Children's Home, Residential special school run by Acorn Norfolk Limited in Norfolk

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision is requires improvement because:

 A number of shortfalls have been identified in the management of the home that impact on the quality of care provided.  The retention and support of staff is poor. This has left new inexperienced staff making up the majority of each shift.  The number of new admissions at the start of the academic year has left staff with less time to support existing young people.  Some staff do not receive regular supervision or appropriate training for their roles and staff morale is low.  A number of parents have cited concerns which have not been given clear responses. Communication with parents could be improved.  Risk assessments and care plans are not consistently updated and reviewed.  Responses to children’s views and suggestions are not always made clear in appropriate formats.  The quality of accommodation is variable.  Young people make progress in their development particularly in educational attendance.  Placements are long term giving staff time to know and understand young

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The children's home provision is requires improvement because:

people.  The quality of relationships between staff and young people is good.  Safeguarding arrangements are embedded in practice and work well. Staff are confident in reporting and recording concerns.  The registered individual and head of care are aware of the shortfalls and are working with the organisation to address these.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6. The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered provider must: 2 (c)(i) The registered person must ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished as to meet the needs of each child. 30/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 30/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that individual staff have the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (3)(b 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children's home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. This is in regard to the high turnover of staff. (Regulation 31 (1) 31/12/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day to day basis are recorded. This is in relation to updating risk assessments and care plans.(The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Ensure that working relationships with others which includes parents are effective and ensure children's needs are met. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 52 paragraph 10.3)  Ensure that due consideration is given to the child's cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 22 paragraph 4.11)  Ensure that the staff team provide high quality care for all children living in the

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Recommendations

home. The leadership and management of the home must deliver the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose. This is in regard to the number of new admissions taken in a short period of time (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 52 paragraph 10.4)

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Information about this children's home

The children's home and school is owned by a private organisation and is registered to provide accommodation for 40 children with special educational needs and/or learning disabilities. There is a school on site that is registered with the Department of Education to cater for children and young people aged from four to 19 years. Young people live at the home for either 32 or 52 weeks a year. There are currently 21 young people living at the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/06/2014 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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Requires Improvement

Young people are cared for in accommodation that has a variable standard of décor. Two of the houses are well appointed, comfortable and homely. Other communal rooms are not. Young people are encouraged and supported to personalise their rooms. Young people’s bedrooms look different and reflect their likes in the choices of décor. The external area of one house requires updating. Patio slabs are cracked and exterior paintwork is peeling. The ample space and facilities on the site make good transitional provision for young people as they reach adolescence. This gives them more autonomy preparing them for adulthood.

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Requires Improvement

Interactions between staff and young people are generally good. They generally have a rapport and young people appeared comfortable in their presence. Staff ensure that young people who do not use verbal communication are offered alternative ways to communicate their feelings. Picture exchange communication aids support young people to have a voice in the home. House meetings take place. However, the outcomes of these meetings are not consistently clear. This does not enable young people to see and hear the result of their views being acted upon.

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Requires Improvement

Young people have individual care plans that are sufficiently detailed to guide staff working with young people. Staff compile communication and learning profiles. These provide a good overview of young people’s communication needs. However, where reviews of care plans result in actions for the home, these are not always recorded or acted upon.

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Requires Improvement

Young people have access to an independent advocate who attends the service on a weekly basis. She has a good grasp of the needs of the young people and is able to respond to issue that arise. This provides an additional safeguard for young people.

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Requires Improvement

Young people are provided with varied and nutritious meals. Special dietary requirements are met. Young people who are able are encouraged to be involved in the preparation of meals in the homes. This builds future life skills. Feedback regarding communication between the home and families was variable. Whilst there were some positive indications about updates being provided a number of parents spoke of communication not being good enough.

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Good

Young people have complex learning difficulties and are always supervised therefore not exposed to risks outside the home. They rarely leave the site and bullying is not cited as an issue.

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Good

Young people rarely leave the home without staff’s knowledge. On one occasion a young person went to the local shop but quickly found by staff. Risk is managed through high staffing ratios, good levels of supervision and detailed knowledge of each young person. Risk assessments identify most risks although these are contradictory. For example, a young person new to the home with a history of absconding is deemed as a low risk of leaving the home. Risk assessments have review dates which are not always completed. Where staff have been asked to sign that they have read and understood relevant plans this is not consistently completed.

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Good

The grounds are enclosed with electronically operated gates. Young people learn to move safely with cars on site, ride their bikes and learn about safe evacuation through regular fire drills. This teaches young people about personal safety. Staff manage challenging behaviour in accordance with agreed behaviour management plans. The number of restraints are high and reflect the number of recent admissions to the home. Staff are trained in safe physical intervention and use restraint within a clear criteria. Debrief and monitoring has promoted reflection of practice, highlighting where improvements could be made. This safeguards young people.

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Good

There are a high number of safeguarding investigations. These are mainly allegations made against staff and are investigated using the guidance of the local authority designated officer (LADO). Out of 15 allegations two have been substantiated. These were reported swiftly with action taken immediately to protect young people’s welfare. Young people’s specific learning difficulties contribute to complex behaviours that are often unsafe or result in assaults on staff. Staff recognise that the culture of certain young people making allegations raises young people’s vulnerability. However, the reporting and investigation of allegations is robust and transparent providing tight safeguards for young people.

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Requires improvement

The home has recently appointed a head of care who is in the process of registering as the manager. The period of time without a registered manager in post is minimal. Individual care delivered by staff is generally centred on young people’s needs. However, these needs are not always prioritised. Six new admissions to the home have absorbed staff time. Staff can be deployed helping those new adjust to the home. This leaves existing young people to their own devices and this does not provide equal support for all. Young people do progress at the home. Reduction in barriers to attending school, and progress in independence has helped young people mature. One professional said: ‘She has made good progress on a personal basis. She is developing academically. They are very much focussed on her communication and in supporting her to initiate communication.’ This demonstrates progress. Staff are committed to their roles and enjoy time spent with young people.

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Requires improvement

Despite this, the turnover of staff is high and retention of staff is low. There have been 40 new staff since January 2015 and 28 staff who have left. This has resulted in the majority of staff on shift being unqualified, and on probation. Additionally some existing staff have not started mandatory training. This does not equip staff with knowledge for their roles. These include life story work, safeguarding children with learning difficulties and self-injurious behaviour. Staff say that this training would enhance their support of young people. Staff do not always receive regular supervision. This has recently improved there are periods where staff have not been supervised for two months. This means that staff are not always challenged to think about their practice and this may impact on the quality of care provided. The registered individual and head of care are fully aware of the areas that need improvement and what the service does well. External monitoring is robust and

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Requires improvement

identifies areas for improvement. An internal audit took place recently providing a robust critique of the service. The findings are similar to the shortfalls identified during this inspection. Evaluation of staff retention and definition of the skills staff need for the role has been undertaken by the human resource department. Staff have been instrumental in this process attending workshops and defining their roles. The positive impact of the process remains a future goal. The feedback from professional’s spoken to during the inspection is generally good. Parental feedback is mixed. They say admission and transition works well, staff visit prior to placement and assess young people’s needs. However, there are a number of complaints raised by parents about the care provided that are not resolved. Records of meetings are not available and parents were not advised of the outcome to their concerns. This does not provide clear responses to

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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