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

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:

 Staff understand the triggers and external factors, which have affected one young person’s morale and enthusiasm to participate in the home. They continue to work closely with the young person, their family and social worker to review support strategies in response to their changing needs.  Staff promote education and regularly liaise with professionals to ensure that young people have support when they are not in full-time education, to find appropriate educational placements.  Young people’s individual interests are encouraged and broadened. Recent activities include swimming, pampering sessions and trips out shopping or to the beach. Young people are trying new opportunities which widen their social experiences.  Young people learn to take responsibility for themselves.  Staff have provided additional support to young people and their families after their placement has ended. For example, they provided guidance and

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The children's home provision is good because:

consistency in a period of change for a young person, helping them to feel valued, boosting their confidence and ensuring that their move home was successful. Staff value young people’s contact with those who are important to them.  Managers take appropriate action to ensure that all safeguarding concerns are reported appropriately. They continually review their strategies to ensure that practice does not stagnate and that strategies to support young people to develop remain effective.  Young people’s missing incidents have reduced. This is enhanced by staff who are committed to partnership working, intelligence sharing and to improving inter-agency relationships.  Managers work proactively and positively with others, offering professional challenge when necessary and working together to resolve any concerns.  The manager has a good understanding of the strengths of the home and uses quality-assurance systems effectively to drive improvements.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person should demonstrate how staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them to ensure they remain effective. In particular, ensuring young people's risk assessments contain information on all known risks (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5).  The registered person must ensure that restrictions of liberty of movement are recorded as a restraint (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.42).  The registered manager should fully consider the impact that new admissions have on the existing group of children. In particular, they should ensure that information in the initial impact assessment and group living assessment is

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Recommendations

consistent (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4).

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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 homes or to alternative family placements. There was one child in placement at the time of this inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

9 March 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26 February 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

From their starting points, young people’s progress has been variable. Young people feel able to establish relationships with some staff in the home and had begun to talk to and confide in them. However, the current young person does not engage consistently with all staff in the home. Staff know the young person well and use a variety of communication methods including verbal, written and body language to communicate with them. Staff regularly review their approach to encourage the young person to engage with them but this is not always successful. Staff promote education. They regularly liaise with professionals to ensure that young people have support, when they are not in full-time education, to find appropriate education placements. However, young people’s educational progress has been mixed. Young people have been supported to access education in the home but their engagement in this has been sporadic. The home successfully

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Good

supported the current young person to reintegrate into school, and their attendance dramatically improved. However, since the start of term, they have refused to attend. As a result, they are not making full use of the opportunities made available to them. Staff continually review their strategies and are working closely with other professionals to find alternative education arrangements. Staff promote young people’s individual interests, such as encouraging swimming, pampering sessions and trips out shopping or to the beach. This provides young people with new opportunities and widens their social experiences. Young people complete AQA awards, evidencing their independence skills, such as cooking their own meals, taking responsibility for their rooms and doing their laundry. This supports young people to prepare for adult life. The young person in placement is intermittently engaging in these tasks.

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Good

There has been a decline in the current young person’s engagement and their development in most areas in recent weeks. Staff understand the triggers and external factors that have affected the young person’s morale and enthusiasm to participate within the home. Staff are working hard to engage the young person. They have sought medical advice and communicate regularly with the young person’s placing authority and family to develop new ways of working with the young person, to re-engage them in their care. Staff monitor young people’s physical and emotional well-being and support them to obtain specialist advice when necessary. However, young people do not always attend their appointments. The organisation provides therapeutic support through access to adult and child psychotherapy. However, the young person in placement does not use this service. The organisation is sourcing other forms of therapy to

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Good

tailor individual support for them. This is so that they can benefit from additional therapeutic support to help them to reflect on previous experiences and to build on their resilience to develop and grow. Young people learn to take responsibility for themselves. This is achieved through the home’s self-development plans and direct support, providing education on topics such as sexual health, missing from care and other risk-taking behaviours. Staff have worked proactively with other professionals, such as the police and social workers, to devise strategies to support young people to reduce their negative behaviours. As a result, young people’s missing incidents have reduced. Staff value young people’s contact with those who are important to them. Staff work closely with other professionals to enable young people to have regular contact with their family and friends. This supports them to maintain meaningful

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Good

attachments and to develop a sense of belonging and identity. Staff carry out impact risk assessments to ensure that young people are appropriately matched and that new young people do not have a detrimental impact on those already living in the home. The home completes an initial risk assessment prior to accepting a referral and a ‘home group living assessment’ when the new young person arrives. Information contained within the initial assessment does not adequately address young people’s historical behaviour regarding racial comments and bullying. This could result in young people being matched inappropriately, resulting in a detrimental impact on their placement. However, the likelihood of this occurring is reduced through the home’s group living assessment. This is comprehensive and informs staff how young people placed together may have a negative impact on each other, and it advises how to reduce this.

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Good

Staff work closely with placing authorities to find appropriate placements, to ensure successful transitions. Staff have provided additional support to young people and their families after their placement have ended. For example, they provided guidance and consistency in a period of change for one young person, helping them to feel valued, boosting their confidence and ensuring that their move home was successful.

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Good

Staff share intelligence and work proactively with other professionals including the police. They regularly attend information-sharing forums such as the sexual exploitation and missing risk assessment conference on a monthly basis. This helps all professionals involved to understand the risks to young people whom the home supports. It also ensures that professionals work collaboratively to consider strategies to minimise risks to individuals and keep them safe. Staff’s attendance at these forums demonstrates their commitment to partnership working, intelligence sharing and to improving inter-agency relationships. In recent weeks, the current young person’s behaviour has become more challenging. Staff have demonstrated a good understanding of the reasons for this, and of how young people’s experiences can affect their behaviour. Staff encourage positive behaviour through praise and rewards. This approach is supported by

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Good

staff’s strong boundaries and consistent expectations. They spend time encouraging young people to reflect on the consequences of their behaviours and to find alternative ways to express themselves. Sanctions are used appropriately and focus on reparations and restoration. Incidents of challenging behaviour are managed well. Staff focus on de-escalation, and physical intervention is only used as a last resort. Young people are provided with debriefs after each incident. This aids the manager’s monitoring of incidents and intervention, and enables her to support staff successfully to reflect on how they can improve their practice. The majority of incidents are recorded appropriately. However, an incident in which a young person was locked out of the kitchen and lounge for their own safety was not recorded as a restraint, as required by regulation. Managers take appropriate action to ensure that all safeguarding concerns are

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Good

reported appropriately and that steps are taken to protect young people while these are investigated. Staff have a good understanding of young people’s specific vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are extremely detailed, advising of the majority of risks and the actions that staff must take to minimise these. However, one young person’s risk assessment did not contain information about the possible risks associated with sexualised behaviour, bullying or smoking. This could result in staff not having the relevant knowledge that they need to protect this young person. Young people go missing from this home. When this occurs, staff follow the home’s protocols and they are proactive in trying to establish the young person’s whereabouts. They follow them, call them, search the local area and contact known addresses. Staff work effectively with the police to ensure young people’s safe return to the home. Staff analyse trends and patterns in young people’s

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Good

missing behaviour to understand why they go missing and how best to support them. Staff work closely with placing social workers to devise strategies to support young people who go missing. This has been effective in reducing missing incidents in the home. Young people have not always received an independent return home interview from their local authority. Staff continually challenge young people’s local authorities on their behalf to ensure that they receive the service that they are entitled to. When this has not been forthcoming, staff have tried to establish the reasons why the young person has left. To address the necessity of independent interviews, managers have engaged the local authority to provide funding for an independent service arranged by the home. This ensures that young people receive their entitlement and supports the home in establishing why individuals leave and in devising strategies to keep them safe.

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Good

Young people live in comfortable, well-maintained accommodation of a high standard. They personalise their bedrooms to reflect their personalities, giving them a sense of identity and belonging. The home’s location review has been revised in consultation with the local police, crime statics and the staff team. It now includes the risks presented by a local bridge over a nearby motorway. It is thorough and considers all risks identified within the local area and the actions to minimise these, including joint working with the police. Health and safety measures protect young people and staff from the risk of harm. All checks are up to date, appropriate fire safety measures are in place and risk assessments identify potential hazards and risk reduction processes. The manager demonstrates a good understanding of safe recruitment procedures. Since the previous inspection, the staff team has remained stable. No new staff

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Good

have been recruited. As a result, recruitment files were not appraised during this inspection.

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Good

Young people receive individualised support in a safe and caring environment. The home has a new manager who is yet to be registered with Ofsted in respect of this home. She has a number of years’ experience working with children and was the registered manager of another home within this organisation. She has completed her level 5 qualification in leadership and management and is currently waiting for the certificate. The home’s new manager was not available during this inspection. However, the home’s previous manager was available to ensure that the home ran routinely in her absence. Managers work proactively and positively with others, offering professional challenge when necessary and working together to resolve any concerns. This ensures that young people receive the support to meet their needs and to help them grow and develop. There are excellent links with the police and placing authorities, which ensure that young people are protected. The home is committed

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Good

to developing its relationship with other professionals and has allowed social workers remote access to the home’s online records, regarding individuals whom they have placed. This ensures that social workers are updated daily regarding young people’s well-being, and demonstrates the home’s commitment to open and transparent practice. The manager uses monitoring systems effectively, to identify trends in young people’s progress and behaviour and to review their strategies continuously. The manager has a good understanding of the strength of the home and uses quality assurance systems effectively to drive improvements. They have successfully addressed concerns identified in the home’s previous full inspection, improving the experiences of young people living in the home. Young people are regularly consulted regarding their experiences in the home and have contributed to a young person’s development plan. This sits alongside the

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Good

manager’s development plan ensuring that young people are involved in the planning and running of the home. The independent visitor consults other professionals and young people’s relatives on the quality of service provided and regularly makes recommendations for improvement. The statement of purpose has been reviewed and updated to provide individualised information about this service. This ensures that everyone involved in the service is clear about the home’s aims and objectives and about what the home intends to provide. Staff complete mandatory training and benefit from more targeted support on subjects such as listening skills from experts in their field: in this case the Samaritans. All staff who are required to have completed the necessary diploma have done so. As a result, children receive support from staff who have the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Staff supervision and appraisal processes are thoroughly completed. Supervisions,

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Good

along with regular critical reflection groups, provide opportunities for staff to review and reflect on young people’s progress and needs. It also provides them with an opportunity to review their own performance and development. As a result, staff maintain a good standard of everyday practice. Staff continually review their strategies to ensure that practice does not stagnate and that strategies remain effective to support young people to develop.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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 whom 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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