Children's home run by The Caldecott Foundation Limited in Ashford

Good

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

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people report that ‘it’s ok’, ‘eight out of 10’ and ‘the best’ and do not wish to change anything about their home. There is a real sense of the home sticking with young people as they develop and grow uniquely. They enjoy positive relationships with staff who keep asking questions and showing a genuine interest that enables them to reflect upon their history and identify ways in which they can move forward.  Young people are kept safe by staff who are vigilant and challenging when necessary. The staff are appropriately skilled to meet the needs of the young people. The staff team are secure in their awareness and understanding of each young person’s needs as well as potential anxiety triggers. Staff work hard to consider and address young people’s presenting and underlining needs. This has led to a reduction in concerning behaviours, such as incidents leading to the use of restraints and going missing from

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

care.  Young people make progress in this home. For some young people, progress is viewed in the context of some spikes due to external influences. These spikes are clearly identified by not just the management and staff but also by the young people. Within these spikes of incidents, there are still small elements of measureable progress which are significant when put into the context of the young person’s overall journey.  All young people are engaged in some education, which for some include a bespoke timetable seeking learning from leisure activities and community projects that build their self-esteem combined with formal tutoring. Young people are able to recognise and take pride in their achievements. Staff’s continuous encouragement has enabled some young people to attend school or college to take tests, which is significant progress. Staff value young people, they talk proudly of young people’s achievements and

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

progress.  Staff said that they feel very well supported by the management team. They recognise that a more challenging shift in the management style has improved the home. Staff said that they have the time to think and plan, whereas before they were reacting to each incident. This has enhanced their professional development and effectiveness. They said ‘we work well together now as a team for the best outcomes for our young people’.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard In order to meet the positive relationships standard, with particular reference to staff providing young people with the skills to recognise friendships, the registered person must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(vii) help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship. 13 June 2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

7: The children's views, wishes and feelings standard In order to meet the children's views, wishes and feelings standard, with particular reference to staff providing handovers when leaving key-working positions, the registered person must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(i) ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare. 13 July 2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to management providing evaluative supervision records, the registered person must ensure that the manager: (2)(c) ensures that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 16 August

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to understand each child's education and training targets and their next steps for learning (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.11).  Ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home's care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. In particular, to use e-resources which young people relate to (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11).  Ensure that the home is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded. In particular, to review the location risk assessment to expand the child sexual exploitation local knowledge and strategies for managing these for

p.5

Recommendations

each individual child (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 15.1).

p.5

Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is a charitable organisation.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.6

Recent inspection history

22 February 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.6

Recent inspection history

16 March 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.6

Good

Young people know that staff are interested in their individual welfare, interests and dreams. As one young person said, ‘I’ve got to think about the future and the choices I make now.’ Staff members undertake a frequent and effective level of key working that demonstrates the young person’s journey and progress. Staff speak tenderly of young people, take pride in young people’s achievements and reward their progress. All the young people have remained living in the home since the last inspection. Relationships built between staff and young people are sensitive and caring. Staff are skilled at improving young people’s experiences of residential care by being loving and reflecting on the care that they give against good parenting research. Many photographs around the home capture the essence of young people having fun. Young people look after a hamster and arrange for its care when away visiting family.

p.7

Good

Education outcomes for most young people are good. Most of the young people attend school or college regularly and make progress in reaching educational goals, despite previously having been out of school. Staff are challenging those educational providers not fulfilling young people’s schooling needs. The registered manager is aware of the impact of this for the future of the young person as well as the stability of the placement. As one social worker stated, ‘The lack of an education placement is placing the home under strain but they are doing the best job they can do.’ Staff have set pieces of work for a young person who has had multiple exclusions from schools and also take the young person on frequent educational visits. However, staff have not planned or recorded the learning objectives and achievements to ensure that the visits or work have achieved the young person’s educational targets or next steps of learning.

p.7

Good

The health provision for young people is good. This includes the management of young people self-medicating. Some young people relish the opportunities to cook. One young person cooked Chinese food for lunch and made a chocolate marble cake during the inspection. They are also progressing in their emotional health, through developing an awareness of their feelings. Young people now engage in therapy, having previously refused to attend. Young people are being well prepared to move on into adulthood, taking into account their age and stage of development. For example, young people enjoy the opportunities to plan and budget for meals and relish cooking. Their confidence has increased and young people make use of public transport. One parent wrote ‘Just to say thank you very much for all that you have done for my young person through the years.’ Staff work with each young person to ensure emotional resilience as well as practical skills to promote their self-confidence and enable

p.7

Good

them to withstand any setbacks in the future. Staff continue to support young people who have moved on from the home and regularly visit and meet up with quite a few young people.

p.8

Good

The home provides a safe environment for children who have experienced unpredictable and unsafe situations in their past. Through close supervision from thoughtful staff, young people develop a sense of safety, protection and trust in the adults who care for them. Arrangements for recruiting staff are safe and effective. All staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training that includes training around child sexual exploitation and online safety. Staff are confident in their understanding of safeguarding and their knowledge of safeguarding procedures. Safeguarding issues receive prompt response, recording is clear and evidences action taken and the outcome of safeguarding concerns. Staff have a good knowledge around child sexual exploitation. Staff gave examples of the good practice that they promote such as being vigilant and challenging other parties when necessary, as well as to keep giving a young person the chance to

p.8

Good

talk about a situation where it felt most comfortable for that young person. Staff have worked with partner agencies to stop one young person going to an unsafe area and helped to disrupt a potentially exploitative situation. The young person along with staff, the registered manager and the young person’s social worker were able to identify the factors that were pushing as well as pulling the young person to this scenario. All acknowledged the ongoing work required to sustain the progress made. However, records were spread across many documents and referred to other documents as being minimising factors, rather than the actual work or skill required. Staff are skilled at fostering an unwavering commitment to be there for the young people and for the young people to succeed. Young people talk of the positive relationships that they have with staff. Open communication between young people and staff takes place informally day-to-day and during key working sessions

p.8

Good

and group meetings. However, the young people are requesting the use of e- resources which the home needs to respond more quickly to using to ensure that consultation and communication is accessible to young people who relate to the digital world. The manager facilitates innovative work such as having a previous staff member as a young person’s independent visitor and a care leaver as another young person’s mentor. This uses creative ways to engage young people with highly personalised care. Staff and volunteers demonstrate a strong commitment to never give up, which is understood by the young people and staff alike. Staff prioritise quality time spent with each young person. Staff are skilled at providing clear boundaries for young people. Consistent behaviour management systems ensure that young people have increased security and well-being. Young people are beginning to understand and respect the

p.8

Good

boundaries. A calm and measured approach is adopted to successfully diffuse incidents. This has led to recent reductions in staff using restraints for all young people. Young people are able to take responsibility and want to make right their actions. One staff member reflected that, ‘The young people are fantastic. They can check themselves and know how to apologise and they genuinely mean it and learn from it.’

p.9

Good

A permanent and suitably qualified registered manager with extensive experience has undertaken a significant amount of work to become a more robust manager and now effectively manages this home. One social worker said that, ‘The manager is the safety asset for my young person. She has successfully developed a relationship with him. The home under her leadership embraces praise and nurturing. I saw a great example of him enjoying a foot massage from staff when I arrived to visit.’ Using a range of planning tools the registered manager put in place an action plan for the house to continue to function and provide good quality of care with limited impact for the young people when faced with staff shortages and a lack of a school placement. This was effective. Measures included prioritised team meetings, fast tracked staff recruitment, increased deputy staffing provision from a highly experienced manager, input of the quality assurance team to monitor

p.9

Good

paperwork and a clear steer for residential staff to prioritise direct work and relationship building. The registered manager also worked on shift to role model practice, keep effective relationships with the young people and monitor the developing ethos of the home. Consultant psychotherapists provide direct therapy for children but also training and support for staff, with the aim of embedding consistent care. The registered manager has been able to assess and begin to increase staff members’ level of competence, skills and practice to deliver the home’s stated aims and good-quality care to young people. Staff recognise that ‘there has been an issue with staffing and then a sickness bug’. One key working member of staff left without handing over critical information, resulting in a young person missing a contact visit with family. Therefore, systems need to be developed to ensure that key staff have to

p.9

Good

complete a handover and transition to other staff. Staff undertake comprehensive training. New staff undertake a thorough induction programme to prepare them for their role. One staff member stated, ‘I’ve had the most relevant training here than ever before, alongside a comprehensive induction. Because the depth of knowledge about the young people is so high from other staff, it has helped me with the inroads to make relationships with them as well.’ Ongoing staff development to extend their knowledge and understanding of therapeutic approaches takes place in child focus meetings led by psychotherapists. The registered manager promotes a reflective approach through team meetings, end of shift discussions and individual supervision. However, supervision records for staff are inconsistent in depth and not evaluative. A member of staff said, ‘The management works because it is supportive, open, clear [and] based on best practice with consultation at the heart.’

p.9

Good

Monitoring of the service is exceedingly good, this includes the internal and the external monitoring completed by an independent visitor. The registered manager does effectively act on recommendations made as a result of independent visitor’s reports. There is a quality assurance team from the organisation which aids the registered individual’s knowledge regarding improving the home’s quality of care and young people’s experiences of it. The registered individual gets to know the young people individually and as a group so that he has relationships whereby the young people want to talk to him. The registered manager is proactively involved in monitoring individual care arrangements, which supports the good progress made by the young people. For example, the registered manager consults with professionals and adjusts planning when required. The registered manager is very aware of the progress and of any

p.10

Good

limitations or specific issues for each resident. A social worker said, ’This manager is very able to challenge and query decisions and the thinking behind them.’ Placement plans are now more child friendly and ensure individualised care and consistency for young people. The plans now include any aspects of delegated authority. A member of staff said, ‘Staff are appreciated and encouraged to do the very best. The young people and the staff are all treated as individuals with any necessary adjustments made to ensure everyone succeeds.’

p.10

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.11

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.11

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.11

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.12

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.12

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.13

Information about this inspection

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

p.13

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.13

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.13