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’s provision is good because:

 Young people are building positive relationships with staff.  The staff and management have tirelessly challenged the necessary professionals to obtain young people’s full entitlement to education.  Young people are becoming more resilient and developing greater self- esteem.  Young people are meetings their targets, developing their skills and learning to consider and reflect on their actions in order to make more positive choices.  Young people are developing their independence skills.  Young people are able to improve their relationships with family members.  Staff promote positive behaviour through praise and celebrating young people’s achievements.  Staff share intelligence and work proactively with other professionals including the police to reduce young people’s risk factors.  Leaders and managers have excellent relationships with their safeguarding partners.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The registered persons must ensure that recruitment procedures safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. In particular, ensure that all the required checks as specified in schedule 2 are completed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 62, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered for up to four young people, and is owned and managed by a private organisation. The home caters for young people who may have a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties. One of the key aims of this service is to offer a measurable difference in helping traumatised young people.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/10/2015 Full Good 13/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/11/2014 Full Good

p.5

Good

Young people are building positive relationships with staff. They are comfortable and relaxed in staff’s presence and young people are beginning to trust staff and to talk about their feelings and concerns. This is positive progress for two young people who have previously found it difficult to build relationships with adults who are new to them. Young people spoken with felt confident in raising concerns with staff and believed they would be addressed.

p.6

Good

Young people spoke very highly of their home and of the staff. One young person commented that, ‘Out of all the children’s homes I have been to, this is one of the best.’ Another young person commented that, ‘The staff are fair and just… they genuinely listen to you.’

p.6

Good

Currently, only one young person is in full-time education. He is progressing well in his subjects and has excellent attendance. This is a great achievement, as previously he had not attended school for some time. This has allowed him to develop friendships with his peers and to build upon his social skills and confidence. However, two young people are currently not in full-time education. The staff and management have tirelessly challenged the necessary professionals to obtain young people’s full entitlement to education. This has resulted in one young person receiving tutoring at home. The other young person’s placing authority has not been as responsive. The manager continues to advocate on this young person’s behalf to ensure that she receives her entitlement. In the meantime, staff have supported this young person to complete AQA ( Assessment and Qualifications Alliance ) awards and e-learning within the home. This helps the

p.6

Good

young person to remain occupied and stimulated in order to support her transition back into education when the right placement is found.

p.6

Good

Young people’s health is promoted to a good standard. Staff support young people to attend medical appointments. This is an achievement for some young people who have previously refused to engage with medical professionals. Staff promote healthy eating and are thinking creatively to increase young people’s activity levels. Two young people smoke in the home. Staff provide education and have offered specialist support to reduce their smoking. However this has yet to be successful.

p.6

Good

The organisation provides access to psychotherapy using its service to support young people’s emotional health. No young people are currently accessing therapy directly. However, the in-house psychotherapist works closely with the members of the staff team to support them to reflect on their practice and gain a greater understanding of the work they carry out with young people. As a result, young people are becoming more resilient and developing greater self-esteem.

p.6

Good

Young people are meeting their targets, developing their skills and learning to consider and reflect on their actions in order to make more positive choices. The home’s self-development plans encourage young people and their staff to consider targets they would like to achieve. Staff successfully use the home’s reward scheme to provide incentives for young people to engage in their plan and achieve their goals.

p.7

Good

Young people are developing their independence skills. They are learning to cook and complete chores as well as taking more responsibility for themselves. One young person, who previously did not want to leave the home alone, is now accessing the community independently for short periods. Young people are also encouraged to do the budgeting for the weekly shop. This ensures that young people have the skills necessary for adult life.

p.7

Good

Since the previous inspection, three young people have left the home. Two young people’s placements ended after an escalation in their risk-taking or aggressive behaviours. Staff ensured that a detailed handover was provided to the young people’s new placements to aid successful transitions. Another young person initially returned home to her mother’s care after significantly reducing her missing behaviour. To aid the young person’s return home, staff provided outreach support to them to support a successful transition and provide consistency at a time of change.

p.7

Good

Young people take advantage of opportunities to try new things and to go to new places. This provides them with a sense of achievement and allows them to recognise the possibilities that lie ahead. Young people’s interests are promoted to a high standard. They participate in a range of activities at the home and in the local community, extending their social experiences and boosting their confidence.

p.7

Good

The new manager has introduced ‘progress meetings’ and ‘signs of safety meetings’. These have successfully brought the young people, parents and professionals around the child together to take collective responsibility for their plans of care and risk management strategies. This has resulted in improved communication between all parties and in improved relationships between young people and their parents.

p.7

Good

Young people spoken with say they get on well with each other and enjoy each other’s company. Staff complete detailed impact risk assessments to consider the needs of new admissions and the impact they may have on the group and vice versa. Each assessment outlines the actions staff will take to minimise these risks. The dynamics of the group are continually monitored and reviewed to ensure that placements remain appropriate.

p.7

Good

A culture of promoting young people’s choice is evident. Recently, young people have been involved effectively in the appearance of the home and garden. They have chosen the decor as well as put furniture together. Residents’ meetings are held regularly and young people’s views are actively sought and highly respected by staff. To ensure that young people feel valued for their contributions, the manager provides a written response to the points raised by each individual to ensure that young people feel listened to.

p.7

Good

Young people say that they feel safe living in the home. They complete individual work on personal safety, including designing posters and completing e-learning to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to keep themselves safe. Each young person has an individual and comprehensive risk assessment, from which strategies are developed to ensure that staff take the actions that are needed to protect young people. These risk assessments are regularly updated to ensure that risk management strategies remain current and effective.

p.8

Good

Staff are competent, vigilant and suitably trained in safeguarding procedures. They are consistently aware of young people’s specific vulnerabilities and take action to protect them. Any issues of a child protection nature are reported and investigated appropriately.

p.8

Good

Staff and managers have a good understanding of child sexual exploitation. Staff share intelligence and work proactively with other professionals, including the police. This helps all professionals involved to understand the risks and take collective responsibility for reviewing risk assessments to ensure that they are effective. As a result of staff’s actions, young people’s risk of exploitation has reduced since coming to the home.

p.8

Good

There have been two incidents of young people going missing since the previous inspection. This represents a significant reduction for young people over time. Staff have a good understanding of the reasons why young people went missing. They have ensured that there are comprehensive, individualised missing protocols in place, which inform staff how to respond effectively to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

p.8

Good

Managers have taken effective action to ensure that all young people receive a return home interview on their return to the home, which in turn informs the home’s strategies to reduce missing incidents. When a young person goes missing, staff are proactive and carry out enquiries and actively search for the young person in order to facilitate their safe return.

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Good

Staff promote positive behaviour through praise and celebrating young people’s achievements. Staff provide consistent responses to address challenging or risk- taking behaviour. A young person’s social worker commented, ‘Staff provide a consistent and effective response. (The young person) responds to boundaries, which she has never done before… she has made a lot of positive changes and I can now see her real potential.’ The manager keeps close oversight of behaviour management within the home and there is good communication between staff. As a result, young people develop positive behaviour. Young people have reduced their incidents of engaging in damaging behaviour. There has been only one physical intervention since the home’s interim inspection. Police have been called to the home on one occasion since the previous inspection, and this, too, represents a reduction. Conversations with the police and inspection of the home’s records

p.9

Good

evidence that staff take all appropriate actions to avoid the criminalisation of young people.

p.9

Good

The home’s environment is a safe one, with regular health and safety checks carried out. Regular fire evacuation drills are carried out, which help to prepare young people should an emergency occur. The home’s location review is detailed and has been completed in consultation with the local police. It clearly outlines how staff can reduce the risks presented by the local area.

p.9

Good

The required recruitment checks have not been completed to a high standard. This is because a full employment history is not always obtained, and the reasons for a prospective employee leaving their previous employment with vulnerable adults or children have not been verified. As a result, the service cannot be confident that it has carried out the required checks to safeguard children adequately.

p.9

Good

The new manager has been in post since July 2016. She has extensive experience in supporting young people in residential care. She has completed a level 3 qualification in caring for children and young people and has enrolled on a level 5 leadership and management qualification. The manager is yet to be registered with Ofsted. However, her application to register has been received.

p.9

Good

The manager is aspirational for the home. She is driven and determined to provide the best for young people. She is an effective advocate and continuously challenges other professionals to ensure that young people’s rights are promoted and that they receive the support and care they are entitled to.

p.9

Good

Leaders and managers have excellent relationships with their safeguarding partners. They are working with the police to develop a memorandum of understanding for information-sharing and shared responses to young people’s challenging behaviour and missing incidents. This is an excellent piece of practice, which has the potential to ensure that there is a consistent response from all parties when supporting young people, as well as benefiting other local children’s homes and police forces.

p.10

Good

The managers in the home are committed to open and transparent practice. Managers and staff continue to develop their relationships with other professionals and have allowed social workers remote access to the home’s online records regarding individuals they have placed. This ensures that social workers can be updated daily regarding young people’s well-being.

p.10

Good

The manager continues to develop an understanding of the strengths and shortfalls of the service. The home’s development plan outlines areas which need to improve and it is continually reviewed, demonstrating that the manager and her staff team are devoted to improving the service. An external visitor completes monthly reports, which contribute to maintaining improvement.

p.10

Good

The service’s statement of purpose sets out how the service provides and cares for children. This ensures that everyone involved, including external stakeholders, understands what the service’s aims and objectives are and what it intends to provide.

p.10

Good

A healthy staff environment is promoted and the staff feel supported. Supervisions are regular. The manager is committed to developing her staff. Staff have undertaken a range of training, including mandatory training in safeguarding, first aid, fire awareness, food hygiene and behaviour management. All staff who are required to have either completed their level 3 diploma or they are currently in the process of doing so. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to provide good care to children.

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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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

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

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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