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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037327 1 SC037327 Registered provider: The Caldecott Foundation Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a registered charity. It provides care for up to eight children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC037327 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2024 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Outstanding 24/09/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC037327 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home and receive nurturing care. Staff are committed to creating a homely environment where children feel comfortable and can be themselves. Staff have a sound understanding of children’s individual starting points and how to help them develop relationships and feel safe. There is a strong emphasis placed on ensuring that support is child centred, personalised and responsive.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand each child’s history and how this affects their ability to engage emotionally, socially and physically. Children’s care is approached from their perspective. This enables them to build confidence and trust in staff and themselves. For example, one child has moved from having a negative self-view to being calmer and more affectionate with people.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to enjoy a wide range of activities aimed at helping them to have adventures and create happy memories. Children are encouraged to develop their interests and explore new things that promote their health and well-being. For example, one child has been helped to try a range of sports and has found a club where they have increased their social confidence and made friends.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Helping children to successfully engage with education is a strength of the home. When children face challenges with the school environment, managers work with educators to develop individualised strategies to help children or identify a new placement that will meet their needs. For example, one child moved to a smaller provision that has been adapted to help them learn. As a result, the child has made significant progress. They attend regularly and enjoy their time at school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and met. Managers make sure that medical professionals investigate complex health conditions, and all appropriate treatments are explored. For some children, this is an ongoing process. In the meantime, children are helped to understand their condition and cope with it practically and emotionally.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is an advocate for children’s relationships with their families. Contact is facilitated virtually or in person and at a pace and level suited to each child. As a result, children are developing and sustaining relationships with the people who are important to them. For example, one child has been reunited with their birth family and is seeing them regularly.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers are passionate about making the home a warm and inviting place for children to grow and develop. The environment is spacious and decorated to a high standard. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and comfortable. There is a huge amount of equipment available to children and room for them to have fun or quiet time. This means that children have the space for creative play and try things that will support their health and well-being, like using gym equipment. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037327 4

p.3

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

Children are helped to feel safe through strong relationships built on trust, respect and boundaries. Staff provide calm, consistent support that puts the child at the centre of care. As a result, children are more settled, able to build relationships with other children and benefit from day-to-day opportunities without feeling overwhelmed.

p.4

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

Plans to guide staff on how to support children with their risks are comprehensive and consider children’s early life and trauma. They are written sensitively and inform staff about children’s thought processes and underlying causes of behaviour. This means that staff have a good understanding of how to positively respond to children and help them progress.

p.4

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

Staff quickly notice if children’s behaviours change and take action to find out what is happening for them. If a child displays new behaviours, this is recognised and responded to in a manner that is sensitive to the child’s needs and level of risk. For example, one child who was self-harming was helped to navigate complex emotions while learning how to look after their physical well-being.

p.4

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

Staff know how to respond to children when they are upset. Staff understand that behaviour is a form of communication. If children become distressed, staff use individualised de-escalation techniques or the appropriate level of physical intervention if required, as a last resort. Children and staff have time afterwards to talk about what happened and how to manage the situation better in the future.

p.4

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

When children make allegations, they are taken seriously, and immediate action is taken to safeguard them. There is an open and transparent process in place. If allegations are made in response staff setting boundaries, managers consult with professionals to agree how to respond while ensuring that children feel respected and heard. Sensitive work is carried out to help the children to explore their emotions and find different ways they can communicate their feelings. After incidents, managers debrief with staff to investigate and reflect on what happened. However, incident records do not always include a full account of what happened from all staff involved.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high aspirations for creating a culture where children are understood and offered support in an environment where they can thrive. The manager has demonstrated commitment in building a team with this ethos, which had been successfully embedded in the home. Care is intricately planned, which means that staff provide good-quality care that makes a difference to the children’s lives. For example, one child has been able to settle and accept routine care for the first time.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by managers. There is a strong sense of cohesive teamwork with a clear vision to empower children at the heart of care. Staff receive comprehensive Inspection report for children’s home: SC037327 5 training to support them in their role, and they are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and learning. If staff raise concerns, they are listened to and systems are improved.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers make child-centred decisions about children moving out of the home. When a child’s actions were affecting other children, intensive work was carried out to help them deal with their conflicting emotions with input from therapeutic professionals. Managers were able to assess what was in the child’s best interests, and others living in the home, and help them have a positive move on to a new home. As a result, the child is more settled, stays in contact and enjoys ongoing close relationships with staff and children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers place high priority on working closely with other professionals. They ensure that children have quality time with independent people who can assess their overall safety and experiences in the home. Feedback from external professionals is positive regarding communication and partnership working. One professional said, ‘They are positive, fair, respectful and incredibly child focused.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC037327 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that adults who have supported children during incidents consistently record evidence about the progression of the incident. In particular, actions taken when children have made allegations should be written in full detail. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.6

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: SC037327 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Caldecott Foundation Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caldecott House, Hythe Road, Smeeth, Ashford, Kent TN25 6SP

p.7

Inspector

Shirin White, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC037327 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8