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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . The service has met all three requirements set at the last inspection. Consequently: (i) The home’s practice now draws on the strategies required to help any child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging relationship. The home’s assessments and records also detail information which supports work with other agencies to minimise this risk. (ii) When staff leave the employment of the home, they now routinely provide handovers specific to their key-working positions to the registered manager to ensure that relevant information is recorded and clearly documented. This ensures that the young person has a record and that the new key worker has all the necessary knowledge. (iii) The whole organisation has reviewed the supervision format, and the home

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

now documents evaluative supervision records. These evidence that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. The registered manager has met one of the three recommendations set at the last inspection. For another, there has been insufficient practical opportunity to do so: (i) Staff now understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. Staff set pieces of educational work for the young person resident and have taken the young person on frequent educational visits. They are now more aware whether young people are progressing at school in line with their learning objectives. Staff have a clear knowledge of their young people’s educational achievements. (ii) The manager has not developed any e-resources (for example, a Facebook account) to keep in touch with young people when they are away from the home or after they have left. They do use a dedicated mobile phone to enable exchange

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

of messages. (iii) The home’s location risk assessment has been updated and includes relevant information about individual children. It remains under review, but it does not yet include sufficient information about the locations that young people go to or identify any risks and strategies to minimise any potential concerns. Since the last inspection, one young person remains living in the home, with one young person having been moved to a different children’s home and two others moving on to live independently. Staff go over and above in assisting and visiting (sometimes weekly) the young people who have moved on to independence. Young people are encouraged to make healthy eating choices. When cooking for himself, the young person was observed to prepare plenty of vegetables. Young people are supported with their emotional health, and staff encourage them to develop an awareness of their feelings. Young people engage in therapy.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Consultant psychotherapists provide direct therapy for young people and also provide training and support for staff, with the aim of embedding consistent care. Staff members undertake frequent and effective key-working sessions. The records of these demonstrate the young person’s journey and progress. Staff have built effective and robust relationships with the young people. These are viewed positively by young people, who value the home and recognise their own progress. The staff have a good understanding of the young people’s needs. They can recognise when the young people are in distress and upset. Young people talk of the positive relationships that they have with staff. One young person stated, ‘I like going on drives with the staff. I like them and I have four favourites.’ A calm and measured approach is adopted to successfully defuse incidents. This has led to a significant reduction in staff having to use physical restraint for one young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people learn to take responsibility and want to make right their actions. Open communication between young people and staff takes place informally every day and during key-working sessions and group meetings. However, the young people are requesting the use of e-resources, which the home needs to respond to more quickly to ensure that consultation and communication are accessible to young people who relate to the digital world. The home provides a safe environment for children who have experienced unpredictable and unsafe situations in their past. Through close supervision by thoughtful staff, young people develop a sense of safety, protection and trust in the adults who care for them. Team meetings frequently discuss case scenarios as well as looking at individual policies and their implementation. For example, the most recent meeting considered the issue of forced marriage. Arrangements for recruiting staff are safe and effective.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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 the 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. The relationships are very positive and they like to talk to him.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

22/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

16/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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 within the given timescales.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 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, 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, review the location risk assessment to expand the assessment of the local area and the places where children go, as well as the local child sexual exploitation knowledge. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 15.1)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors 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. Whenever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors 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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 0300 123 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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