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

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home provides care for up to five children with complex difficulties. It is owned by a private organisation. Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager was registered with Ofsted in October 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2022 Full Good 05/01/2022 Full Good 09/05/2019 Full Good 22/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff, who know them well. Children make progress, often in small but meaningful ways. This includes learning to trust staff, a reduction in incidents or feeling confident enough to spend time in communal areas. Social workers talk positively about the warm and caring relationships staff have with the children, and how well they respond to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are sought in a variety of ways, including in formal meetings, one- to-one sessions and messages and emails, if the child likes this approach. Children talk fondly of the staff and told the inspector the things staff had done for them when they had asked. One child asked all staff to wear a particular type of clothing for their birthday. The manager was creative in her approach, to accommodate the request. The manager and staff show a genuine care for the children and want to make special events memorable for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to engage in education and help them to overcome barriers that mean they have previously struggled to attend education. Staff have strong links with education staff to ensure that there is a consistent approach to keeping the children safe while they are away from the home. The home’s managers actively challenge the virtual school when there are delays in finding suitable school placements, as well as advocating for children to complain about the lack of suitable provision agreed when they moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to understand healthy lifestyles, in line with their age and understanding. Meals are balanced and takeaways are a treat. Children are helped to understand the risk of using vapes and tobacco and have had access to drug and alcohol support from staff when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional well-being is supported through access to therapists known to the organisation. Staff also have support in how to help children, through child- focused group sessions. Children have experienced significant delays in accessing support via child and adolescent mental health services. The staff challenge delays and seek private assessments to diagnose conditions when required.

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

Children are confident in their home and seek out staff for help and support, as well as to chat and have fun with them. Staff are acutely aware of all the children’s vulnerabilities and the when they are away from the home in the local community. They know how to respond should they be concerned for a child’s safety or welfare, including escalating worries outside the organisation.

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

Safeguarding and child protection concerns are reported appropriately to partner agencies. Joint working with the local authority designated officer is strong. The Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 4 manager regularly consults with them on any concerns, including when children make disclosures. Plans in such instances are clear, children are listened to and the responses to any concerns are good.

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

Staff understand that the children’s behaviour is a way of them communicating. Staff are well supported by managers to reflect on incidents, to consider how children were feeling and what they were trying to convey. Children are helped to consider how they could manage their feelings in safer ways. Physical interventions are used as a last resort to support children. Staff use their relationships with the children to calm situations.

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

Staff help children to process their experiences and trauma in a safe environment. In recent months, this has caused significant periods of upset and distress for children. At times, this has led to some conflict in the local community. The managers respond appropriately to any complaints from neighbours and try and foster positive relationships between them and the children.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow clear plans to return children home as quickly as possible. Children are given space to reflect on missing-from- home incidents and how they are feeling at the time. The registered manager has made links with local shop staff to highlight the risk of children having access to items sold in the shop that could cause them harm.

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

Children are supported to understand what a healthy relationship looks like, with specific work when needed on the difference between a caring relationship and a coercive and controlling one. Links with the local police community support officers help staff to further support the children to manage and understand relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has made significant changes to the approach used to care for the children since she was registered in October 2022. This has led to a greater child-focused approach and ethos in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a high turnover of staff since the last inspection. Leaders have evaluated the reasons why staff have moved on, to determine what, if any, changes would be necessary for future recruitment. Children say they like the current staff team. The registered manager has guided the team to follow the organisation’s ethos and work in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have the training needed to meet the children’s needs. They have the support they require through supervision and group meetings. Staff feel valued by the managers and say they can contact them at any time. Team meetings are a safe space for staff to learn about the ethos of the home and share their experiences, for support, guidance and consistency. Each month, the staff reflect on how they have implemented the home’s core values in supporting the children, ensuring that the ethos remains in their minds. Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 5 Plans for the children are clear and show the progress the children make over time. They are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are reflective of the children as they develop. The staff use these to work consistently with the children and to help the children to understand what is expected of them. Occasionally, inconsistent messages are given to children about guidance and boundaries. For example, as

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

part of a consequence, one member of staff told a child they could not go out and later in the day another member of staff said they could go out. This particular issue was addressed by the manager during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are constantly looking at how they can improve children’s experiences. This ranges from how the home is decorated and laid out, to developing the home’s therapeutic ethos and appointing a new therapeutic lead, who is due to start in the coming months. Managers make good use of the reviews by the responsible individual and the independent person. Their monitoring and the quality of care review are extensive and aspirational for the children and staff. Inspection report for children's home: SC417250 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff consistently implement house rules and agreements. 1 December 2023

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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: SC417250 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: 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 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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