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

Inspection report for children's home: SC037309 1 SC037309 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 can provide care for up to nine children with social and emotional difficulties. Five children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 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: SC037309 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2024 Full Good 16/05/2023 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/08/2021 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 developed positive relationships with staff who care for them. They can identify trusted staff who they can go to for support. Interactions between staff and children are relaxed and natural, with the children being comfortable in this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to experience a wide range of clubs and activities both in the organisation and away from the home. One child attends a local football club; they are making good progress and are proud of the awards and achievements they have received.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the children’s relationships with their family and friends. A child’s independent reviewing officer said that there is ‘excellent promotion of family relationships’. The children enjoy-quality time with those important to them and are involved in planning for these times. One child is being supported to have a holiday abroad with her parent and sibling, and another has weekly telephone calls to a parent who lives abroad. The children also have friends to visit the home and are supported to experience sleepovers with their friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged with their educational attendance and attainment. One child has recently been supported to sit their GCSEs and is being prepared for their transition to further education. Staff are proud of this achievement and are busy planning with them for the upcoming prom. As a result, all the children are making progress academically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff maintain routine appointments, and when required, specialist assessments are funded by the organisation. This ensures that there are no delays in the children accessing the support they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children to develop age-appropriate independence skills through daily experiences. Staff educate the children to manage potential risks and access childhood experiences that align with their peers. Staff have helped one child with travel training to support them to have a day out in London with friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with the children in a non-judgemental way, and difference is celebrated. One parent said, ‘They have been extremely accepting of him, and that’s all a parent wants for their child: to be accepted by others and not be judged.’ This helps the children to safely explore their identities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is homely and child centred. The children have access to a range of spaces to play, study and relax. The staff have involved the children in the implementation and design of a sensory room. The children’s bedrooms are personalised to their preferences and needs. Some of the home environment is not clean, and chemicals are not always Inspection report for children's home: SC037309 4 safely stored. However, this has not had a negative effect on the well-being of the children.

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

Staff have regular and highly effective conversations with the children. This individualised support helps the children to understand their feelings. This approach has directly helped one child with the reduction of risky behaviours when distressed and subsequently reduced the need for physical intervention. This staff practice is a strength, which results in improved outcomes for the children.

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

Children say they feel safe. They are rarely missing from this home. External professionals are positive about the staff managing safeguarding concerns. One child’s social worker said, ‘There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Any concerns are addressed promptly and appropriately, with clear reporting and open communication.’

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

Allegations are well managed. Managers appropriately consult with external professionals and inform them of any allegations. There has been a delay in notifying the regulator of some serious incidents. This has not had any negative effect on the children’s safety. Managers have fully informed other external agencies, which has promoted a level of external scrutiny of the staff practices.

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

Safer recruitment processes are thorough. This supports the managers’ efforts for only suitable adults to care for the children.

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

Door alarms are used overnight on children’s bedrooms. One child has had her door alarm deactivated following a substantial settled period. However, the wider use of door alarms is not regularly reviewed by managers, and the rationale for continued usage is not clear.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. He has a clear vision for the home and is committed and passionate about driving positive outcomes for the children. He has a good understanding of each of the children and the wider service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to monitor the service, which is supported by a consistent independent person. The responsible individual is a regular presence in the home and has good oversight of both the manager and the home’s wider practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the home’s model of care and how this influences their day-to-day practice. They are complimentary about the manager and wider organisation. Staff say they feel supported and have opportunities for growth and development. One staff member reported the home to be ‘a place of safety and comfort’. Inspection report for children's home: SC037309 5 The manager’s footprint is evidenced across the records. However, the children’s records have some documents missing, and not all records are routinely maintained and up to date. Some key documents had been archived when the service moved recording systems and were not readily available.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some shortfalls in the oversight of both staff training and supervision. Supervision does not always take place in line with the organisational policy. The safeguarding refresher training has exceeded the organisation’s expected timescales for some staff. This means that some staff do not have up-to-date knowledge from training. Inspection report for children's home: SC037309 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they comply with relevant health and safety legislations. Specifically, ensure that chemicals are secured safely and that the home environment is free from any potential hazards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any decisions to modify the environment of the home must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review, specifically in relation to the use of bedroom door alarms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should work to make the children’s home an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach

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Recommendations

set out in the home’s statement of purpose, specifically in relation to the cleanliness of bathrooms and general maintenance and upkeep of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. Specifically, refresher training should be arranged and completed in line with organisational policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the

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Recommendations

action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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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Inspector

Cassie Martin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC037309 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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