Children's home run by Acorn Care (NE) Limited in Darlington

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judge that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This interim inspection was brought forward, following concerns relating to a notification under Regulation 40 that had been sent to Ofsted by the home. In addition, concerns have been expressed by professionals involved in the home that some of the young people were regularly going missing from the home and were not being safeguarded effectively.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the full inspection, there has been a change of manager at the home. The registered manager has been in post since July 2016 and is experienced, having worked at a different home for the same provider. In addition, there has been a change of young people resident at the home, with all four being newly placed in the home since the last inspection. One other young person was still registered as living at the home and was receiving support from the staff but was living with a family member, as an assessment was being carried out to allow her to live there long term.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has not responded fully to the requirements and recommendations of the last inspection. There were concerns at that time in relation to the admissions records, as the staff appeared to be admitting new young people without due consideration of the impact that this might have on other young people already residing in the home. Records examined at this inspection showed no evidence of an evaluation of risks at the point of the admission of new young people or of a record of the decision-making process that led to a placement being made. This leaves all of the young people vulnerable. In addition, care-planning information from the placing authority was either not in place or brief in content. No care plans had been devised by the staff, meaning that they were addressing the needs and managing the behaviour of young people with very little guidance or strategy. While there was evidence that this had been challenged, there was no evidence of

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

escalation of the requests for relevant records and reports.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The outcomes for all of the current group of young people are poor. No one is attending or benefiting from education, and relationships with the staff are inconsistent and of superficial quality. Three of the four young people admitted since the last inspection were not in education, further education or work. The fourth young person has an educational placement, but their attendance is poor. In addition, although there were plans in place to meet educational needs, they were vague and only identified ‘education time’ rather than detailed tasks. Daily routines were not established. The impact of this on the young people is that they will experience difficulty in developing a routine once placements are identified, increasing the risk of absences and having a further impact on their levels of achievement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Recruitment practice is robust and there have been several changes of staff in recent months. Daily recordings demonstrated varied levels of knowledge and understanding by staff, some of whom are in senior positions, when dealing with the presenting behaviours of young people. The result is that those young people with complex needs have their behaviour managed and responded to through inconsistent practice. The level of disruption and incidents in the home and the number of episodes of young people going missing from the home are evidence of this inconsistency. The result is that the young people are unsettled and unhappy. One young person described it as: ‘The worst home I have ever been in. The staff are unprofessional and wind young people up rather than care for them.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Relationships between the staff and the young people are poor. Practice observed during the inspection and viewed in daily records was of a reactive, negative nature rather than positive and proactive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Records showed that sanctions were being applied for a range of behaviours that were being demonstrated by the young people, but that these were not added to the sanctions log, which had not been completed since 22 October 2016. The result is that there is no oversight of the appropriateness of the sanctions applied in response to the behaviour of the young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Throughout the inspection, there was a lack of evidence in the records of the strategies and practice staff had undertaken to respond to incidents of concern. A lack of evidence that this had been addressed in the staff supervisions and minutes of team meetings suggests an underpinning lack of management oversight. However, there was evidence available that the policies and procedures for reporting incidents were not being followed consistently. From mid-October 2016, a total of 10 incidents of concern had occurred which had not been notified to Ofsted. The impact is that the regulator is unable to determine whether appropriate action has been taken.

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 07/06/2016 Full Good 18/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/02/2016 Full Requires improvement 13/08/2014 Full Adequate

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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

If the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 10/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

8. In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure: (a) that staff: (i) help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; (ii) support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (iv) help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; (v) promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; (vi) maintain regular contact with each child’s education and

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Requirement Due date

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; (vii) raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; (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; 10/02/2017 (ix) help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment; (x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; (b) that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities

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Requirement Due date

and resources to support the child’s learning. *11. In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person should ensure that staff understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. 10/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

*12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure: (a) that staff: (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s

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Requirement Due date

child protection policies; (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; (c) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded; (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and (e) that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is 10/02/2017 monitored regularly. *13. In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that: (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard requires the registered person to: (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with

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Requirement Due date

the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on: (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 10/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure that children: (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (2) In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure: (a) that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) that arrangements are in place to: (i) ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; (ii) manage and review the placement of each child in the home; 10/02/2017 and (iii) plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; (c) that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— (a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)) 10/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if: (a) a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; (c) there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; (d) a child protection enquiry involving a child: (i) is instigated; or (ii) concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or (e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (5) A notification made under this regulation: (a) must include details of: (i) the matter; (ii) the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and (iii) any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the

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Requirement Due date

matter; (b) must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(5)) 13/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.31)

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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 that 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. Whenever 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 whom 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’. 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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