Five Foundation Homes Rated Outstanding

As the regulatory year comes to an end, the Caldecott Foundation has acknowledged the achievements of its residential children’s homes, five of which have been rated by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’.

“Whilst we continue to strive for the best possible outcomes for the young people who are engaged in positive relationships alongside skilled therapeutic staff, it is always satisfying to have our expectations recognised by our regulatory body”, says Kevin Gore, Regional Manager at the Caldecott Foundation.

Feedback following Ofsted’s inspection and subsequent fourth successive ‘Outstanding’ grading of a Kent home in June 2018 was a credit to the staff team and young people.  The inspector commented on the high levels of therapeutic practice and suggested that the home was one of the most therapeutic she had ever inspected.

“It cannot be underestimated how hard it is to achieve four back-to-back ‘Outstanding’ ratings”, says Kevin.  “Our registered manager, Emma and her team are keen to continue their hard work and commitment to achieve five ‘Outstanding’ inspections in the next regulatory year.”

In early September, an East Midlands home was inspected by Ofsted and achieved its first ‘Outstanding’ since opening in 2016.  The inspector commented on exceptional therapeutic practice that places children at the centre of everything; exceptional keyworker sessions and a very positive, committed team of staff who ensure that children’s needs are fully met.

“This was just reward to Teresa and her team, who have demonstrated enormous drive and commitment to get the home to this point”, says Kevin.

Shortly afterwards another home in the East Midlands was inspected by Ofsted, with registered manager Sarah and her team hoping for another ‘Outstanding’ grading as reward for their continual hard work and devotion to the young people in their care.

The inspector commented that the children and young people were making fantastic progress; the manager and the team were very committed and passionate in their role, with staff strongly advocating for children and providing many opportunities for them to grow and learn.

The children gave exceptional feedback saying that they felt happy, safe and loved, with one young person’s comments making a particularly strong impact on the inspector. This high praise was followed with an ‘Outstanding’ grading for Sarah, her team and the young people.

In October a Kent home that had experienced considerable change during the year, including an almost completely new child group, had its full inspection and achieved its third ‘Outstanding’.  The Ofsted inspector found that all the young people were settled and in good relationships with staff, with the home’s manager Trudie and her team embracing the opportunity to work with a younger child group.

Feedback reported that “the management strongly advocate for the staff team and the children in their care; children’s safety is at the centre of all practice in the home and slick safeguarding systems ensure all young people are safeguarded effectively”.

And in February 2019, another Kent home received its Ofsted inspection and second consecutive ‘Outstanding’ grading – a highly significant achievement for registered manager Becky and her staff, who’d had to manage very challenging situations throughout the year and adapt to a very diverse child group.

The Ofsted inspector acknowledged that “strong leadership, resilience of the staff team and the embedding of a culture that embraces difference, not only meets but exceeds the needs of the young people” in the home’s care.

With the new regulatory year just around the corner, the Caldecott Foundation is in a great place from which to continue to grow and lead the way in therapeutic care and education.

“The regulatory success of five ‘Outstanding’ residential children’s homes is a truly remarkable achievement and one that all staff in the Caldecott Foundation should be immensely proud of”, says Regional Manager Kevin.

“This puts us in a strong position to carry on developing our service and help children build a positive future.”