Children's home run by Caritas Homes Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2651806 1 Registered provider: Caritas Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted on 25 November 2021 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2651806 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/06/2023 Full Good 03/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2651806 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make exceptional progress from their starting points. They have enjoyable experiences and establish strong bonds with staff. Children thrive under the watchful eye of the nurturing staff, who show genuine love, care and aspirations for the children. One local authority is responsible for the care of all the children who live at this home. The children’s social workers are very positive about the home and the work that staff do to help children make such great progress. This local authority has celebrated the significant progress the children make at an awards ceremony. The children enjoyed dressing up and attending the ceremony at which they were presented with ‘shining star’ and runner-up awards for their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children are proud of their comfortable home. The staff and children are delighted with the recently refurbished kitchen. A child requested a new cooker so they could be more independent with cooking and baking. The staff listened to their request, and a new cooker was included in the upgrade.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are well informed about the therapeutic model that is at the centre of the home’s ethos. Staff are attentive and are quick to understand and respond to the children’s needs. Interactions between the children and staff are warm and nurturing. Staff understand how trauma may affect children’s ability to trust adults. Staff prioritise one- to-one time with the children and have lots of therapeutic conversations. This shows the children that staff value them and care about them. The children respond positively to this approach, and they seek staff out for security and reassurance. The staff help children to regain their confidence in adults through developing a secure base in these relationships. The children trust the staff and speak positively about them. One child said they can approach any staff member if they have a problem and know they will help them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager is a strong advocate for children and ensures that they receive the help and support that they need. Children are supported to attend therapy outside of the home. On occasion, the organisation has privately funded play therapy in response to a recognised need. The manager secured funding for one child to attend weekly horse therapy. This support means that children can begin to address and process their trauma.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff seek children’s views and ensure that they are fully involved in decisions about the way that they are looked after, changes to the home environment, and meal and activity planning. Two children have recently requested to swap bedrooms, and another child has requested to have their bedroom redecorated. The manager has agreed to these requests. Therefore, children are confident to share their views with staff, knowing that these will be acted on whenever possible. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651806 4 Before moving into the home, none of the children were regularly attending school. With good routines and support, and high expectations from staff, they have all made significant progress. The children are now all engaging in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children experience well-planned moves into and on from the home. The manager has carefully thought about the presenting needs of new children and their compatibility with the children who are already being cared for in the home. The staff consult the children already living in the home before agreement is reached for a new child to move in. Two children have been supported to move on to foster care. These were well-planned, child- focused moves that took place at the children’s pace. Staff helped the children to build relationships with their foster carers before moving. Another child made a positive choice to move to another new home owned by the provider. Before registration, this child was actively involved in the development of the new home and consulted about how it could best support children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Equality and diversity are supported and celebrated with the children. Staff ensure that children get to experience elements from different cultures. One member of staff is undertaking a two-year course in supporting neurodiversity. The aim is for them to help staff provide optimum support for children who come into the service without a formal diagnosis.

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

Staff have a strong understanding of children’s risks and how to support them. Individual plans for children are comprehensive and clearly identify children’s needs and vulnerabilities. Staff help children to be safer. One child was at very high risk of exploitation at the time they moved in. The relationships that staff have built with the child, and the protective actions they have taken, have significantly reduced this risk. Staff’s thoughtful one-to-one work with other children has helped them to understand socially acceptable behaviours and reduced their involvement in criminal behaviour. Due to the commitment and support of staff, the children are much safer, and risks for the children have considerably lessened.

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

Missing-from-home episodes have significantly reduced. The strong relationships that staff develop with children underpin the exceptional work that they carry out with them. As a result, the children feel safe and comfortable with the staff. The children feel able to talk to the non-judgemental staff about their fears and worries. When children go missing from home, they experience well-coordinated responses from staff to ensure their safe return. Staff try to understand why the children have gone missing and talk to them about what they can do to support them in the future. For example, one child is now confident to wake staff during the night when they are worried. Staff sit with the child to talk about their feelings. As a result, this child has not gone missing from home for a significant period.

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

Staff carry out lots of excellent work with children individually around staying safe and the respect that they deserve in relationships. Staff understand children’s embarrassment and desire for privacy when discussing personal issues. They are creative and do not shy Inspection report for children’s home: 2651806 5 away from full and frank discussions that help children to better understand their bodies and growing up. They instil the children with a sense of personal worth and help them to understand healthy relationships and what these look like. Staff help the children to seek support from sexual health professionals when they need it.

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

Staff support the children to understand how to stay safe online. There are appropriate supervision and internet safety control systems in place. Staff set clear boundaries about when and how mobile phones and devices are allowed. They carry out effective direct work with children about what is and is not appropriate and how to stay safe online. This has significantly reduced risks to children.

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

Children are protected and supported by a highly trained staff team. When there are emerging concerns about children, the manager ensures that staff update their training in the relevant area. This enables staff to dynamically respond to any incidents.

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

Physical intervention is rare and used only as a last resort. The staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. When physical intervention is required, the manager reviews each incident thoroughly. He ensures that the actions taken by staff are necessary and proportionate. Children and staff receive a reflective debrief following any physical intervention. The manager uses his review to try to understand why incidents have occurred and to prevent them from reoccurring. He considers staff’s actions and if any changes in practice are required.

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

The manager is committed to only employing suitable staff, and recruitment processes are thorough. The manager carries out additional checks during recruitment to ensure that staff share organisational values, such as tolerance, and are safe to work with vulnerable children. This gives an extra layer of scrutiny, which helps to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a positive role model. He provides strong leadership and guidance to the staff team. Staff feel well supported. They speak positively about the manager and feel confident to approach him with any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff experience a comprehensive induction. A senior member of staff is undertaking a coaching qualification and will have oversight of the support of new staff. The manager anticipates that this will help to embed new staff’s learning and practice. Induction plans are clear, and additional support from the learning and development manager enhances learning for new starters. Staff find the regular, reflective and thorough supervision sessions helpful. Supervision sessions cover a wide range of subjects and allow staff to give and receive feedback as well as reflect on practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff use team meetings effectively to review children’s needs and the quality of care provided. The manager has used this forum to carry out a learning review around why one child, despite having a well-planned and supported move, did not settle in the home and moved on. Staff reflected on the positives as well Inspection report for children’s home: 2651806 6 as the reasons why it did not work. This reflection has been taken to inform future practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals generally speak positively of the manager and the service provided to children. One professional said, ‘Children need more homes like this.’ However, the manager did not maintain sufficiently close liaison with one child’s school. As a result, staff did not attend two relevant school meetings for one child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651806 7

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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 develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (d)) 18 March 2025

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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: 2651806 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Caritas Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caritas Homes Ltd, 1a Denne Hill Business Centre, Womenswold, Canterbury CT4 6HD

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Inspector

Louise Webling, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2651806 9 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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