Children's home run by Calcot Services for Children Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2506232 1 Registered provider: Calcot Services For Children 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

The statement of purpose for this home describes it as a crisis and assessment centre. The home provides short-term specialist support and assessment for children with social, emotional and mental health needs, with the aim of enabling them to progress to long-term placements.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened on 13 February 2019.

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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: This is a newly registered children’s home.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2506232 2

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that repairs in the home are quickly undertaken. 30/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 30/11/2019

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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 individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the 30/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2506232 3 requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that an assessment of suitability for a role is recorded on employee recruitment files, where relevant.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff are provided with specific training, to meet children’s needs. 30/11/2019

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a welcoming environment for children and has extensive outdoor space to explore. Children benefit from caring for the animals which have been gradually introduced since the home opened. Interaction with the animals is part of the therapeutic approach used in the home which all children have benefited from while staying there. Children enjoy spending time with the animals and are confident in looking after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual needs are well understood by the adults who care for them. The adults are committed and child-centred in how they engage with children. Although there have been a number of changes in the staff team since the home opened, this has not had a negative impact on the continuity of care children have received. The introduction of the therapeutic model of care has helped the staff to understand children’s emotional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Assessments completed by the adults who care for the children are appropriately detailed. Social workers shared positive feedback about the care children received. They also spoke about how the home’s assessments have help to inform plans for children moving on from the home. Importantly, children have been helped by the adults to move Inspection report children’s home: 2506232 4 on to long-term homes as planned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is well supported by the adults in the home. Through effective working with the organisation’s in-house school, children have bespoke learning plans in place. These include one-to-one tuition using outdoor education to engage children in their learning. The adults help children to develop a wide range of skills, including completing relevant vocational qualifications in animal care and outdoor skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults work well with health services to effectively meet the individual physical and emotional health needs of children. Children’s emotional well-being is further supported by the adults actively promoting children spending time their family. Adults support family members to visit children in the home where this is possible.

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

The adults have a good understanding of how to keep children safe. Comprehensive risk management plans are in place. As result of the adults’ good knowledge of contextualised safeguarding, they have worked well with police to help safeguard children when they have gone missing from the home. Overall, there are clear group plans in place for the adults to help all children to live together safely in the home. The most recent guidance provided to the adults did not completely reflect what was happening in practice. However, this did not have a negative impact on how well adults kept children safe.

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

Children’s presenting behaviours are understood as a form of communication by the adults. They help the children to understand what they are communicating through their behaviour. The therapeutic model of care helps adults empathetically respond to the children’s behaviours. When there has been a need for adults to hold children to keep them safe, this has been appropriately reflected on. Children’s views are appropriately sought by the adults following a hold, and this has resulted in alternative approaches being found. For one child, there was a significant decrease in the number of holds needed to keep them safe. This had a positive effect on the long-term plans for them moving on from the home.

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

Safer recruitment practice has been followed for adults working at the home. When consideration has been needed in relation to the suitability of the role, appropriate discussions with new adults have been undertaken at the recruitment stage. However, this has not been consistently recorded. This is important in the context of the turnover of adults working in the home. However, a review, conducted by the registered manager, of the turnover of adults showed no direct links to recruitment practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed and passionate. They have a clear vision for the Inspection report children’s home: 2506232 5 home which includes continued development of the home’s therapeutic approach. The registered manager is supported by an equally passionate deputy manager. The deputy manager is being enabled to progress to the role of the new home manager. There is a comprehensive transition plan in place to ensure continuity in the management of the home and the quality of care provided. The responsible individual shares the vision for the home and actively supports the management team to put this vision into practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children have been supported by the adults to access the home’s complaints process. The registered manager has thoroughly investigated the small number of complaints and responded effectively to these. Where these have included allegations in relation to adults, the registered manager has responded appropriately. This has included the registered manager seeking advice from the designated officer to ensure an effective response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Adults are supported in their role through a comprehensive induction and training programme. However, this did not include training for adults in relation to understanding deprivation of liberty orders. This was important due to the needs of the children and how this informed their individual care plans. Where these were not followed, the registered manager appropriately undertook disciplinary procedures and there was no detriment to children. Training in deprivation of liberty safeguards has since been arranged for all adults. This was discussed with adults in their individual supervision, providing clear expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home environment is well maintained, although there have been occasional delays in maintenance issues being addressed. These delays have not had an impact on children, due to the maintenance issues not relating to shared areas of the home. Adults enjoy working in the home and share the values of the leadership team. They feel supported to work in a child-centred way and enabled to put their ideas into practice. Children and adults have both contributed to the development of the home. This includes further plans to develop the therapeutic use of the outdoor space to support children. Adults are being supported in developing their skills and knowledge in this area, through ongoing specialist training.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 2506232 6 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: 2506232 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

Maria Lonergan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2506232 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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