Children's home run by The Caldecott Foundation Limited in Ashford

Inspection report for children's home: SC065129 1 SC065129 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 home provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. It is operated by a charitable organisation. At the time of the inspection, there were four children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 7 February 2021.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC065129 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/08/2021 Full Outstanding 25/02/2020 Full Outstanding 04/12/2018 Full Good 13/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC065129 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who have a good understanding of their individual needs and vulnerabilities. Staff show warmth and affection, and children say that they can talk to staff about their worries. Staff have effective strategies in place to help keep children safe. Children receive individualised key-work meetings and debriefs, and day notes are personal to them. This gives children a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a home that has a sense of warmth and homeliness. Three separate living areas and a large kitchen/dining area are decorated to a high standard. However, this contrasts with some other areas of the home that require a tidy-up and some refurbishment and repair. For example, children’s bedroom doors were dirty, and one child has had a broken bed for many weeks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good educational progress from their starting points. One child is on a reduced timetable, and staff work closely with the school to increase this to full time. The child attends after-school clubs, where they have made friends. Another child is on track to take GCSEs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with health professionals to ensure that children’s health needs are managed effectively, including specialist support where necessary. There is effective partnership working with professionals, and feedback from social workers is very positive regarding transition planning and communication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show sensitivity when managing and supporting the relationships children have with their families. There is a clear focus on what matters to children. For instance, after children spend time with their families, their experiences are explored and reflected on through key-worker sessions. For one child, short stories that describe social situations have been used to help them understand changes to their family circumstances. As a result, children are fully supported with their family relationships, and family time is promoted well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to by staff who support them to influence the way they are cared for. For example, children have meal choices, activities they may like are explored, and children are encouraged to make suggestions of how they can make the home a nice place to live. This gives children a sense of ownership to their home and reinforces that their views are valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences through a range of activities. One child spoke about the annual holiday and how they particularly enjoyed going to the beach and the fair. Progress is reflected in monthly summaries, and children gain rewards chosen by them from a ‘reward box’ or a ‘voucher envelope’. Events are beautifully Inspection report for children's home: SC065129 4 captured in memory books. This helps children to feel positive about themselves and enhances their self-esteem.

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

Children are effectively safeguarded. Staff encourage positive behaviour with the use of rewards and praise. Children are supported to learn from their behaviour and are given time to reflect and restore without the use of consequences, which are rare.

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

Levels of physical intervention are monitored, and staff reflect on incidents. One child who has left the home was supported by staff and professionals to make the experience as positive as it could be, with a clear focus on the child’s needs. This was a challenging time for all involved, and staff were well supported.

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

Staff respond effectively to children who have been missing from the home and understand how to raise concerns to ensure that good safeguarding practice is followed.

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

Leaders and managers make sure that staff are safely recruited. The registered manager and staff are aware of their responsibilities to ensure effective health and safety processes are in place. Consequently, children, staff and visitors are protected, and the home is safe.

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

Leaders and managers understand their safeguarding responsibilities and ensure joined-up working with other professionals. Safeguarding logs are clear, with a detailed chronology of events and actions taken by staff. Investigations have been completed in a timely manner, and staff have been supported through this process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a skilled practitioner. The development plan is detailed, and the registered manager is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The registered manager is prepared to challenge professionals to ensure that children receive good-quality care and the best outcomes can be achieved. For example, minutes of a child’s review were challenged due to factual inaccuracies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive relevant training to ensure that they can support the needs of the children in the home. Additional training is sourced to further develop the skills and knowledge of staff, such as therapeutic workshops specific to the individual needs of children. This ensures that staff benefit from continuous professional development and progression opportunities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision, which they use to further enhance their development. Staff feel listened to, and one staff member said, ‘I look forward to my supervision and enjoy being given things to do’. The registered manager has recently introduced a culture and theme night to expand children’s understanding of the world. Staff are given additional responsibilities to be creative with such events. However, staff do not always see the registered manager as visible in the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC065129 5 Generally, there are some good monitoring systems in place, and the recommendation made at the last inspection has been met. However, case records do not consistently contain up-to-date information, for example safety plans for one child regarding how the staff should minimise risks and incorrect dates when children have attempted to go missing. These omissions do not currently impact on

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

children’s care, but this could compromise effectiveness for new staff who would rely on this information. The registered manager had not identified these discrepancies when she reviewed these records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor reports do not provide a clear synopsis of what is occurring at the home. The reports lack identified areas for improvement, and children, staff, parents and professionals are rarely consulted. Inspection report for children's home: SC065129 6

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, monitoring systems should ensure that discrepancies are identified and explained. 30 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home has a nurturing and supportive environment. In particular, ensure that children’s bedrooms are clean and well presented and that all furniture is maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered provider should ensure that the independent person forms an impartial judgement of the quality of the home’s care and takes into account, where possible, the views of children, staff, parents, carers and professionals who know the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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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 for children's home: SC065129 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

Hannah Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC065129 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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