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

Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 1 SC417250 Registered provider: Calcot Services for Children Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five children with complex difficulties. It is owned by a private organisation.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since 31 March 2022.

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 requires improvement to be 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: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/01/2022 Full Good 09/05/2019 Full Good 22/08/2018 Full Good 29/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat children with dignity and respect and are sensitive to their individual needs. Consequently, children feel supported and well cared for.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff endeavour to give children individualised support in line with their needs and wishes, and children receive help, guidance and support when needed or requested. Children can influence change in the home. For example, children have led on developing the garden by creating an outdoor living space.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress at school. Staff are proud of the children’s achievements and support their educational progress and future ambitions. Two children who have recently finished their GCSE exams acknowledged that they could not have done their exams without the staff support. They are now excited for their forthcoming school prom. Staff have helped both children to purchase new prom dresses, which are proudly on display in their home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend health appointments and to receive help from the organisation’s therapies team and child and adolescent mental health services. They encourage children to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy a range of leisure opportunities in the local community. As a result, staff promote children’s physical, psychological and mental health.

p.3

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

Staff are acutely aware of children’s vulnerabilities and their responsibility for protecting them. Children can identify staff who they can approach when they feel anxious or worried. As a result, the welfare of children is promoted.

p.3

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

Staff are nurturing with children and this positive approach helps to keep children safe. Children with a history of self-injurious behaviour are supported through a multi-disciplinary team. Although some incidents continue to occur, staff are quick to ensure that the right medical intervention is sought.

p.3

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

When children go missing from home, staff respond well. They follow children, looking for them in known locations. This often results in children returning home safely. Joint work with the local police is a particular strength, with the specialist officer forming good relationships with the children and staff. This coordinated approach helps to keep children safe.

p.3

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

Staff encourage children to make positive choices and to understand the consequences of their behaviour. For example, staff have a reward scheme for children, under which children can earn extra money. Children spoke excitedly to the Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 4 inspectors about what they were planning to spend their reward money on. Consequently, children benefit from incentives.

p.3

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

Managers and staff have not fully assessed the environment so that proactive steps can be taken to keep children safe. Despite children being at risk of self-injurious behaviour, not enough consideration has been given to the environmental risks. For example, managers and staff have not recognised that a lighting pull cord could be used as a ligature.

p.4

good

There is no registered manager in post. The home’s new manager was the previous deputy manager and is familiar with the needs of the children. The new manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

p.4

good

Staff receive training and regular supervision to support them to care for children. The various training opportunities and regular supervisions enable them to develop their skills and practice, and to reflect on children’s progress.

p.4

good

Staff have attained the level 3 diploma for residential childcare or hold an equivalent qualification. As a result, children are cared for by staff who have the required qualification relevant to working in residential childcare.

p.4

good

There are areas of practice that require improvement. The responsible individual does not provide adequate senior management oversight of the home. In the last six months, the responsible individual has only visited three times.

p.4

good

Children do not always receive one-to-one care as described in their placement plans. This means that staff members are not able to provide bespoke support when children are at increased levels of vulnerability.

p.4

good

Management systems that help managers to monitor and review the quality of care are not always effective. As a result, managers are not always aware of shortfalls. For example, managers have not picked up on language used in some children’s care plans that can be ambiguous, as in relation to how staff should manage risks when children have a history of raising allegations.

p.4

good

Managers have not always been proactive in ensuring that all options are exhausted before a decision is made to end a child’s placement. This lack of challenge means opportunities are missed to enable a child’s voice to be heard. Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.5

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that consideration is given to the environmental risks should a child present self-injurious behaviour. 09 September

p.5

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should have oversight of plans and records to ensure that the language is factually correct and not ambiguous. 09 September

p.5

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.5

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and 09 September Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 6 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all options to escalate concerns to the placing authority have been exhausted before ending children’s placements.

p.6

Requirement Due date

A responsible individual must satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(a)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual must be able to demonstrate they have the skills and capacity to provide suitable oversight of the home. 09 September

p.6

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: SC417250 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Calcot Services for Children Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Advantage, 87 Castle Street, Reading, Berkshire RG1 7SN

p.7

Inspectors

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Amanda Harvey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 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

Inspectors

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

Inspectors

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

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8