Children's home run by Calcot Services for Children Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2546476 1 Registered provider: Calcot Services for Children 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 registered with Ofsted in November 2019. It provides care for up to six children with social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities. One young person living in the home is aged 18. One child was also living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since February 2022.

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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

Date of last inspection: 13 September 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2546476 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/05/2022 Full Inadequate 01/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2546476 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child and young person have positive relationships with the staff. They are confident in their surroundings and seek out staff for support, using both verbal and alternative forms of communication. Staff know the child and young person well and understand their non-verbal communication cues, meaning their needs are met effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a calm and cheerful atmosphere, with the child and young person respecting each other’s differences and the space they require. Staff ensure that there is a range of activities suited to the child and young person’s needs. Staff are available to always support the child and young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child and young person’s views are sought daily in a variety of ways. Records show choices made during one-to-one time and in ad hoc discussions. The staff liaise with school staff and speech and language therapists to ensure that communication aids are consistent across the settings. The child and young person are confident in sharing their views, and staff respond considerately if requests cannot be met. Changes have recently been made to communal spaces in collaboration with the child and young person, giving them greater freedom to explore their favoured pastimes without impacting on each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Communication with school staff has significantly improved. Staff go to school with one child to support their education in the classroom and provide continuity for learning in the home. Those who have had significant periods away from education benefit from bespoke timetables, which include varied activities. As a result, the child and young person are attending more activities in the community, which has led to them forming friendships outside the home and school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child and young person are helped to understand healthy lifestyles and what this means for them. They benefit from a trying a range of different foods and are learning to cut down on fizzy drinks and unhealthy foods and enjoy them as part of a more balanced diet. Their physical and emotional health are well met, through attending all routine appointments and therapy as agreed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers have made a concerted effort to link with occupational therapists to ensure that measures in place are suitable for the child and young person, including the use of weighted blankets. However, plans for intimate personal care have not been agreed with external agencies to ensure that they are appropriate. In-house plans do not contain the required detail to ensure that staff are safely supporting the child and young person with personal care tasks. Inspection report for children's home: 2546476 4

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

The child and young person feel safe in the home. Staff have an excellent understanding of their vulnerabilities and seek to make the environment as safe as possible, to reduce any risks to them. Managers have suitably assessed the risk of a child and young adult living together, and the high staffing ratio further reduces any risks.

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

Staff understand their roles in protecting the child and young person from harm. They know the processes to follow internally and how to escalate concerns outside the organisation. All staff are confident in the whistle-blowing procedures and say they would report anything they were concerned about.

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

Managers work closely with the local authority designated officer, who also provides training to staff. This means that any concerns that are raised are shared swiftly. Staff have had suitable training in the specific risks and vulnerabilities of the child and young person. They understand the potential increased risk of having multiple carers and different communication styles.

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

Staff recognise that the child and young person communicate through behaviour and support them to express how they are feeling through appropriate means. Joined-up working across the team has resulted in a significant reduction in serious incidents and the need for physical interventions.

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

Overall, the child and young person’s plans are clear on how staff should support them and keep them safe. There are regular checks of the home and environment to protect the child and young person from avoidable risks and hazards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been without a registered manager since February 2022. The current manager, who took up the role in December 2022, is in the process of registering with Ofsted and has submitted their application. Staff talk positively about the impact having a stable and consistent manager has had on their confidence and the running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular evaluative and supportive supervision. They have the training they need to meet the needs of the child and young person. Staff say they can ask for refresher training or training in other areas. New staff say they have been welcomed into the team and feel they have the support they need to care for the child and young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child and young person’s plans are updated and evaluated for effectiveness and accuracy. They are well written and reflective of individual needs. There remains a minor shortfall with monitoring and oversight of the home, in that while all plans are stored electronically, paper copies of plans are readily available. This means that Inspection report for children's home: 2546476 5 staff may inadvertently refer to an outdated paper copy when supporting the child and young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective action has been taken to meet the two requirements that were set at the last inspection. The manager makes effective use of monitoring by the independent person and weekly and monthly monitoring processes in the home. As a result, there is continued oversight, with development of the home’s care practices and the physical environment. Inspection report for children's home: 2546476 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, The 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5 (b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that relevant professionals are consulted on children’s personal care. 23 June 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all children’s plans are kept up to date and the most recent plans are available for staff. Out-of-date plans should be stored securely. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 2546476 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Calcot Services for Children Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2546476 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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