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

Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 1 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 to care for up to seven children and is owned and managed by a private organisation. The home cares for children who have a range of learning disabilities. The home is situated over two adjoining properties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited the setting on 20 January 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2019 Full Good 18/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2018 Full Outstanding 07/12/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide excellent child-centred care. They have the knowledge and the skills to provide children with positive experiences. Risks to children are understood, and children receive individualised care that is responsive to their needs. As a result, children are making excellent progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use their expertise and knowledge about children’s specific communication needs to help them respond to children appropriately. They understand the importance of listening, involving and addressing issues raised by children. Staff are skilful in using different communication methods, such as Pictures Exchange Communication System (PECS), and written and verbal communication to hear children’s views, wishes and feelings. This enables staff to achieve their aspiration for all children to participate in the running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Excellent attention is given to ensuring that children are well matched to the home. Staff complete thorough assessments and pay careful consideration to the needs of both existing and new children. They make effective use of a child-friendly transition plan to accurately capture children’s needs. Children’s parents and carers are fully involved in the introductions to the home. This helps them to share information and to keep children’s needs at the forefront. One social worker commented, ‘The move to the home was articulately planned with mum and child involved.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff have an exceptionally positive working relationship with families and social workers. One social worker described the staff as ‘patient and caring individuals’ who have excellent relationships with parents. Some parents spoken to during the inspection confirmed this view. One parent said, ‘My child is so lucky to be cared for by such loving people; they have not only supported him, but they have supported us as a family too.’ This positive support has been instrumental in children making significant progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a well-maintained home. Staff ensure that there is a homely feel throughout, with photographs of children, staff and families displayed on the walls. The children’s bedrooms are decorated and take into account their tastes and interests and meet their sensory needs. The environment within the home has been specifically adapted to meet the needs of children. Suitably decorated sensory rooms and a lounge area are available for children to relax and to play in and to enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to an extensive range of age-appropriate games, toys and other activities. They enjoy playing in the garden and can take part in planting fruit and vegetables. One child said to the inspector, ‘I love playing in the garden, that’s the bit that is better than being back home.’ This helps children to try new things and to develop their skills and interests. Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 4 Children’s health needs are prioritised. Staff understand children’s medical histories and current conditions. They provide children with emotional and psychological help using the PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) model of care. All children have individual risk assessments that respond to their health needs. Staff use these thoughtfully to measure children’s progress. Children have access to external medical support from doctors, and Children and Mental Health Services

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

(CAMHS), and they also enjoy dog therapy. One parent told the inspector, ‘My child has very high complex needs and can be very impulsive, but staff know how to safely calm him down.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have, on occasion, needed to report concerns over the administration of medicines. The manager has implemented new procedures and ensured that staff have received additional training. However, oversight is not consistently effective to ensure that children always receive their medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of experiences. Staff support children to participate in a range of activities in their community and in other areas. This includes visits to the local trampoline, cinema and bowling arena, and local farms, seaside day trips and theme parks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and the leaders demonstrate high aspirations for the children to achieve. Dynamic independence plans are used to help children achieve goals to develop independence skills. Short training courses have been successful in achieving positive outcomes. As a result, children feel empowered and supported by staff to take the next steps in their independence and to continue to do well.

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

Staff and managers produce high-quality risk assessments. Training and guidance give staff clear processes to reduce risks for individual children. For example, training has resulted in staff managing children’s behaviour without the use of physical interventions. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the use of restraint.

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

Safeguarding processes are well managed. Children do not go missing from the home. Staff have clear protocols to respond to children at risk of going missing. The registered manager ensures that any safeguarding issues are responded to promptly. There is effective and timely communication with social workers, and staff work well with other agencies to keep children safe.

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

The home provides a safe environment for children. Fire risk assessments are clear and detailed, and regular fire alarm testing takes place. However, not all risks to children were identified. For example, an old trampoline in the garden presented a hazard to children, although staff made this area safe once it was identified during the inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 5 Children benefit from the consistent care provided by staff and managers. When children have emotional difficulties, staff respond compassionately and consistently, and staff update risk assessments. Leaders take appropriate action to ensure further support is available. For example, the manager has increased staffing ratios to provide additional support to children, when needed. This creative approach helps children settle and keeps them safe.

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

Leaders carefully recruit and select staff to prevent unsuitable people from working with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new manager has been appointed to the home and is applying for registration with Ofsted. She is providing strong leadership to the staff and ensures that staff understand the aims and objectives of the home. She has made extensive changes to procedures in the home which have improved the care of children. New processes have been implemented to address shortfalls in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision to support staff to improve their skills. A workforce development plan has been implemented which includes comprehensive training and development to ensure clear succession planning for staff. Training has been identified to respond to the changing needs of children, and as a result, staff are confident in responding to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff are supported well. Staff complete all their mandatory training and the induction programme during their first six months in post. Training has been prioritised to help new staff meet children’s needs. For example, staff have received training in managing and reporting allegations, and in epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder. This helps staff respond to children in a consistent manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides regular and supportive supervision to staff, which enables staff to develop as they reflect on their experiences of supporting children. The manager also uses supervision as an effective tool for professional development, which feeds into the wider appraisal and internal progression system. As a result, staff feel listened to, appreciated and fully part of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have high standards for the quality of care provided, and children reach their potential. They regularly review children’s plans to ensure that achievable targets are set and that children make progress. Partnership work is strong, and staff work well with other agencies to ensure children’s needs are met. Parents told inspectors that information is shared appropriately, and they are positive about the care their children receive. One social worker expressed concern that information is not always shared in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes equality, diversity and inclusion effectively. Clear plans help staff to challenge any discriminatory language from children and their families and the wider community. There is a positive culture within the home which seeks to celebrate and to learn from children with different cultural backgrounds. Managers Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 6 promote children’s choices and an acceptance of self-identity. Every child’s opinion is valued, and this helps children feel included. Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 7

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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 standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that the children’s play area can be accessed safely. This specifically relates to the trampoline and the garden play area which presented a hazard to children. 31 August 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ‘seek to involve’ the placing authority that places a child in the home, which in practice means working primarily with their statutory social worker. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.5)  The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 8

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1250902 9

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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: Advantage, 87 Castle Street, Reading, Berkshire RG1 7SN

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Inspector

Alphie Khumalo, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1250902 10 to 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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