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

Inspection report children’s home: SC064081 1 SC064081 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 home provides care, accommodation and education for up to seven children. It is part of a charity that has other homes and a school in the local area.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2014.

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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 outstanding

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2019

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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: SC064081 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2019 Full Outstanding 26/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/10/2017 Full Outstanding 27/03/2017 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC064081 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children thrive while living in the home. They make exceptional progress from their extremely challenging starting points. Staff provide unwavering care and support in a warm, nurturing environment. Children develop emotionally, and learn to feel safe and cared for, often for the first time. Children gain confidence and resilience through making mistakes, and knowing that staff will forgive and continue to support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children moving into the home are thoroughly supported throughout the process. Staff link with the placing authorities, and provide a tailored induction for the child, with links to the therapy team to ensure that all plans are in place prior to the child moving in. Thoughtful touches such as a transitional teddy bear for a new child help make the moves go smoothly. Those who have moved on to independence maintain contact with staff in the home, with one young person coming for Christmas dinner, which they, and the children living in the home, really enjoyed, saying that it was like having their extended family to visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s views and wishes are listened to on all aspects of their lives. Children are actively encouraged to be part of formulating their care plans, and their goals and targets. Staff celebrate successes, no matter how small, and recognise each as a milestone for the child. Of particular note is the number of community-based activities children are involved in, and the continued support from staff to ensure that children are brave enough to try new things, and then maintain attendance and their new friendships. As a result, children have been involved in dance shows and Scouts camping trips, to name a few.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children all attend school. Joint working and close liaison with the organisation’s school, and other schools the children attend, support the children’s continued success. Staff regularly support children in the classroom and provide guidance to school staff on how best to form, develop and maintain relationships with the children. This has undoubtedly led to the successful placements in many local mainstream schools.

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

Children are comfortable and confident in their surroundings. They all have staff they would go to if they were worried or upset. Staff have an acute awareness of children’s vulnerabilities, and do all they can to them safe. Staff are highly knowledgeable in their role in the safeguarding process, and records show how children have been protected swiftly should they make a disclosure or allegation.

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

Safeguarding and child protection concerns are all taken seriously, even when it is known that the incident is unlikely to have happened. Records are clear and show that concerns are referred swiftly to partner agencies. They do not always record the time the information became available, meaning that information gained across the same day Inspection report children’s home: SC064081 4 cannot easily be put in chronological order. The registered manager is continually seeking to improve safeguarding practice, and is open to challenge. As a result, processes are continually being reviewed and strengthened.

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

Staff support and guide children effectively when they are struggling to express how they are feeling. Staff recognise that they are supporting children through their extremely distressing processing of their abuse and history, and are skilled at recognising this form of communication. They recognise behaviour as communication and reflect with children what they are trying to convey. Staff adapt their responses to the needs of each child, and although there is a recognised behaviour management strategy used within the home, responses to individuals are constantly reviewed and adapted, supported by focused discussions with the home’s therapist.

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

Children are protected through safer recruitment practice. However, one reference for a new applicant had not been verified prior to the person starting work in the children’s home. This was not risk-assessed. The registered manager immediately contacted human resources and this was confirmed as completed the following day. There was little risk to children as the member of staff was on induction and had not had unsupervised contact with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed extremely effectively by the skilled and experienced registered manager. In addition, there are three knowledgeable deputy managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers in the home and wider organisation are continually seeking to improve the quality of care provided and the experiences of children. They are not complacent and recognise that they can always do more. They are open to scrutiny and challenge and welcome any guidance or ideas. The reports produced by the independent visitor have improved and provide greater scrutiny of records and practices. In addition, the manager’s reviews and evaluations are clear and provide a basis for development within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is confident in challenging partner agencies who they do not feel are acting in the child’s best interest. They also reflect on how they have liaised with partner agencies to ensure that it has led to the best outcomes for children placed. Staff feel well supported by the management team. They say that they can approach members of the management team at any time, and that it is a genuinely open and supportive working environment. Staff are able to learn from when interactions and responses are successful, and are free to talk about this in supervisions, where they do not feel judged. Children are fully engaged in the appraisal process, sharing their views on staff skills and qualities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Reflective practice is key to the running of the home, and staff eagerly engage in mindfulness sessions with the home’s therapist. They seek to understand their impact on the children, but also how they can best continue to develop their relationships to meet the children’s changing needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC064081 5

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

Specifically, ensure that all checks are complete prior to a member of staff working in the home.

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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: SC064081 6

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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

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC064081 7 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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