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

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 Inspection brought to light a safeguarding shortfall in respect of one child. Staff failed to recognise and act effectively on the child’s allegation. Action taken did not proactively protect the child.  The home’s safeguarding policies do not provide staff with clear guidance on reporting child protection concerns and allegations. Policies lack clear timescales for reporting; a delay was noted in the reporting of allegations to the designated officer.  The home’s monitoring systems have failed to identify and address safeguarding shortfalls. These include the registered management monitoring, quality assurance monitoring and independent monitoring.

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The children’s home strengths:

 Children are happy and settled in this home. Their placements are stable and all children are making good progress.  Staff know, understand and work hard to meet children’s needs. Social workers praise the progress made by children.  The home and its extensive grounds provide a highly valued environment for children. Children’s views are integral to the development of the home, and they have recently guided the redevelopment of the gardens.  The home works proactively with other professionals and agencies to ensure that children receive all the support that they require.  Behaviour management strategies are thoughtful and individualised to meet children’s needs.

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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, 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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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must: (2)(iii) ensure that staff have the skills to identify and act on signs that a child is at risk of harm (2)(vi) ensure that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare (2)(vii) ensure that staff are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. 12/05/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must: (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home, particularly in respect of safeguarding practice. 12/05/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home’s safeguarding policies set out clear arrangements for referring child protection concerns to the placing authority, or local authority in which the home is situated if appropriate, including arrangements in relation to dealing with allegations involving staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to seven children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and operated by a registered charity.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

17/10/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

14/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Requires improvement

While the inspector acknowledges that children in this home have good experiences and make good progress overall, safeguarding shortfalls identified have significantly diminished the experience of one child, and have implications for the safety and welfare of all children. Despite the shortfalls identified, children like living in the home. They develop trusting relationships with staff and feel cared for, listened to and valued. The inspector observed a high standard of interaction between staff and children, with thoughtful staff providing appropriate warmth, nurture and care. A local authority social worker said, ‘Staff have the experience and ability to understand her and work together to meet her needs. She has really progressed.’ Another social worker said, ‘They have contained him, and he has made amazing progress.’ Staff understand and meet children’s educational needs. All children are making

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Requires improvement

good educational progress; their attendance is excellent. A social worker said, ‘They work well with the school and have weekly meetings.’ Another said, ‘He has made amazing progress and has just transitioned to mainstream school.’ Staff demonstrate ambition for children’s education. They support homework and take pride in children’s educational progress. All children have access to the health services that they need. As a result, their health improves. Generous in-house therapeutic provision ensures that children have access to therapeutic support without delay. In addition, qualified therapists contribute to children’s care and behaviour plans and provide consultation to staff regarding children’s care. For example, children receive clinical psychology assessments, specialist mental health support and additional educational support in accordance with their needs. Children receive the support that they require to engage in activities that they

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Requires improvement

enjoy. They participate in messy church, Guides, drama club, swimming lessons, charity events and an extensive range of day trips. A social worker said, ‘Staff show persistence and have enabled him to build relationships. He now goes to youth club and football. He still finds this difficult, but staff continue to support his interests.’ Visits by children’s friends to the home are commonplace. Children speak happily of the friendships that they have learned to develop and sustain. One child is working towards her first sleepover. This is a significant achievement. A culture of listening to children runs throughout the home. Children’s ideas and views are intrinsic to decision-making, and a children’s development plan formally records children’s wishes and feelings in planning for the home. Staff support and value advocacy. Children have access to advocates whenever needed, to represent their views. Overwhelmingly, children are at the centre of staff practice. Staff know, understand

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Requires improvement

and meet children’s needs. They celebrate children’s achievements and value children for who they are. In turn, children learn to value themselves.

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Requires improvement

Ineffective safeguarding practice has resulted in staff failing to recognise and report a child’s allegation. Furthermore, the child had not received appropriate support and reassurance in response to their allegation. Staff failed to maximise children’s safety and to recognise and provide emotional support to children who reported concerns. All staff undertake safeguarding training. However, identified failings mean that some staff lack a working knowledge of safeguarding required to keep children safe. Poor management monitoring in respect of staff safeguarding practice shows that managers have failed to identify and address shortfalls in staff practice and to provide additional staff safeguarding training as required. An unclear safeguarding policy lacks timescales for the reporting of safeguarding concerns and allegations. This has resulted in delay in the reporting of concerns to the designated officer, which fails to ensure the safety and welfare of children.

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Requires improvement

Despite the safeguarding shortfalls identified, all children can identify a trusted adult to talk to. Children know how to, and do, share their concerns with staff. Children appropriately use the home’s complaints procedure. Staff recruitment is thorough, and a comprehensive staff induction programme means that staff complete mandatory training without delay. Staff understand children’s individual vulnerabilities and risks; care plans and risk assessments appropriately identify risks and provide staff with guidance to address known risks. Risk assessments are enabling, allowing children to develop their skills and independence safely. Behaviour management is highly successful. Staff understand children’s behavioural triggers; they demonstrate exceptional de-escalation skills and behaviour management techniques. There is a positive, consistent culture in the home, and children understand and respond to the routines in place. They learn to understand

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Requires improvement

and manage their emotional responses, and their behaviour improves. One child said, ‘I used to get held a lot. Now staff don’t need to hold me. I’ve got better.’ Staff training in respect of online safety is proactive. This is accompanied by individualised training for children, covering internet safety and child sexual exploitation awareness. Children demonstrate a clear understanding of online safety and are confident to speak to staff about their online safety concerns. The registered manager has excellent working relationships with the local police service. Police visit the home, undertake induction training in the home and provide advice and support to children. The manager also has proactive links with her Local Safeguarding Children Board that equips staff with specialised safeguarding training. The home environment is safe and secure, and health and safety checks and practice are meticulous. This provides a safe environment for everyone.

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Requires improvement

An experienced and qualified manager leads this home. She has been registered with Ofsted for three years. Her dedication and child-centred decision-making set the culture of the home. Inspection highlighted significant monitoring shortfalls in respect of safeguarding practice. Staff failed to recognise and effectively act on one allegation, following this up as a complaint rather than reporting the allegation. There were delays in reporting another notifiable incident to the designated officer. Monitoring at all levels, including registered manager monitoring, quality assurance monitoring and independent external monitoring, failed to identify and rectify this erroneous practice. This has direct implications for the safety and welfare of all children. A stable, well-trained and qualified staff team provides care for children. The staff members’ training reflects children’s needs and means that staff are skilled and

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Requires improvement

experienced in providing care. In addition, staff receive regular opportunities for reflection, facilitated by a clinical psychologist, to focus on practice that meets children’s specialist requirements. All staff receive effective supervision. This offers staff both support and professional challenge, enabling them to explore and develop their practice. A member of staff said, ‘Supervision is brilliant; I’ve developed so much in my job and the way I think about things. My supervisor picks up on issues and supports me in my role.’ Staff display a culture of wanting to develop and learn to provide best care to children. The home works proactively with other professionals and agencies, ensuring that children receive all the support that they require. Specialist provision for children includes clinical psychology assessment, individual therapy sessions and educational assessment and support. Professionals comment positively on their

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Requires improvement

work with the home. A teacher said, ‘Communication is excellent. We have handovers at lunchtime and after school and we use a communication folder. Staff attend meetings and are willing to come into school to support challenging behaviour.’ The registered manager generally has effective systems to record and monitor children’s progress. When children are not making expected progress, she challenges plans in place and ensures that decision-making is in children’s best interests. Careful matching procedures underpin new placements. These consider the needs of the referred child and those already in placement. Thoughtful matching and moves promote a stable environment for all 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 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 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

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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