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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has Sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The full inspection of this home in September 2015 resulted in five requirements and three recommendations. The manager has addressed three of the requirements and two of the recommendations. Two requirements and one recommendation have not been fully met, however, this has not impacted on the quality of care provided to young people. Décor across the site has improved significantly with a major refurbishment programme underway. Young people benefit from modern well equipped facilities and good quality sensory equipment. This provides a modern, clean and homely environment where stimuli and facilities are geared to support young people’s learning diagnosis. Independent flats prepare young people for independent living and adult services. The supervision matrix shows that staff are having regular supervision. This is in its infancy with the appointment of the new manager. Staff spoken to confirmed they

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

feel fully supported and they have regular supervision. The complaints process states that there will be a written acknowledgement within three working days. This is not consistently evidenced in the records of complaints. It is not clear whether complainants are happy with the outcome in all cases. Some complaints do not have detail of the action taken or investigation outcomes. This means the previous requirement has not been met and this has been raised as a shortfall. Feedback from parents is mixed. Concerns regarding communication remain an issue for some parents. This is further supported by the nature of parental complaints. In addition, the school continues to send records to the previous social worker of one young person, despite her caseload responsibility ending in July 2015. That does not evidence consistent effective working relationships. Staff meet regularly with young people and seek young people’s particular

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

preferences for the forthcoming week. Young people participate in a variety of activity ideas that are evidenced using photographs. New resources and supporting picture exchange communication symbols offer young people a good range of stimulating choices that supports their interests. The manager confirms that recruitment is underway with eight new staff appointments undergoing recruitment checks. External consultants have been commissioned to monitor the high staff turnover using exit interviews. New working rotas have been introduced and staff say they are not working so many hours. A sample of rotas show that while agency staff continue to be utilised these are spread between core staff to minimise the impact to young people. Additionally waking night staff have been increased to ensure young people are carefully monitored during the night. Deputy managers and team leaders are qualified, despite this there remain a number of staff who are not yet working towards a

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

level three qualification. The organisation have sourced an assessor to ensure that training can begin. The number of untrained staff has reduced and plans to provide training are in progress, however, this shortfall remains unmet. Young people have complex learning difficulties and are rarely exposed to risks outside the home. There are no concerns in regard to child sexual exploitation or incidences of missing from home. Bullying is not cited as an issue. There are high levels of restraint that are reviewed although these have reduced over time. These are instigated in line with care planning. Care plans have been reviewed, new templates ensures that when actions are decided in reviews these are captured in care planning and implemented by staff. Young people benefit from a small homely environment where they know staff well. Routines and consistent care help them feel secure and safe. This has a positive impact on self-confidence and reduces

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been several changes in managers since July 2015. A new manager has been appointed and has applied for registration. This has had a positive impact. Changes are evident particularly morale among staff has improved. Resources and décor in the houses have been updated and are of good quality. Parents and professionals recognise that the new manager is having a positive impact. The managerial monitoring of records is undertaken by the manager. This ensures debriefs are held following restraint and triggers to behavioural incidents are monitored. This helps work on prevention strategies and ensure physical intervention are safe and reflect recognised training models. The manager has failed to send in a review of care. This reduces the capacity to improve the provision and address the identified shortfalls.

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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 22 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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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

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)) 29/02/2016

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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)) 31/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children at least once every six months. (Regulation 45 (1)) 31/03/2016

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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 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)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. procedures set out in 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

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, 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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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