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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037309 1 SC037309

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Registered provider: The Caldecott Foundation Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to nine children with social and emotional difficulties. Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2022 and has a suitable qualification.

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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: SC037309 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/05/2023 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/08/2021 Full Outstanding 22/10/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC037309 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have lived in the home for some time and have been helped to develop caring relationships with staff that are built on trust, nurture and boundaries. These relationships have enabled children to feel safe and make progress in a stable home environment. Children can express their emotions through behaviours, which are met with consistent care, understanding and encouragement from staff to explore what they mean.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities that enable them to try new experiences, have fun and increase their social confidence. Staff arrange opportunities for children to enjoy treasured childhood events, such as having friends stay for a sleepover, going camping and visiting Santa. One child enjoys attending a ‘fun football club’, where they are helped to develop their verbal communication and understanding of emotions, while also enjoying their favourite activity. Another child attends a cadets youth programme, which has enabled them to develop new friendships and take on new challenges, such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s attendance at school is good, and academic achievements are celebrated. Younger children have made good progress, and older children are supported through the challenges of undertaking GCSEs at a pace that suits them. When children have experienced difficulties with engaging at school, managers work with professionals to adapt timetables and support children to continue to have a positive experience and consistent attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given opportunities to explore their individuality and cultural heritage in a manner that suits each child’s individual need and interest. Children are offered time to develop their understanding with creative learning experiences, such as going shopping for specialist meals to cook and attending celebratory events, such as Pride, in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have close working relationships with those who matter most to children. They work collaboratively with family and professionals to ensure that children continue to enjoy positive and meaningful relationships. Parents speak warmly of the team and appreciate the high level of communication and joint working to ensure that children have consistent support. One parent said they would rate the staff as ‘100 out of 100’ and that everyone is ‘working from the same page’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are healthy and supported to attend routine appointments and specialist medical reviews. Care plans reflect individual goals and how children are encouraged to make healthy living choices. Specialist referrals are made so that children have access to the support they need, and health concerns are quickly responded to. For example, one child has support from a speech and language therapist, and as a result, they have made significant progress with their speech. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037309 4

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

Detailed individual risk plans that are regularly updated are in place to support staff to keep children safe, and they include effective strategies for staff to follow. Staff have completed a range of safeguarding training and know how to respond to difficult situations to keep children safe. Managers ensure that records of events are robust and analysed to inform learning and further support for children. Following incidents, restorative action is taken with the child through key-work sessions and discussions with professionals.

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

Staff and managers are supported by the therapeutic team to understand and respond to children’s emotional needs. When there are changes to children’s behaviours, work is undertaken to understand the reasons for the changes. This approach is embedded in practice and has been key to staff understanding the children’s needs and helping them progress. When children face difficulties, staff consider every possible cause and go above and beyond to find creative ways to help the children feel secure and safe.

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

Staff and managers follow the organisation’s safeguarding processes when responding to allegations made by children, although these are rare. Managers work with partner agencies to explore when a child may make an allegation in response to staff setting boundaries, and find the best way to provide support, while ensuring that the child is heard. Sensitive work is carried out with the child to help them to explore their emotions, find different ways they can communicate their feelings and increase their feeling of safety.

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

There have been occasions when children have been held for their safety. Managers review restraint records to ensure that restraint has been necessary and proportionate. When incidents happen, children have a restorative discussion with the staff involved and a follow-up reflective conversation with a manager. Children are encouraged to talk about what happened and understand feelings being experienced and strategies for how to manage emotions. This work is underpinned by therapeutic support and models of practice implemented by the staff team. However, there is a shortfall in ensuring that all staff have suitable training in restraint. This has not impacted on the children.

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

Medication is safely managed, and staff monitor how well children are managing to take regular medication. When there are concerns, staff respond quickly and work with the children to understand the root cause of issues and how these can be resolved. The manager ensures that the appropriate professionals are aware of issues and work collaboratively to agree on how to respond to any frequent issues or concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037309 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to providing good-quality, personalised care and has inspired the same culture in the staff team. The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the service and has recently met a series of complex challenges, with a focus on helping children feel safe and make meaningful progress. The manager has a strong vision for the future development of the service and high aspirations for the children, staff and service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by managers, who have a prominent and valued presence in the home. Supervision arrangements ensure that staff have a formal space for development and reflection, and the team has regular meetings to discuss ideas about service development. In addition, staff are encouraged to access specialist learning opportunities and have clinical support from therapeutic professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home’s activity through extensive monitoring systems. Records are clear, comprehensive and effective in enabling the analysis of children’s engagement, experiences and achievements. Care planning is updated so that an exact picture of current issues is kept at the centre of guidance for care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Arrangements for addressing practice concerns are good. There is an open culture where staff feel able to raise concerns with managers, who quickly respond. Managers follow appropriate processes to ensure that children are safeguarded while matters are investigated, and there is learning about what happened and what could have been done differently. This approach is welcomed by the staff, who have been supported to professionally respond to difficult situations and reflect on their own practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication with children and other people involved in their care is a strength of the team. One social worker said that staff go ‘above and beyond’ to make sure the children have successful relationships and to achieve the best possible outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communal areas in the home are comfortable and spacious. Children have lots of areas where they can spend time on interests and activities, and older children are given an extra bedroom to keep personal items. However, there is a high level of repair and decoration work required, which was in progress during the inspection. The manager has ambition for a high standard of environment, and this is evident in older children’s bedrooms, which are personalised and individually decorated. However, for younger children, bedroom repairs have been delayed and some furniture is worn. This is a missed opportunity to prioritise children having a homely, personalised space that is their own. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037309 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques that are appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for, as defined in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home has an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health. The registered person should ensure that repair and decoration work is completed in a timely manner and that any issues in securing maintenance resources are escalated appropriately. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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: SC037309 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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Inspectors

Shirin White, Social Care Inspector Lisa O’Donovan, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC037309 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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