Children's Home run by The Caldecott Foundation Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1244117 1 Registered provider: Caldecott Foundation Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to five children who have social and emotional difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a charitable organisation.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager who has been in post since August 2019.

p.1

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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1244117 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/05/2018 Full Good 19/12/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1244117 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home. They have developed positive and trusting relationships with staff. They seem happy and enjoy time with staff and other children. The home is comfortable and well maintained. It provides a safe and homely feel. The children choose the decoration for both the communal areas and their bedrooms. As a result, the children see this as their home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress with their education. Each child is attending a provision that is suited to their needs. There is very good daily communication between the home and schools. One teacher said, ‘communication with the home is absolutely fantastic.’ Teachers report that there have been positive changes in children’s behaviour and achievements in the school setting. This means children are on track to do well in their education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. They have access to local health services and attend routine appointments. Children also have access to a psychotherapist who works with the home. This means that children receive the support they need with their emotional well-being and behaviour. Children take part in a variety of recreational activities. Within the home, children particularly enjoy the large garden. Children benefit from activities in the community. These help children to develop confidence and feel integrated into the wider community.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work very closely with the children’s families. They ensure that there is positive family time when children meet with family members. Staff treat the children and their families with respect and sensitivity. This helps the children to feel safe and secure.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are actively involved in the day-to-day decision-making at the home. They are helped to make choices that shape their lives and the running of the home. This helps them to feel valued and listened to. Children have individual meetings with staff. The children share their views and feelings about important issues in their lives. Staff also regularly meet with the children at group meetings. This ensures that the well-being of each child and their views remain at the centre of life at the home.

p.3

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

Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are understood by the manager and staff. The manager is changing the approach to risk assessment. These are being replaced by safety plans, and strengths and needs plans. The plans are completed with the child. As a result, the plans are more positive and personalised.

p.3

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

There are no current risks associated with drugs, alcohol or self-harming behaviour. Children do not go missing from care and are not involved with gangs. However, Inspection report for children’s home: 1244117 4 staff have been trained to recognise and deal with these concerns. For example, staff responded very well to a risk that one child was facing. The quick and decisive action of staff helped and protected the child.

p.3

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

There is a psychotherapist working with the staff team. The therapist works with the staff to help them to understand the children’s behaviour and the best ways of supporting, protecting, and caring for them. This helps to enhance staff’s knowledge and understanding of the children.

p.4

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

Physical intervention is only used as a last resort. Staff are trained in recognising and calming situations. As a result, the number of physical interventions has reduced considerably. Incidents of concerning behaviour from children has decreased. This indicates a settled and calm home. The manager has good oversight of all incidents and involves external professionals, if required. The manager ensures that all those involved in incidents are given the opportunity to debrief. This helps them to make sense of the incidents and identify any areas that could be improved.

p.4

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

The manager has a good understanding of what action to take should an allegation of harm be made by a child against a member of staff. The manager understands the role of the local authority designated officer and the procedures of the organisation. This helps to safeguard children.

p.4

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

The manager ensures strict adherence to safer recruitment protocols. A range of checks are completed to help to ensure that only those safe to work with children are recruited. This ensures that the home is a safe, caring and supportive place for children to live and develop.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home is led by dedicated, knowledgeable and committed managers who want the best for each child. The manager has a very close working relationship with her deputy. The manager and deputy have worked to develop a very positive culture in the home. The managers and staff prioritise the children’s needs and place them at the centre of their care practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes in the staff team. Staffing has been an issue and the manager and deputy have had to work extra shifts. Recent recruitment has meant that there is now a larger staff team. However, the team is very new with six of these staff still in their induction. This has been challenging for managers, staff and children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The preferred model of care is being embedded within the daily practice and knowledge of the staff team. This is due to many new staff recently joining the home. However, this has not had a negative impact on the care and support given to the children living at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff coming to work in the home are well-supported with a thorough induction. This is complemented with regular professional supervision. This means that new Inspection report for children’s home: 1244117 5 staff and more experienced colleagues receive robust oversight from managers regarding their care practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager feels very well supported by her line manager and other senior managers in the organisation. This has helped her to become established with the changes and development of the home. Managers have a good, thorough grasp on the strengths and areas for improvement. They maintain an ‘open door’ approach and value the suggestions from staff to improve the quality of care provided.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is very ambitious for each child. She is aware of the current strengths and weaknesses in the home. She has a clear vision and development plan moving forward. This plan is shared and embraced in the team and wider management. She is very proud of the progress each child has made and she is committed to this continuing. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244117 6

p.5

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 for children’s home: 1244117 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Caldecott Foundation Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caldecott House, Hythe Road, Smeeth, Ashford, Kent TN25 6SP

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Barnett

p.7

Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1244117 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8