Children's Home run by Calcot Services for Children Limited in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1236532 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 provides care for up to six children with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, complex needs and social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since August 2022. There is a manager in post who has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1236532 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/06/2022 Full Good 31/01/2022 Full Outstanding 10/12/2019 Full Good 27/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1236532 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are thriving through the warm and caring relationships they have with staff. Social workers comment positively about the progress the children make. Children’s actions show they are comfortable and confident with staff and are relaxed in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are listened to through the increased use of symbols and other communication tools in the home. Staff training in this area has meant that children are more understood. Children were visibly happier that staff understand what they are communicating. One child was particularly excited to sign that he was watching a programme, and he loved the signed response asking if he liked it. The children have helped to pick out new colours for the home and soft furnishings for their rooms. Those who struggle with the sensory challenges of being in shops choose their clothes online with staff support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have established education placements, mostly in the local special school. Partnership working with education staff means that staff know how the children are progressing in school and their current goals and targets. These are replicated in the home when relevant. When children struggle to attend school, they are supported through daily programmes of education and enriching activities. Staff advocate for the children to source formal education and support for the children to overcome the barriers that prevent them from leaving the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have benefited from an increase in sensory exploration through play and organised activities. The garden is full of toys and equipment that the children were enjoying, including two new different-sized trampolines, a paddling pool with inflatables and balance toys. Staff have increased their confidence in helping children explore different tastes and textures. Children engage excitedly in a messy food sensory activity, with staff enjoying the exploration as much as the children. Those who struggle to join the group are supported to be involved in the same activities through one-to-one support in a different area of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and well-being needs are well met. There is clear joint working with partner health and well-being practitioners. There has been a concerted effort to link in with speech and language therapists and occupational therapists to ensure that staff work consistently across settings with children. Managers have been persistent in seeking child and adolescent mental health support services for children as needed, and they continue to advocate for support in this area.

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

Children’s actions and demeanour show they feel safe in their home and with the staff who support them. Staff support the children when they need help, are upset Inspection report for children’s home: 1236532 4 or want company. The physical environment is safe and free from avoidable risks, which means the children can wander freely without concern.

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

Staff are well versed in how to respond should they be concerned for a child’s welfare or safety. They confidently speak about how to report their concerns outside of the organisation and who the local safeguarding partners are. Staff, including agency staff, know the whistle-blowing procedure and are happy to challenge colleagues if needed. The local authority designated officer commented positively about the home’s contact with them.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and how to support them in times of upset or crisis. Staff know that children communicate through their behaviours and seek to understand what they want or need. Good planning of shifts means that children who are currently struggling have the individualised support they need. Children are actively engaged in post-incident debriefs that are tailored to their understanding and communication style.

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

Plans are clear and reflective of the children’s needs, including sound evaluations of incidents. The quality of incident records has improved, allowing managers to have better oversight and identify any trends and patterns to improve practice. This has led to a lower use of physical interventions.

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

Children are protected from avoidable risk through joining in practice fire evacuations. Children’s evacuation plans are updated, and staff know how to safely support the children in the event of an emergency. Safer recruitment practice means that children are protected from being cared for by unsuitable people.

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good

The home has been without a registered manager since August 2022. The home manager has completed their application to be registered with Ofsted and is due to be interviewed in the coming weeks.

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good

Of the nine requirements made at the last monitoring visit in January 2023, six were deemed to be met at this inspection. Three were remade. These are in relation to the accuracy of rotas, the consistency of information in children’s plans and the availability of the most up-to-date information for agency staff who work in the home. However, these shortfalls were not deemed to have had a direct impact on the children in the home.

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good

Since the last full inspection, there has been a new home manager and two deputy managers appointed. There has been a significant number of staff who have moved on from the home, with an almost completely new staff team being employed. The staff spoken to were excited about their roles and committed to the children. They feel well supported by the management team, which is available for support at any time. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236532 5 Managers in the home have been working with the new staff team to develop an ethos and culture in the home that is increasingly child-centred. The home is a positive environment where the children’s views are held in mind. Advocates have been sourced for most of the children, and managers are keen for children to have other avenues to express themselves and share their views. There is greater joint working with partner agencies to improve the children’s care and experiences.

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good

Staff, including those from agencies, have regular and evaluative supervision. Training is reflective of the children’s needs, and there has been a drive to train staff formally in the children’s communication techniques. Liaison with the speech and language therapist at the local school has led to an agreement to train staff to ensure consistency in communication approaches across the settings.

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good

The management team has developed new monitoring systems to ensure that the home is functioning as set out in the statement of purpose. The managers make sound use of reports by the independent person to develop the service. Despite the shortfalls noted, the home is better organised than it was at the monitoring visit in January. This is leading to children having better consistency and improved outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236532 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

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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is consistent information in all plans and records. 31 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulations 31 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any temporary member of staff from within the organisation and/or an agency is provided with up-to-date information about each child’s needs. 31 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 31 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1236532 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that rotas are up to date to accurately reflect any changes made and the times that staff are on shift.

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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: 1236532 8

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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: 1236532 9 regulates and inspects 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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