Children's Home run by The Caldecott Foundation Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 1 SC466284 Registered provider: The Caldecott Foundation Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home can offer placements on a planned and an emergency basis. Staff work with children and young people who have a variety of needs and challenging behaviours. The registered manager post is currently vacant. A new manager has been appointed but is yet to submit her application to Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 16 to 17 September 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 19 September 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2018 Full Outstanding 30/10/2017 Full Outstanding 20/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— Understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(ix)(xii)) 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

leadership and management standard is that the registered son enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the dren’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b) and (2)(f)) 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that 31/10/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 4 individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(a)(b)(3)a)) The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; and the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. Regulation 35(3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(vii)) 31/10/2019

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Recommendations

 When considering whether restraint is warranted, staff in children’s homes need to take into account: the age and understanding of the child; the child’s previously sought views on strategies that they considered might de- escalate or calm a situation; the impact of the restraint on the carer’s future relationship with the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.55) This is with particular reference to management evaluation of restraint and ensuring that restraint minimisation strategies are put in place where appropriate.

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improvement to be good

This home requires improvement because there are shortfalls in the care being provided to one child living in the home. The three other children living in this home are, however, making very good progress in several areas of their lives. For one child, the care offered to him has failed to consistently and effectively meet his complex needs. Staff have not had the necessary skills to consider matters from the child’s point of view and have, at times, failed to provide him with the therapeutic and Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 5 nurturing care that he needs. This has sometimes resulted in his behaviours escalating. Other children in the home are very stable and settled. They have all been in the placement for a long period of time and report good experiences of living in the home. One child said, ‘I like living here. I know staff would help me if I had a problem because they are all really nice. Staff are kind and they do lots of activities with us.’

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improvement to be good

Management and staff explore creative ways of ensuring that children’s educational needs are fully met. All of the children living in the home are receiving alternative educational provision. Each child has a bespoke educational plan that is regularly reviewed and updated. Children’s attendance is excellent. Children’s health needs are fully met. Management and staff are strong advocates for children. This means that children have prompt access to any specialist health services that they need. Communication with other professionals is effective. As a result, any emerging or changing health needs are addressed quickly. Children are fully supported to share their views and opinions. Staff respect what they have to say. Children are encouraged to contribute to their own care plans so that they have a say about what happens to them. Children are also supported by staff to think about and write down their views prior to any care review meetings. This, alongside

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improvement to be good

frequent consultation with children and regular house meetings, ensures that children’s views are given careful consideration.

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improvement to be good

For one child, the use of physical intervention has increased over time. The effectiveness of restraint practice and wider behaviour management strategies has not been carefully evaluated. There has not been enough consideration of the particular vulnerabilities of this child. There has not been enough emphasis on developing a plan to reduce the number of physical interventions that take place. The recording of some physical interventions is unclear. It fails to fully outline the behaviour leading up to restraint incidents and does not clearly describe the de- escalation techniques that staff have used. Timings of physical intervention are also recorded incorrectly. This means that it is difficult for managers to properly scrutinise and evaluate restraint practice. Weak recording of physical intervention also makes it difficult for lessons to be learned from any mistakes that may have been made. Behaviour management strategies have not always taken proper account of a child’s

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improvement to be good

previous life experiences and early childhood trauma. For example, a child has been asked to wait in their bedroom when staff should have been engaged with them. The threat of sanctions has also been used during incidents. This lack of sensitivity does not promote good outcomes for this child. A discrepancy was found in pre-recruitment vetting checks for one member of staff. Although this has not resulted in harm, shortfalls in recruitment practices have the potential to allow unsuitable adults to work at the home. Despite these shortfalls, other children in the placement report feeling happy and safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 6 There has only been one incident of a child going missing since the last inspection. For one child, incidents of them going missing and self-harming have stopped completely. This is extremely significant given the child’s history. For another child, incidents have

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improvement to be good

dramatically reduced, and they have become extremely stable in the placement. A social worker said, ‘Over the last year they have flourished. They are doing amazingly well because of the hard work of staff. Staff have turned their behaviours around, they manage them superbly.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Over recent months, previously high standards of management have dropped. While there remain some aspects of very good management, shortfalls in care planning, behaviour management and restraint practice have not been addressed quickly enough. The registered manager has very recently left. The acting manager was the deputy manager of the home and therefore knows the children well. She is suitably qualified and very experienced. The acting manager is working hard to ensure that children are receiving the best quality of care. She has some good ideas about how the home needs to be developed and accepts the deficits that have been identified during the inspection. Working with senior managers, she has put a plan in place to address shortfalls and ensure that improvement takes place quickly. Following some incidents, debriefs with staff are ineffective. Debriefs have not been sufficiently thorough or challenging. This means that weakness has not been highlighted

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

and ineffective strategies have not been improved. Staff have not always received the support that they need to openly explore their practice. A number of new staff have started work at the home since the last inspection. This has not been beneficial in ensuring that children are able to form strong attachments to the adults who are caring for them. One child commented on how they found it difficult and unsettling when new staff arrived at the home. The acting manager has a detailed development plan in place. This sets out short- and longer-term goals for the home and services provided. A key focus of the plan relates to making improvements to the internal and external areas of the home. This is positive and will ensure that the home environment is a warm, welcoming place for children to live.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 7 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC466284 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Caldecott Foundation Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caldecott House, Hythe Road, Smeeth, Ashford, Kent TN25 6SP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Barnett

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Inspector

Davinia Lawton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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