Calderstones Support Group Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd 1 Calderstones Support Group Ltd Registered provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is operated by a private provider in the northwest of England. They can accommodate up to nine individuals in two shared or group-living premises that are not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers. At the time of inspection, four looked-after children aged 16 or 17 were being accommodated.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 12 May 2025 and started that day. The inspector was on site on 14 and 15 May 2025.

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Outcome

Consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive experiences and progress for children. Where improvements are needed, leaders and managers take timely and effective action. The next inspection will be within approximately three years.

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Summary of findings

Staff have nurturing relationships with children. Staff listen to children’s views, and this contributes to support plans.

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Summary of findings

Children feel positive about the help they receive. They also feel respected and valued by the staff. Children are happy, have fun and enjoy their supportive environment.

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Summary of findings

Children develop their own interests, and their friends visit their homes. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd 2 A small consistent staff team helps children to develop their independence skills, so they are prepared for adult life.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have strong partnerships with other professionals and agencies. They work collaboratively to safeguard children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff listen to children’s views and take them seriously. Children also take a lead role in developing their plans. Leaders and managers understand that children are asked to repeat their views and life stories to various different agencies. This can place unnecessary demands on children and add to trauma. Staff advocate for children and support them in meetings to lessen this effect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

All children and young people attend education, are in employment or have plans to start training. Staff know that children may have had poor experiences of school in the past, which can be a barrier to their engagement. Staff praise children’s willingness to try different training providers, and celebrate their achievements. One child said, ‘I have really turned my life around,’ and another said, ‘I didn’t think that I wanted to go to college before I came here. Now I go all the time.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children take responsibility for administering their own medication and learn to maintain their physical health. Staff ask children about their emotional and physical well-being and accompany them to appointments. Staff work with specialist services when children need additional help, for example with their mental health. Children access help quickly when they need it most. Consequently, children can recognise improvements in their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children live in safe, comfortable accommodation. Their bedrooms are spacious and individualised to their taste. Children say that staff give them privacy to spend time in their rooms. Some areas of the children’s accommodation have numerous health and safety notices and company policies on display. This detracts from the setting being homely and welcoming.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff help children to maintain their significant relationships and regularly check in on children when they spend time alone, which reduces isolation. Children have mobile phones and access to Wi-Fi throughout their homes, which helps them feel connected to others. One child is rebuilding his relationships with his family after a long period of separation, spending some nights away with them. Staff provide emotional support so the child can share their new experiences and learn to navigate relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff prepare children to move on from the service. There are easy-to-read plans to teach children independent living skills, so they can visualise their progress. Staff also help children to obtain identity documents so they can apply for housing. When children reach adulthood, they remain in the accommodation service until they are fully prepared for independent living and have suitable accommodation. Children Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd 3 who have recently left the service keep in touch and are positive about their transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers provide a written guide to welcome children into the service. This guide includes the support children can expect from the service. However, the guide is not in an accessible format for children who do not understand written English.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff create plans to identify and manage children’s vulnerabilities. This ensures that there is clear safeguarding guidance for staff. Safety plans identify the vulnerabilities of each child and how staff should respond to their behaviour. Staff work well with children to help them to manage their anxieties.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff ensure that children can live alongside each other safely. The registered service manager carefully considers the vulnerabilities of each child before they move into their home. Leaders and managers ensure that staff receive training relating to the specific risks to children, for example, self-harm and substance misuse.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff have good relationships with safeguarding partners such as the police and the local authority. There is a nominated police officer who offers support to children living at the service and is a useful contact for the staff team. Children feel comfortable and secure with a police presence. Children learn boundaries for their behaviour, and this helps to prevent them from becoming involved with the criminal justice system unnecessarily.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff follow appropriate guidance when children go missing from home. They recognise children’s vulnerabilities and follow police and local authority protocols. Staff know the people in children’s support networks and regularly speak to them. They care about children’s safety in the community. They know where children are and when they are going to return. Children feel supported and rarely go missing from their homes.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff support children who find emotions such as anger difficult to manage. Staff accept children’s feelings and respond consistently to their behaviour. Children can take risks but they are supported by the sheltered environment of the service. They know what help they can expect from staff in an emergency.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff recognise the signs of criminal exploitation in children. They know what to do and how to engage with multi-agency safeguarding arrangements. Staff develop trusting relationships so children are open about any worries they may have in the community. The service manager has excellent knowledge of the local area, particularly where children are most vulnerable. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager is passionate and dedicated to providing quality support for children. They model good practice and are ambitious for children. One child living in the service wrote a college assignment about the registered service manager’s compassionate leadership skills. Children feel that the service manager is reliable and dependable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff take children’s views seriously, and children take a lead role in their own plans. Staff advocate for children’s needs and they also promote advocacy services. When plans are not right for a child, the registered service manager escalates concerns to senior managers in the local authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The staff team has the skills to work with vulnerable children. New staff employed to work in the service have formal qualifications related to their work, or transferable skills and relevant experience. Staff have regular meetings to discuss their training needs and yearly appraisals to reflect on their performance. Leaders and managers celebrate staff achievements and loyalty to the service. One member of staff said, ‘It’s an amazing place to work, I feel a sense of belonging.’ Staff are proud to work for the provider and feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff have regular supervision from leaders and managers. They share good practice and reflect on how they meet children’s needs. Monthly team meetings and management discussions provide further opportunities for reflection and oversight. Leaders and managers promote a culture where respectful challenge is accepted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers communicate well with other professionals in children’s lives. A social worker said, ‘They are proactive in getting the support that [name of child] needs.’ Staff are a consistent presence in children’s lives even when the multi- agency team supporting the [name of child] changes. Leaders and managers are also aware of children’s rights and entitlements and challenge placing authorities effectively. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that health and safety notices and company policies are not on display in children’s accommodation. This gives children’s accommodation an institutional feel. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 29)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is a user-friendly document in an accessible format for children who do not have a good understanding of written English. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 42)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd 6

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 374 Smithdown Road, Liverpool L15 5EN

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Hayley Cooke

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: lewis.callaghan@csg-online.org.uk

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Inspector

Sue Garner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Calderstones Support Group Ltd 7 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 children looked-after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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