Children's Home run by Acorn Care (UK) Limited in Darlington

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The leadership and management of the home are strong. The registered manager has been at the home for almost two years and is improving the care practices. Together with the responsible persons, she is implementing a number of significant changes which are designed to further improve care practices. This is under the guidance of a child psychologist and includes a comprehensive training package for all staff.  The children and young people at this home are kept safe. Staff work hard to support the children and young people to make positive changes to any risk-taking behaviours and these are significantly reducing. Incidents of going missing from the home and misuse of drugs and alcohol are all reducing and are now at low levels.  The home is settled and the children and young people do make progress over time. A number of the children and young people have been at the home for some time and are maturing and developing well. Other young

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The children's home provision is good because:

people who have been at the home for less time are settling well and are starting to make progress. The atmosphere at the home is relaxed and homely and staff work hard to maintain this.  The children and young people are able to make good relationships with the staff. It is apparent that the registered manager makes particularly good relationships with the children and young people and these are based on an open and honest approach. These relationships are the basis of the progress that the children and young people make.  The children and young people are well supported by staff to maintain and improve their relationships and contact with their families and friends. This is important work and helps the children and young people to deal with some of the difficulties that they face in their lives.  Many of the children and young people are planning to move to independence from this home and so acquiring a good range of

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The children's home provision is good because:

independence skills is important. They do get encouragement and support from staff to learn and develop these skills and this work is planned and recorded in an organised way.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

8. In order to meet the education standard, with particular reference to ensuring that children and young people get sufficient education, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(vi) maintain regular contact with each child's education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child's education and training and to maximise the child's achievement; and

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 16 September

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Requirement Due date

6. In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to planning and delivering appropriate key work, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b)(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. 16 August

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Requirement Due date

6. In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to ensuring that all damage to the property is repaired quickly, the registered person must ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c)(i) meet the needs of each child. 16 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring that placement plans are sufficiently detailed, the registered person must ensure that children— 16 August (1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home.

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Information about this children's home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to five children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10 February 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

19 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

The home is a settled place to live. The group of children and young people currently living at the home has mostly been there for some time and has formed a settled group. They have good relationships with the staff. The staff team is settled and there have been few changes in personnel, which all contribute to a settled environment. The inspector observed children and young people who were very relaxed around staff, enjoying appropriate conversation, jokes and light-hearted banter. However, it was also observed that conversations around more sensitive and difficult areas were happening with equal ease, confidence and trust. The staff consult with the children and young people and their views and wishes are taken into account.

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Good

The children and young people are offered individualised care. Staff know the children and young people well and respond to them as individuals. The written placement plans are not currently sufficiently detailed, which means that there is a lack of targeted key-work at times. This means that some areas of concern are not being addressed sufficiently well and may allow a lack of consistency in approach. Staff were finding it difficult to motivate one young person, who was quite isolated and who spent a good deal of time in their room, to engage more. A more robust approach to planning may help here. One young person did not have a pathway plan in place, although this was being completed. The registered manager has already started to change the recording of assessments and planning to a more detailed format and this should help to address these issues. The registered manager has employed a psychologist, who is now working regularly with both

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Good

staff and the children and young people and who is advising on a more in-depth approach. This approach centres on offering a more nurturing method based on the assessment and understanding of attachment issues. This advice also includes advice about working with challenging behaviour and advising staff on appropriate responses.

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Good

There is clear evidence that children and young people are making progress in their lives. Their behaviour is less challenging and they are more settled and matured. Most of the children and young people do spend time with external professionals to receive specialised support and guidance. One young person was making clear progress with his youth offending work, another young person is making progress with anger management and other young people are addressing other issues in their lives such as emotional health and substance misuse.

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Good

A social worker spoken to said that the young person they had placed had made ‘loads of progress’ and ‘had really turned his life around’. A significant family carer was very complimentary and said that ‘staff were brilliant and did a brilliant job’. Another family carer said that another young person was doing very well and that staff were ‘really getting through to him’.

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Good

With regard to education, some of the children and young people are making good progress while others are only making some progress and one has made no progress. One young person at the home has made very good progress at school and is expected to get good exam results this summer. Two young people have college places booked for September and this is positive. All of the children and young people in the home have had a poor experience in education prior to moving to this home, so they all have difficulties at school and all have to catch up on missed education. Currently, staff report that none of the children and young people attend school for the full 25 hours a week and two children and young people are excluded from school. One young person did not have a personal education plan in place, although this was planned. The staff are tackling these issues and have made good efforts to find the best educational placements for all

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Good

the children and young people. Progress has been made, but more work is required to ensure that all the children and young people have as full an educational week as possible. This work will require a strong, assertive approach with the education providers and will also require additional work with the children and young people to ensure that they are able to take advantage of the placements offered and that they are supported to be able to behave appropriately while in school.

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Good

The health of the children and young people is well cared for. They are encouraged to keep appointments and attend for regular checks and most do this well. The staff are keen on home cooking and help the children and young people to learn to cook and prepare meals. Staff also encourage the children and young people to engage in healthy activities and this is successful. One young person plays football regularly and is doing very well, winning awards and accolades from his club. Another young person has recently completed a five kilometre fun run after having very little previous experience of running. During the inspection, one young person was attending for a gym introduction after expressing an interest in this. One young person has been supported by staff to stop smoking and others are also being encouraged to stop smoking.

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Good

The children and young people are supported well by staff to maintain and improve contact and relationships with their families and there is clear progress for some young people here. One young person whose home is some distance away is supported to have safe contact with their family.

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Good

The group of children and young people living at the home is older now and so preparation for independence is high on the list of priorities. Staff encourage them to learn and try out independence skills in both informal and more formal ways. The home has a workbook with checklists of skills and knowledge areas required and this is being completed with these young people.

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Good

The children and young people at this home are kept safe. Many of the children and young people arrive at this home with a history of engaging in risky behaviours such as going missing from home or taking illegal drugs and alcohol. All of the children and young people living at the home have reduced their risky behaviours and are making significant progress towards safer and healthier lifestyles. This is very positive.

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Good

The staff understand the nature of risks that are around for the children and young people and assess these well. They then take appropriate steps to minimise these risks and support the children and young people to behave in ways that keep them safer.

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Good

The number of missing from home incidents has reduced substantially and on the few occasions when a child or young person does go missing, the staff make good efforts to locate them and ensure that they return safely. A number of the children and young people have reduced their drug taking and alcohol misuse since arriving at the home. Although these issues have not gone away completely, staff are supporting the children and young people to significantly reduce these behaviours. One young person has also stopped smoking and staff are working actively with others to help them cut down or stop smoking.

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Good

There have been some instances of challenging behaviour at the home, which have resulted in some damage to property. Staff generally deal with these incidents well but some repairs have been slow to be fixed.

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Good

The staff are clear with the children and young people about what is acceptable behaviour and they do give clear boundaries and expectations. Staff are improving in their understanding of the reasons why children and young people display challenging behaviour and are also improving in the ways that they respond to these incidents. Consequently, the number of incidents are reducing and this is good for the children and young people as well as the staff. Staff have not used any physical interventions. Staff have used some sanctions, which were appropriate, but they also use many more incentives and rewards and these work well. There have been no complaints made about the home.

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Good

There are very few concerns around child sexual exploitation and any concerns that do exist are well assessed and appropriate action is taken to address these issues. There were a few recorded incidents of bullying at the home, but these were very minor and had been dealt with well. Generally, the children and young people get on well with each other and have positive relationships with each other. Minor disagreements are sorted out with staff help and this contributes to the settled environment.

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Good

The children and young people spoken to confirm that they feel safe at the home and confirm that there is no bullying. They also clearly have good relationships with staff, so that if there were any worries they are able to speak to staff with confidence.

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Good

Recruitment practices at the home were safe and thorough.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post for nearly two years and is experienced. She has not yet acquired the required qualification, but is close to completing this and is still within the allowable timescale.

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Good

Staff are either qualified with the appropriate qualification or are taking this qualification and all of them are within the allowed timescale.

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Good

The home is working to the aims and objectives stated in the statement of purpose.

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Good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has a clear plan of development in place to address the shortfalls and to build on the strengths.

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Good

The registered manager clearly prioritises the needs of the children and young people and works in a child-centred way. She is leading some significant changes in the home, which are positive and promising and will give the understanding of the needs of children and young people greater emphasis. The organisation has invested in some in-depth training in nurture and attachment and is developing its practices to reflect this. The registered manager has employed a psychologist on a part-time basis, who is leading other changes to complement the change in focus. This is resulting in more comprehensive assessment practices and more detailed care planning, which is also positive. The registered manager is realistic about the time and effort needed to implement these changes and is committed to ensuring that they are completed. Staff say that they like the new ways of working and appear committed to supporting the changes.

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Good

At the previous inspection, there were a number of requirements and recommendations made. A requirement was made to improve the quality of the independent person’s report and this has been completed. A recommendation was made for the registered manager to escalate issues when the local authority response has been unsatisfactory. This has been completed. However, a continued effort is required here as there are now other issues that require escalating in connection with the education of children and young people. A recommendation was also made to make better use of behaviour support plans and this has been completed and is an ongoing part of the newly introduced changes. The final recommendation was to ensure that any child or young person who went missing from the home had the opportunity for an independent return interview and this has been completed.

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Good

A number of requirements have been made at this inspection. There is a requirement to ensure that all the children and young people have sufficient education. This will require further negotiation and discussion with the education providers. There is a requirement for care planning to be more specific and also for key work to be more specific. While the registered manager has introduced a new system which will address these issues, it is not yet sufficiently embedded to provide evidence that it addresses the issues identified. The final requirement is to ensure that any damage to property is repaired as quickly as possible, so that other children and young people are able to live in a house that is well cared for and maintained.

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Good

Staff say that they find the registered manager supportive and say that the supervision and training that they receive is good. Staff are supervised regularly and have annual appraisals and the content of these is good. The staff are given good training, which not only covers the core subjects but is also in-depth. This training backs up the changes that the registered manager is making to the care practices within the home. The registered manager does monitor practices within the home well and also spends a good deal of time with the children and young people, therefore ensuring a good balance between keeping an overview and developing the service and also maintaining close relationships with all the children and young people. She ensures that the children and young people continue to make good progress and that any difficulties are worked out positively.

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Good

The registered manager is able to make good professional relationships with external professionals and other agencies. There is evidence of the registered manager attending recent meetings with the local police and of these meetings leading to better joint work, which will mean that children and young people may well be better protected.

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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 that 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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