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

Inspection report children’s home: SC417250 1 SC417250 Registered provider: Calcot Services for Children Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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 statement of purpose specifies that the home caters for young people who may have a range of emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager has been registered since January 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 29 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC417250 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2017 Full Good 08/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/09/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC417250 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The protection of children standard 12.—(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments cover all known risks and are updated after incidents. 12/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must implement a policy which provides for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(d)) 12/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff training is updated as required. 12/10/2018

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC417250 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful matching processes ensure that young people are well placed in the home. Young people are warmly welcomed and settle quickly into life in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people develop very strong and trusting relationships with staff and work well with them. As a result, young people thrive in many areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people are making good progress in their attendance and attainment in education. One young person’s recent GCSE results are especially impressive. All the young people have developed high aspirations for their futures and are working hard to achieve their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people take part in an impressive range of activities and as a result, they have learned new skills, developed new interests, had fun with staff and each other and made new friendships with peers in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s self-esteem and confidence have grown, and they have developed skills in championing theirs and others’ rights as children in care. For example, one young person is an active member of the organisation’s children’s council. He, along with other young people, has taken part in the production of a music video that challenges negative attitudes to young people in care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s health has improved because staff have made sure that they have the healthcare that they need. Young people are also learning how to live more healthy lifestyles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are developing their practical skills and emotional resilience. This will help them to successfully live independently. A parent commented how pleased she was to see how well her child is maturing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people trust staff and confide in them. Young people have begun to understand how some of the things that they do put them at risk. As a result, they have reduced the frequency that they go missing or self-harm.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Some young people have fully embraced the work that staff do with them about keeping safe. For example, one young person has reflected on her experiences. She has researched and developed an impressive internet safety notice board. This provides useful information and advice to other young people about how to keep safe online.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Risk assessments underpinning young people’s care are not always reviewed following Inspection report children’s home: SC417250 5 incidents. Additionally, despite an incident involving unsecured medicines, there was no consideration in the risk management plan developed about how to keep young people safe from medicines that visitors have brought into the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Positive behaviour is promoted through the effective use of de-escalation techniques and firm, clear and consistently applied boundaries. Young people learn how to manage their behaviour more effectively. Young people have begun to take responsibility for their actions.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding concerns are taken seriously and action is taken to ensure that children are safe. However, the details of an investigation and the conclusions reached are not documented in some cases.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager, and her management team, manage the home well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have good working relationships with other professionals and parents. Staff are good advocates for the young people. They escalate any concerns that they have about a young person’s care planning. A social worker said that the more structured environment that the new manager has introduced is benefiting the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although the staff team is new, good-quality care continues to be provided to young people. The individual staff members are child-focused and bring a high level of commitment and passion to their roles. A social worker said that she would not hesitate to place another child in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported by the management team through formal, and informal, supervision. Training opportunities are good, but some staff say that their training in some areas is out of date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are kept confidentially. Some record-keeping is too subjective because it includes staff opinion. This may not be helpful to the young person should they wish to read their file. Inspection report children’s home: SC417250 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC417250 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Calcot Services for Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Brewery Court, Theale, Reading, Berkshire RG7 5AJ

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Inspector

Rosie Dancer: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC417250 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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