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 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 cares for up to seven children who have social or emotional difficulties. The home can accommodate children on a planned and an emergency basis. Three children currently live in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is comprised of two separate buildings on the same site. The main house accommodates up to five children and a small cottage can accommodate up to two children.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, 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 this setting on 20 October 2020 to carry out an assurance 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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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: 16 September 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 2 Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/09/2018 Full Outstanding 30/10/2017 Full Outstanding 20/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 4

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outstanding

All three children are making exceptional progress having lived in the home for several years. They each have strong, supportive relationships with staff who they trust. The consistency and stability of placements mean that children feel settled and secure.

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outstanding

Children are visibly relaxed in their home. They are encouraged to wear slippers and comfortable clothes such as onesies around the house. This creates a calm atmosphere that particularly helps children who have had challenging or unsettling experiences outside the home. Children enjoy playful and happy interactions with staff. One child described the staff as ‘amazing people’.

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outstanding

Children grow in confidence as they learn new skills and develop new interests. They are active members of local clubs and community groups. Staff encourage them to take part in a variety of community activities, including volunteering with charities. Staff help children to develop their talents. For example, one child is a talented cook, so they have made a recipe book containing all the meals that she has created. They also helped her to bake a cake that was awarded first prize in her school’s ‘bake off’ competition.

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outstanding

Children have made excellent progress in their education. They have bespoke packages of education that fully meet their needs and enable them to achieve their objectives, including passing examinations. Children are welcomed home from school enthusiastically. Staff make time for children to talk about their day. Any success is celebrated. This approach motivates children to do well at school. Children were awarded prizes by their schools last year in recognition of their achievements.

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outstanding

Staff provide very good support to children as they move into adulthood. For example, one child has recently moved into the small cottage so that he can begin the transition to independent living. He is being helped to learn new skills and take responsibility for himself while maintaining his relationships with the staff who he knows and trusts. This tailored support has helped him to overcome anxieties and feel more confident about the future.

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outstanding

The home is decorated, maintained and furnished to a very high standard. It is a warm and welcoming environment for children to live. A recent refurbishment of the kitchen and conservatory has further enhanced the home. Staff take particular care to ensure that children’s bedrooms reflect each child’s tastes and preferences. This ensures that children feel valued and can take pride in their home. Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 5 Staff minimised the impact of COVID-19 restrictions well. They made good use of the home’s extensive grounds to ensure that children were occupied and had access to constructive, stimulating activities during the national lockdowns. One child continued to attend the organisation’s own school, which is on the same site as the home. Staff were able to adapt the other children’s education programme so that they continued to engage with education and make progress.

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outstanding

The home’s therapeutic approach is reflected in staff practice. Staff know the children very well and are quick to recognise any changes in mood or demeanour. Incidents have been rare. When incidents have occurred, the culture of reflective practice in the staff group means that areas of potential improvement are quickly identified and lessons are learned. Staff and managers quickly adapt and improve behaviour management strategies after each incident.

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outstanding

A very successful reward and incentive system is now in place. Children with entrenched patterns of challenging behaviour have modified their behaviours in response to the reward system. This significantly improves their life chances because they now have better social skills and can interact more successfully in the community. Sanctions are rarely required because the positive approach of staff is so effective.

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outstanding

Staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They are confident to report any concerns they may have. They are skilled at providing support to children who have experienced early childhood trauma. Staff have responded very well when children have shared information of concern. This ensured that prompt and effective actions were taken by safeguarding agencies.

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outstanding

Risk management strategies are very effective. Each child has specific plans which take account of their particular vulnerabilities. As a result, staff know how to protect the children and act proactively to minimise risk. Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do, staff act quickly to minimise risk and ensure that they return quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a confident and experienced registered manager who is passionate about her role. She is well supported by her own manager and by her recently appointed deputy. The registered manager has a good understanding of the home’s main challenges, particularly the recruitment and retention of high-quality staff. She has taken action to reduce staff turnover and to stabilise the staff team. While she has taken this action, she has not admitted new children. The registered manager is determined to provide the children with the best possible care, saying, ‘I will not do anything to unsettle these children, and my managers support this.’ The Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 6 decision to restrict new admissions to the home has enabled high-quality care to be delivered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager leads a culture of high aspiration and high expectation. She ensures that the wishes of children are taken into account in all decision-making processes. She makes sure that the views of each child are shared during statutory reviews. Children are encouraged to suggest alternative approaches that they consider more helpful. The registered manager has improved the home’s development plan by consulting with children and supporting them to set their own priorities for the home. She also seeks children’s views as part of staff appraisal processes and takes these suggestions into account when setting targets for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings are used well to share information about children’s emerging needs and to develop strategies to support children. Managers review the effectiveness of these strategies and update staff at subsequent meetings. This ensures that staff are fully involved in decision-making and can share their expertise. A qualified therapist joins each staff meeting to offer support and guidance to staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff training is very good. All staff are trained to a high level to meet the needs of each child. When new needs emerge, such as a diagnosed health condition, staff are quickly provided with additional training. Staff are offered good development opportunities within the home and the wider organisation. They value the opportunities that they have to take on additional responsibilities and learn new skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Management oversight is very effective. The registered manager carefully monitors each child’s progress and the effectiveness of their care plans. She welcomes feedback from the home’s independent visitor and acts quickly on any recommendations made by the visitor. She ensures that the culture of the home is open and reflective. The home’s qualified therapist also supports staff to reflect on their practice and to continually improve their relationships with children. Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 7

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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: 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

Philip Cass, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC466284 9 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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