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

Inspection report for 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 needs. The home can accommodate children on a planned and an emergency basis. 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

Three children currently live in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an experienced registered manager.

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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 good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC466284 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2021 Full Outstanding 16/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/09/2018 Full Outstanding 30/10/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC466284 3

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outstanding

Children make exceptional progress. They experience skilled care and stable, positive relationships with staff, which they value. Some children have lived in this home for several years, and they consider it to be their home. Children benefit from consistent, structured boundaries and established routines. One child said: ‘Everything is fair, things are explained to us, we have our say and staff listen. It is my home.’

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outstanding

Staff ensure they have important information about children’s needs before the children arrive. Other children living in the home welcome new children. Children who have had difficult care experiences are supported to settle.

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outstanding

Children have opportunities for recreational activities. One child has attended cadets for several years and her achievements have been recognised and celebrated. One child has learned to swim and attends swimming regularly. Another child attends a gym and has captained his school football team. Learning new skills and identifying new interests have developed children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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outstanding

All children attend education and training. They are all making excellent progress from their starting points. Staff are aspirational for children and celebrate successes with them. There is excellent daily liaison between staff at schools and staff at the home.

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outstanding

Children develop and become confident in life skills and being independent. Children learn about budgeting and regularly cook independently, or with staff. They collate their own recipe books, which are also a record of their cooking successes. All children help with chores after mealtimes. One child has undertaken voluntary work and secured a ‘Saturday job’ in the community.

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outstanding

Staff build relationships with family members in order to support children to maintain safe relationships with their family and friends. Staff have assessed the quality of family time as part of each child’s care plan to make sure that this is monitored carefully.

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outstanding

Staff advocate effectively for children. Specialist assessments are commissioned when necessary to ensure that tailored support is provided to meet children’s needs.

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outstanding

Children’s health has improved significantly because of effective arrangements to assess and meet their health needs. Children benefit from improved diet and improved sleep routines. Older children learn, with support, to take responsibility for their own medication. Children learn about safe and healthy relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: SC466284 4 There is a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere in the home. Children are different ages and have different interests; however, they enjoy spending time together. They experience positive relationships with each other and with staff.

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

Children have significantly reduced risks because of living in this home. Staff know each child’s history and needs. Staff continuously assess behaviours and contribute to the multi-agency meetings, where professionals decide how to support children to manage and reduce any concerns.

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

The care to children is underpinned by therapeutic parenting approaches. There are regular children’s progress meetings led by a consultant therapist to inform the children’s care. Staff use child-friendly tools to communicate well with children about what staff and professionals may be worried about. Children’s views influence their own plans and their daily care.

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

Staff receive safeguarding training to support them to understand and be alert to known and emerging risks. Children go missing less. Staff provide nurturing care when a child returns after a missing episode. Staff carefully reflect with children about what may have led up to them going missing. Staff ensure that children are seen by external professionals so that they have an opportunity to share information.

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

The local authority designated officer reported that managers seek advice and make referrals about allegations of harm appropriately. Staff also refer safeguarding concerns appropriately and in a timely way to social workers and the police.

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

There are few incidents of the use of physical restraint. Staff are patient and respond to challenging behaviours in a proportionate and caring manner. They use a range of de-escalation techniques informed by each child’s individual plan. Physical restraint is only used as a last resort, to prevent children harming themselves or staff. Children’s views are sought, and staff are debriefed after an incident. Managers have oversight of all instances of physical restraint and ensure that learning takes place about what has worked well and what can be improved.

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

One child was very anxious about his plan to move on from the home, resulting in an increase in his risk-taking behaviours. This led to a serious incident of concern. There has been some learning and reflection undertaken. There have been missed opportunities to escalate concerns with the local authority on behalf of the child. The child did move on, and staff have kept in touch and have liaised with the new placement to provide advice and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

This home benefits from an experienced, established management team. There have been some changes in the staff group. However, a core group of staff and managers has remained and there has been little impact of change for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC466284 5 The team and managers work well with a therapeutic service to ensure that children benefit from this specialist service. They use up-to-date research about best practice across the organisation. Staff receive training in the relevant methodologies to deliver skilled care and assess the impact of the care they are providing. This is supplemented by training relevant to the specific needs of the children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff contribute to regular supervision and team meetings which include reflection about incidents and evaluation of children’s progress. Staff value these opportunities. The ethos of the team is to use praise and positive reinforcement. Staff place developing and sustaining positive relationships with children at the centre of their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers work closely with staff to track their progress and support them to achieve qualifications in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have effective monitoring systems in place to inform their understanding of the quality of the care and progress that children make. This includes the independent visitor reports, which are comprehensive. The team also identifies when progress may be slow for some children, and staff target interventions accordingly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are ongoing development plans for the service. Managers are aspirational for the children and staff. Opportunities for staff development are provided and managers identify performance issues early so that they can be addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are processes in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. Staff are supported by established induction and probation procedures at the beginning of their employment. Staff report that they are clear about expectations of conduct and practice and their responsibility to report any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is positive partnership working across agencies and staff at the home. Professionals report that children are receiving excellent care and that living in this home has made a significant difference to children’s safety and progress. A social worker said that this is the best care setting he has worked with because he knows the child placed here is happy. He referred to staff’s skills in communicating with, and building relationships with, children with complex needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC466284 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and arrangements in place to protect them. Managers should escalate concerns if uncertainty about planning for a child is impacting their behaviours. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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 for children’s home: SC466284 7

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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

Cathey Moriarty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC466284 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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