Children's Home run by Acorn Homes (UK) Ltd in Kent

Unique reference number SC416915 Inspection date 15/08/2012 Inspector Mark Blesky Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 18/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The children’s home is owned by a private company and accommodates up to seven young people. It is one of three children’s homes owned by the company. The home offers a care and support for young people that have a range of behavioural and emotional difficulties. The home offers specific services based on an activity programme of care, offering all young people the opportunity to participate and engage in a number of sporting activities.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

This home provides good outcomes for young people and the quality of care is also good. Young people are provided with personalised well planned care that is insightful and planned around their individual needs. Young people have gained confidence and clearly express their views and wishes which has led to young people feeling motivated and empowered to make choices.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are supported by a high ratio of staff members who provide them with individual time and the opportunity to have effective one-to-one relationships. Young people say that their relationships with the staff are one of the most rewarding features within the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people say staff look after them well, give them the opportunity to progress and that they understand their individuality and behaviours. Consequently, young people feel respected and cared for and this has led to substantial improvements in behaviour which is well managed and sustained. Education is a priority and young people now attend school where they had previously refused to attend. Staff provide one-to-one support with education and liaise effectively with the schools. Healthcare is well managed for all events that arise post placement, but historic information and interventions are not so well evidenced.

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Overall effectiveness

Social workers responsible for four of the young people commend the work that this home has undertaken and make clear that they view the outcomes for young people as outstanding. This is particularly evident in levels of confidence, improved behaviour and participation in the extended community.

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Overall effectiveness

Safeguarding is well managed in most areas and systems are effective and provide safe care. Young people are kept safe and say that they feel safe. Young people believe that staff care greatly about their welfare and that they feel supported and valued as a result. Leadership and management are strong in the day-to-day management and motivation of staff. However, management of some of the formal systems are not as robust, particularly quality assurance monitoring.

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Overall effectiveness

Although, some weaknesses are evident in safeguarding and leadership, they have not impacted on the impressive progress that has been made by the young people. Outcomes for young people are good and have been sustained at this level with impressive progress resulting. The manager is aware of the systems that are weaker and a review of some of these systems is already in place. Action is being taken to improve and develop areas which are less effective and areas have been appropriately prioritised.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the registered person produces a guide to the children's home which shall include the address and telephone number of the HMCI (Regulation 4 (3)) 31/10/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that subject to paragraph (1A) the registered person shall after consultation with the fire and rescue authority take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment. With particular reference to a fire plan (Regulation 32 (1)(a)) 31/10/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) confirm that that registered person ensures that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, discipline or restraint in a children’s home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include the points listed in the following regulation. (Regulation 17B (3)(a-i) & (4)(b)) 31/10/2012

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure the registered person can demonstrate, including from written and electronic records, that it consistently follows good recruitment practice. All staff responsible for recruitment and selection of staff are trained in, understand and operate the good practices set out in the national minimum standards (NMS 16.2)  ensure children understand their health needs, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to make informed decisions about their own health (NMS 6.2)  ensure that young people are supported to develop practical skills, which helps them to prepare for and supports them into adulthood, so that they can reach their potential and achieve economic well-being (NMS 12.1)  ensure that young people receive personalised care that promotes all aspects of their individual identity (NMS 2.1)  ensure that the children's guide includes a summary of what the home sets out to do for children, how they can find out their rights, how a child can contact

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Recommendations

their Independent Reviewing Officer, the Children’s Rights Director, Ofsted if they wish to raise a concern with inspectors, and how to secure access to an independent advocate (NMS 13.5)  ensure that the registered person takes action to address any issues of concern that they identify or which is raised with them (NMS 21.9)  ensure that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated (NMS 10.3)  ensure all staff’s work is consistent with the Regulations and National Minimum Standards and the home’s policies and procedures. (NMS 21.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have made very good progress in their behaviour, commitment and stability in this home. Young people that previously refused or had intermittent school attendance now attend and sustain their learning. A social worker commented that from a position of refusing to attend school the young person now attends consistently and is making better progress than anticipated at the commencement of the placement. In addition, young people who previously displayed destructive behaviour and behaviour damaging to their health have stopped this behaviour.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The day to day health of young people is managed through consultation with core health services; all young people attend routine and planned health check-ups. Young people make a positive contribution to the home and engage within the wider community. They have, for instance, been successful in raising money for charities, performing arts and crafts and supporting community-based projects. The manager understands the benefits of community inclusion and how this effectively builds young people’s confidence. Young people say that they feel confident and part of the community and they understand their responsibilities as part of that community. Progress in this area has been innovative, successful and very impressive.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Contact is well supported by all staff members and this has resulted in all young people being provided with good opportunities to meet with friends and families. One social worker commented that a young person has now made sustained contact with a parent, which was previously most unlikely.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are not currently provided with the best opportunities to manage the demands of independent living when they move on. While some support is being provided, this is not always consistent or formally planned. This leaves young people with fewer opportunities to develop the necessary independence skills. This is an area that is being developed and there is insufficient evidence at this stage to demonstrate progress.

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Quality of care

Young people and staff demonstrate that they have warm, trusting and respectful relationships. Young people benefit from consistent behaviour management. This is successful in helping young people develop behaviours that are more positive and to control the less positive episodes. Young people say that staff understand and value them. They say that relationships are one of the most important features of the home and feel that these relationships have helped and supported their progress.

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Quality of care

Young people have an active voice and can express their views through young people's meetings and in their day-to-day contact with staff members. This results in staff and the manager adapting and modifying services within the home to follow young people’s wishes. Young people are engaged by this process and feel that their views are valued. They also benefit from regular key work sessions which offer them a good opportunity to express more personal or individual views or opinions they may have.

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Quality of care

Key working is used effectively. Young people make good use of this time to raise issues and also to discuss matters with staff that help them develop and progress. To give young people further opportunities to influence the service, a young people's forum has recently been introduced. This is held once a month and young people from each home represent the ideas, views and comments of their peers.

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Quality of care

Young people are aware of how to make a complaint within the home and they say that the staff assist them with any concern or complaint. The young people's guide does not detail all the information regarding the independent reviewing officer, the Children’s Rights Director or Ofsted should they wish to raise a concern, nor how to secure access to an independent advocate. This omission may result in young people finding it more difficult to make a complaint outside of the home. To ensure young people have good opportunities to develop and progress, each young person is supported by a detailed placement plan. Plans are up-to-date and generally rich in salient information. Plans are reviewed every six weeks. In addition, each young person has a weekly report which details the events of each day. Staff, typically the key worker, collate information from log books, daily reports and observations and then use this to populate the weekly report. Although the plans are

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Quality of care

detailed in many areas, some plans lack evidence of young people's cultural background and personal identity and the impact that this may have on individual goals and outcomes.

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Quality of care

Health planning is managed along with regular reviews and all young people are supported to attend routine visits to doctors and dentists. Current health planning is detailed but historic and previous records are sparse and not so well evidenced. This does not support robust healthcare promotion and limits young people’s access to understanding their medical history or make informed decisions in relation to their health. The home is very motivated towards sports and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Consequently, a full and rich variety of healthy activities are enjoyed by the young people.

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Quality of care

Staff manage education well and all young people attend school or vocational training. Practical support is provided to help young people maintain attendance and develop skills that minimise the likelihood of breakdown. As a result, young people have made significant progress in both their attendance and attainment. For example, one young person has doubled their school attendance since placement; another has over 90% attendance from previous non-attendance.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is adequate at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say that they are safe and that they feel safe and this is because they feel valued, protected and well cared for. They say that staff know their behaviours and individual needs and plan and care for them to keep them safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Detailed risk assessments help to keep young people safe and enable staff and the young person to understand times and occasions when risks may be increased.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The building fire plan does not accurately identify all the buildings fire equipment. Indeed, there are much greater levels of safety equipment fitted in the home than identified on the plan. The maintenance, testing and location of this equipment may be less effective if it is not included on the fire plan.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Anti-bullying procedures are in place and all staff and young people know what to do in the event of bullying. Staff receive guidance in this area and anti-bullying is discussed in team meetings along with other aspects of behaviour displayed by the young people. Young people are protected when they go missing by staff members who effectively manage the search, reporting and recovery. Protocols have been agreed with the police in terms of roles and expectations when a young person is missing. This planning provides greater opportunities to prevent and reduce incidents of young people going missing or absent. Good progress has been made with significant reductions in incidents of young people going missing. A placing social worker described the home as having made 'remarkable progress' and as one of the 'best services' they have ever placed with.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Physical interventions are not common in the home and all staff are aware of techniques to avoid or minimise the use of these interventions. Young people say that behaviour is managed through discussion, but when physical intervention is used, it is fair. Not all episodes of physical intervention are recorded as required, resulting in a less robust system of recording and management oversight.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff are employed through formal recruitment panels and the manager is fully engaged in this process. All checks and vetting is carried out by the company’s head office. No staff member begins working with the young people until their statutory checks are in place. However, unexplained gaps are present in two staff files making it difficult to clarify if they have been employed between recorded episodes of employment. Although, gaps are minor, this results in reduced safety in the choosing and employing of staff members to work with vulnerable children.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are adequate .

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Leadership and management

Young people and staff benefit from a manager that is sufficiently experienced and qualified. The manager has addressed the recommendations from the previous inspection visit in January 2012.

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Leadership and management

The home has introduced reviewing procedures and practices to support continuing improvement. This is evident in young people's files, the introduction of a young person's forum and greater inclusion for young people in the wider community. This has led to some impressive outcomes, enabling young people to engage with the local community.

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Leadership and management

A development plan is in place that supports the continuing performance of the home. Appropriate performance targets have been identified and are being pursued. Internal refurbishment and the development of vocational activities have resulted providing increased opportunities for young people.

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Leadership and management

A detailed and comprehensive Statement of Purpose is in place which informs the young people, staff and other parties of the aims and objectives of the home along with services and facilities provided. The Statement of Purpose and young people's guide are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up to date and consistent with practice. Staffing levels are high and often maintained at a one-to-one ratio. As a result, young people are well supported individually and there is greater harmony in the home with a reduction of negative behaviour. One social worker commented that the work undertaken has been outstanding in managing and sustaining improved behaviour.

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Leadership and management

To ensure that the home provides quality care, regular checks and monitoring is undertaken by the Registered Manager. In addition, checks are carried out by a person independent of the home to ensure that standards of care provided in the home are maintained. However, a resulting action plan to address any shortfalls or areas identified for development is not provided.

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Leadership and management

Some areas of the home are less tidy and not as well maintained. The home’s guidance has not been amended to reflect all the changes to the regulations and national minimum standards. As a result, staff do not have access to up-to-date, accurate information and information is not correctly referenced. Although there is no evidence this impacts on direct practice, the guidance for staff is less robust as a result.

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Leadership and management

All young people have detailed personal files and records which help them understand their episodes of being looked after. Young people's records are clear and legible and provide each with a picture of their life, the decisions that have been made and the plans agreed for their future.

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Leadership and management

All significant events relating to the protection of children accommodated in the home are notified by the registered person to the appropriate authorities, and appropriate action is taken following the incident.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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