their potential. She provides compelling and inspirational leadership. As one young person who no longer lives in the home but stays in regular contact said ‘Emma calmed me down and I’d come back home (to Hornbeam) tomorrow if I could’.

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): Ensure the homes information about the child is recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child, in particular risk assessments. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.5

Information about this children's home

This private children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for nine childe with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is run by a charitable organisation.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.6

Recent inspection history

10/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.6

Outstanding

Young people have achieved outstanding and sustained improvement in all areas of their development and behaviour since coming to the home. Staff work to positively affect young people’s future life-chances. An established, highly qualified, and committed core staff team provides the young people with nurturing, consistent parenting. Staff ensure that all the young people understand exactly what is going to happen regarding decisions, plans and day to day routines. This enables the young people to be secure and to make significant progress in all areas of their development.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people develop exceptionally warm and effective relationships with staff. They thoroughly enjoy their time with key workers, taking part in activities inside and outside the home. Young people said that ‘they help me talk which makes me feel better and shows that staff care about me’. Staff complete comprehensive and personalised placement plans to ensure consistent practice and tracking of goals through frequent key working sessions. Staff deal sensitively and skilfully with some very personal and complex issues. This benefits the young people’s self- esteem and emotional wellbeing.

p.7

Outstanding

All young people have achieved good or exceptional outcomes in education. Some who were previously not attending school at all are now attending regularly, attendance is now between 97% and 100%. The determination and resolve of staff has led to one young person being recognised by her placing authority for an achievement in education award. Management track achievements through weekly meetings with some schools and colleges to ensure that young people make progress.

p.7

Outstanding

Staff support young people to form relationships outside the home and engage in group activities. As one young person said ‘I enjoy going out with my mates and I always let staff know where we are and who I am with’. Staff benefit from meetings with the company’s therapy team. These meetings enable staff to receive advice and support in addition to their regular management supervision. They use this time to review young people’s progress against their targets and reflect on each individual’s developing and changing needs.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people have been able to develop and improve the quality of their family relationships since arriving in the home. The manager and staff work hard to keep in touch with parents. Parents are extremely positive about this contact and really value the home’s work with their child. A social worker said ‘the staff have gone above and beyond in terms of supporting contact with family members, including travelling distances, preparing and supporting the young person and supervising if necessary’.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people move on from this home successfully and in accordance with their plans. The home proactively maintains meaningful links with young people who have left and their families. A parent said ‘Staff are really good, they knew how to manage my son and his emotions and even when he displayed challenging behaviour they also knew the person behind it and this made it work. It is an absolute joy for him to be at home now thanks to the home’. A young person who has left stated ‘they helped me with everything from fitness to my family. All staff worked extra, they are my constant family’.

p.8

Outstanding

Young people live in a thoughtfully decorated and well-managed environment. Use of the home’s space has been very well considered, with young people’s needs at the centre of the decision-making. The manager ensures that the necessary physical and environmental checks of the premises are carried out at the appropriate intervals. As such, young people are protected from avoidable risks. News and cultural information are attractively presented on the wall, so that everyone in the home knows current events and activities. These displays are well designed, so that it does not appear institutional.

p.8

Outstanding

Young people feel safe and are safe in the home. Staff respond appropriately to safeguarding incidents and update risk assessments to ensure that responses remain suitable. Communication between staff, the manager and other professionals is excellent and includes ongoing identification of situations or events that could lead young people into unsafe behaviour. Staff are aware of each young person’s vulnerabilities and are alert to, for example, any event that might heighten the risk of self-harming. Consequently incidents of self-harming and going missing have ceased or reduced significantly.

p.8

Outstanding

Staff have completed training in self-harming and researched from outside sources alternative strategies for young people, with significant success. One young person stated that the alternative strategy is ‘working for me, it helps me release my feelings. Things are getting better and I am very proud of myself’.

p.8

Outstanding

Young people do not go missing from the home. This includes some young people for whom this behaviour had been prevalent before moving here. Young people know that staff will actively search for them and are aware of the dangers if they were to go missing. Missing from care risk assessments are in place. These provide clear information as to where a young person may be or how high the perceived risk is for the young person. Staff demonstrate that they have a secure understanding of the individual risks associated with each young person and the action they are taking to reduce this.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager assesses from the referral information whether a young person requires therapeutic support and makes a referral to the in-house therapy team as part of her initial matching risk assessment. Young peoples’ health is promoted by quick actions to ensure access to a provision which can often have long waiting times. This has enabled young people to improve their ability to communicate, which has contributed to increased confidence and resilience.

p.9

Outstanding

Strong and effective behaviour management reduces the need for physical interventions to the point where there were only two in November from 11 in January. The staff observe situations developing, intervene rapidly with distraction techniques and de-escalate potentially volatile situations. Young people stated that they don’t get restrained and that ‘this has gone down for me since I first came’. The staff have a good understanding of the young peoples’ needs, they can recognise when they are in distress and upset. Staff regularly address the underlying causes of the young people’s behaviour with a psychologist and include this in risk planning. This helps staff provide early interventions and reduce challenging behaviours. One staff member stated ‘Debriefs always look at things we could have done better or reaffirm continuing what is working.’

p.9

Outstanding

The constancy of the home, coupled with close and trusting relationships with staff, support young people to engage in frank discussions about the potential consequences of their behaviour. Staff openly challenge young people about their behaviour and exert positive influence. Examples include apology letters and emails, agreed sanctions and resolution work as well as learning some of their own flash points. One social worker commented ‘my young person can finally accept and enjoy praise. Staff have through modelling positive behaviour and seeking out the small positives step by step enabled her confidence to build up’.

p.9

Outstanding

All staff appointments are subject to safer recruitment guidelines ensuring appropriate measures are taken to appoint appropriately qualified and suitable staff. The level of safety felt by the young people enables them to focus on achieving at school, building constructive relationships and looking forward to a positive future.

p.9

Outstanding

A supportive, proficient and caring registered manager is in post. She has over 10 years’ experience of working with children and young people and holds the level 5 qualification in Leadership and Management. She ensures that staff give consistent care to young people based on the principles of equality and diversity. A member of staff stated the manager ‘has amazing knowledge and understanding of each child here, she works hard to make us function at our best.’ Another said ‘the whole management team have passion for the young people and this ethos flows through the whole team. Everybody wants the young people of do well for themselves’. A young person said ‘Emma does everything and makes us all ok.’ Another young person added ‘she makes me feel safe, understands me, you know! Gets me to talk which is a first.’

p.9

Outstanding

The manager has exercised care in her choice of admissions to the home and has introduced thoroughly matched new young residents gradually. This has ensured that new young people understand where they will be living and the established residents understand and accept the new person’s needs, which may be very different from their own. A staff member stated ‘the manager’s first priority is the young people in the home already. Robust matching is the key.’

p.10

Outstanding

Young people have all made exceptional progress since their arrival. They are happy and say that they feel part of a family. For some young people, this is the first time that they have had a positive experience of family life. This provides them with a secure environment for their future relationships and development as young adults. The manager has a remarkable understanding of young people’s unique needs and how the home can help and support their development. Young people have progressed from a position where they were not in school and had been placing themselves at risk in the community to one where they are achieving in line or above of educational aims and their negative behaviour has reduced and in most cases ended.

p.10

Outstanding

The manager monitors the functioning of the staff team through a workforce plan. All staff receive regular supervision, they confirm that this is effective and helpful in their professional development. They feel valued and well supported. The home has an effective training programme. Staff have completed comprehensive induction training and higher level courses according to young people’s needs; for example dealing with self-harm. The manager ensures all new staff have both a supervisor and mentor. She has supported staff to pass their probation period and has dismissed those that are unable to demonstrate competency in order to safeguard the young people’s welfare.

p.10

Outstanding

The leaders and managers of the home are passionate about continuing professional development. The staff have regular team meetings comprising professional reflection and bespoke training or workshops, which are often informed by current research on topics related to practice. This is in addition to the regular consultation meetings staff receive from the home’s clinical psychologist. The manager is very clear about the home’s strengths and areas for development. An area identified for development is the organisations repetitive risk assessments which the home are reducing. Through robust internal and external monitoring, she is confident that the home is conducted in line with the Statement of Purpose. The home has an independent visitor who visits monthly and consults with young people and staff to gain an accurate picture of the home. A particular strength is the manager’s ability to review and reflect on the services provided in the home.

p.10

Outstanding

She methodically analyses the impact of the work the home has done with the young people.

p.11

Outstanding

The home has exceptionally good relationships with other agencies. Social workers commented on the high quality communications about their young people. The home can demonstrate through written contact with other professionals that it is a valued partner in meeting young people’s needs. Excellent relationships between the home and other agencies have helped to improve outcomes for young people. A Social Worker commented that their young person ‘is treated like one of their own children which you don’t often find in residential care’. A young person added ‘I love it here, I want to stay, everything I need is here’.

p.11

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.

p.12

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

p.12

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.12

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

p.13

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 .

p.13

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,

p.14

Information about this inspection

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

p.14

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.14

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

p.14