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

Inspection report children’s home: SC054468 1 SC054468 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 home is privately owned by a company which operates several children’s homes in the area. The home is registered to accommodate a maximum of three young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since September 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC054468 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2019 Full Outstanding 06/03/2018 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC054468 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5(d))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to one incident that was not reported to a child’s social worker. 01/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, clarify the circumstances when sleeping-in staff can be used, considering the children’s needs. 01/04/2020

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Recommendations

 Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59) Inspection report children’s home: SC054468 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Leaders and managers have high aspirations for the children. They and the staff are passionate and proud of them and celebrate their achievements at every opportunity. Children become successful and proud of themselves in this positive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children benefit from the high level of care and attention provided by the staff. Consequently, the children have developed trusting relationships, from which they feel comfortable to explore their past experiences. One child has begun to make difficult disclosures. This child’s social worker attributes this breakthrough to the child’s secure relationships with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children are making significant progress. They are achieving outcomes they previously struggled to attain. For example, one child has learned to manage feelings of conflict and attributes this to the strategies that the staff have taught him. Another child is able to socialise where previously he isolated himself. Another child has developed his interest in lighting displays and presents his skills at the organisation’s events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The environment is homely and kept to a high standard. The children take pride in their home and rarely damage communal areas. A log cabin is used as an additional ‘chill-out’ space. This is successful in providing an additional space for the children to have individual time with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff see the children’s education as a priority and place high value on the children’s academic achievements. All of the children are doing exceptionally well. Two children, who previously had not attended schools for over a year, have reintegrated into their respective schools and have been transferred to more academic classes. Another child is reported to be making excellent progress at college and work experience, where he thrives. The staff have facilitated mock interviews and are fully supporting his aim to gain a part-time job.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The organisation invests in the children and their emotional well-being. One child has recently expressed that he wants to access therapy. This is being sourced privately for him, funded by the organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Leaders and managers work closely with the local child and adolescent mental health services and external professionals to support a child’s wish to build his relationship with his parent. A well-planned independence programme and close working with this child’s parent support this plan.

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

Leaders and managers attend the local safeguarding board meetings to champion the experience of children in care. They work positively with the local police force which consults with them, recognising their excellent practice. Staff maintain positive links with Inspection report children’s home: SC054468 5 the local police community support officer, who educates the children in relation to the law.

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

Leaders and managers have high expectations of the quality of staff practice. Any deviation from this is swiftly dealt with and learning points addressed. The manager leads a team of staff that is focused on children’s safety. All staff meetings and supervisions include safeguarding issues. Regular upskilling workshops reinforce safe practice.

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

The staff’s direct work with the children is regular and informative. The staff educate children on how to keep themselves safe. The staff are not afraid to discuss sensitive issues or to constructively challenge the children’s thinking. As a result, the children feel able to share their worries or concerns openly.

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

The staff’s use of physical interventions has significantly reduced. All incidents are well recorded. Children discuss the incidents with someone not involved to help them to reflect on the experience. All incidents are independently scrutinised to ensure that the intervention was necessary. One example was noted by the inspector, where a review of the technique that was not successful for one child is recommended.

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

The home is extremely well maintained and provides a safe environment. Health and safety checks and procedures are of a high standard. All actions from fire assessments are completed well within the timescales set.

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

All of the children have personal emergency evacuation plans in place, which describe any issues that the staff need to be aware of to safely evacuate the children. The local fire service officers visit the home to reinforce fire safety messages. Regular fire drills, including at night, are undertaken. Consequently, the staff and the children are very well versed on what to do in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children and the staff team have benefited from continuity and management succession planning. The previous deputy manager has been promoted and is awaiting a fit person interview with Ofsted. This seamless transition into the manager role has maintained the previously achieved standards of high-quality care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers demonstrate a child-centred approach to the running of the home. This is complemented by the child-centred approach to staff training. Staff are trained in the playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy (PACE) parenting model, which they demonstrate in their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers involve the children in a wide range of social opportunities. The children’s council meetings are facilitated by staff but led by the children. The children are encouraged to raise money for the community and national charities. An organisational newsletter and shared events between the homes provide the children with a very real sense of belonging to the organisation. Inspection report children’s home: SC054468 6 The manager ensures that the staff receive regular and effective supervision. She monitors the quality of all supervision meetings to ensure that these are child-centred, supportive to staff and cover the impact of their role on the children. The staff spoken to were positive about the skills of the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Comprehensive and informative risk assessments inform staff about the actions to take to protect the children from harm. However, some risks in relation to individual children were not detailed in the staff’s sleeping-in guidance. Although the children were not deemed to be at risk because of this administrative shortfall, leaders and managers gave an undertaking to rectify it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff’s communication with carers and professionals is generally good. Leaders and managers advocate for the children to ensure that they access the necessary services. A social worker reported, ‘The working relationship with [the parent] has been critical to making this placement successful.’ She also reported good communication with herself and the provision of thorough and detailed reports. However, there was one occasion when a threat was made by one child towards another child. Although the child was not at risk of harm, this information was not shared with the child’s social worker.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The careful recruitment and induction of staff, with mentoring and review of their skills, helps leaders and managers to prevent unsuitable people from working with the children.

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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: SC054468 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

Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC054468 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 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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