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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064081 1 SC064081

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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 provides care for up to seven children who experience social, emotional and mental health difficulties. It is part of a charity that has other homes and a school in the local area. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site. Six 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: SC064081 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/03/2025 Full Good 25/09/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/03/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC064081 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy warm, trusting relationships with staff who know them well. These relationships help the children to feel secure and to make progress in developing their independence, confidence and social engagement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in a range of activities that reflect their individual interests, including cadets, youth club, gymnastics and horse riding. These activities contribute positively to their self-esteem and sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children effectively with education and learning. They work collaboratively with education professionals to promote engagement with school and to address barriers to learning. For a child new to the area and not yet in education, the manager is actively advocating to support timely school placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home at short notice. Managers prepared staff and children appropriately; the child was warmly welcomed and has settled well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value and promote children’s important relationships. They communicate effectively with family members and support children to maintain contact in accordance with their plans. Friendships are encouraged, supporting children’s social confidence and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family members speak positively about the care provided. They report that staff support children to maintain meaningful relationships. One family member stated that their child is ‘in the best place they have ever been’. Professionals are also highly complimentary and express confidence in the care that the children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team is diverse, and staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s needs. However, the particular religious and cultural needs of one child are not currently being fully met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms in line with their interests, and they are proud of their spaces. Some areas of the accommodation are less homely. The storage of children’s belongings is not always managed with sufficient care and attention.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and of children’s vulnerabilities. Children do not go missing from this home, and they report that they feel safe and well cared for. Nevertheless, staff clearly understand the potential risks associated with children going missing. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064081 4 Staff respond well to concerns raised by children and parents. Children are encouraged and supported to raise concerns through established processes. As a result, children feel assured that staff listen to them.

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

There has been one allegation made by a child. In response to which leaders did not follow safeguarding processes and there is no recorded consultation with safeguarding partners. In this instance, this does not appear to have had any negative impact on the child.

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

Staff provide children with clear and consistent boundaries. The children are familiar with expectations and respond well. Practice is underpinned by a therapeutic approach to the provision of care and positive behaviour is praised and acknowledged.

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

Staff are attuned to the children’s behaviours, and they are skilled at supporting them when they are struggling with their emotions. They use effective de-escalation techniques, and the use of physical intervention is proportionate.

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

Risk assessments support staff to manage risks effectively. However, they do not consistently provide sufficient clarity, particularly for new staff. The recording system is not always easy to navigate and requires staff to read key documents alongside children’s plans to gain a full understanding of the risks and protective strategies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates a strong commitment to children and provides effective leadership of the home. He knows the children well and shows genuine care and warmth towards them. Children recognise him as a key adult and seek him out for reassurance and positive interaction. The manager maintains good oversight of most incidents within the home, including incidents involving children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager speaks confidently and with insight about children’s individual needs, goals and aspirations. He is a strong advocate for children and promotes their development and progress effectively. He is well supported by a stable and experienced senior leadership team, whose members provide appropriate support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of building effective working relationships with families and professionals involved in children’s lives. They work collaboratively with external agencies to ensure that children receive coordinated and consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are safely recruited into the home, ensuring that suitable adults work with the children. The home is sufficiently staffed. A stable and long-standing core staff team provides continuity of care and has enhanced the children’s sense of belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a suitable range of training that supports them to meet the needs of the children. This includes training relevant to the specific needs of children. Clinical Inspection report for children’s home: SC064081 5 therapist input into supervision strengthens staff understanding and supports informed and therapeutic care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision arrangements are not consistently aligned with the home’s policy. The frequency and duration of supervision sessions are variable, particularly for new members of staff, which limits the effectiveness of support and oversight during their early employment. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064081 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager within the home. Any allegation of harm or abuse must be addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)  The registered person should provide staff supervision which enables staff to reflect and act upon how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for. Staff should have protected time, have written notes and understand the frequency with which supervision will take place, in line with the home’s policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)  The registered person should ensure that children maintain and develop their cultural or religious beliefs as far as practicable and consultation with partner agencies should

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Recommendations

take place to ensure that clear plans are agreed to support this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.22)  The registered person should ensure that the home provides a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children; they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, care and attention should be afforded to the storage of children’s personal belongings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them, in particular ensuring clear systems are in place to support these processes. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC064081 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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Inspectors

Alexia Hosker, Social Care Inspector (Lead) Cassie Martin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064081 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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