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

Inspection report children’s home: SC390751 1 SC390751 Registered provider: Acorn Care (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

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 who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC390751 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 The children and young people at this home are kept safe. The managers and staff team know them well. They have built up strong, supportive and nurturing relationships with them.  The children and young people are supported to develop independence skills. There is an accredited programme of independence training that prepares them for the practical and emotional aspects of moving out of the home.  Risk assessments are comprehensive and reviewed appropriately. There are copies on the daily handover files. This ensures that the staff are aware of any changes on a daily basis.  Family contact is very well promoted and supported. This is helping the children and young people to maintain and improve their relationships with their family and friends.  There are very good links with other professionals. Communication is good, which means that the children and young people get the best possible care.  Recruitment practices are robust. A new induction process has been introduced

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

which strengthens staff induction. This ensures that all new staff are well supported and trained to work with the children and young people.  The children and young people are able to access a range of activities. This offers them new leisure experiences, helping to improve emotional and physical well-being.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Safeguarding should be a standard agenda item in staff supervision.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC390751 3

p.2

Recommendations

 Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

p.3

Recommendations

This is with particular reference to the inclusion of safeguarding as a standard agenda item in staff supervision.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff team are skilled at building trusting and secure relationships with the children and young people. This offers children and young people a sense of stability and belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children and young people attend either a school or college placement. Good progress is being made and attendance has improved. Two young people who found attending school difficult were supported to move to an alternative educational placement, the ‘learning zone’. This provision provided individual help and support that are tailored to the young people’s needs. A young person said: ‘I loved the learning zone, the teachers were good.’ Both of these young people now have college placements. A young person’s social worker said: ‘The manager and key worker attended all education meetings and fought for him to have better educational provision. They were fantastic advocates for him.’ The manager and staff team have high aspirations for the children and young people and work well with education professionals to achieve the best outcomes for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are healthy and are supported to attend all health appointments. A healthy diet and lifestyle are promoted. All meals are taken together in the dining room, which creates a friendly, family atmosphere. The staff are trying to help the children and young people to eat more healthily. They are aware that the children and young people enjoy eating take-away food, and are making healthier, home-cooked versions of dishes such as pizza and curry. This is proving popular with the children and young people, who are encouraged to help to make these dishes. This ensures that the children and young people can learn how to make much healthier versions of their favourite food.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independent living skills are an important area of staff practice. There are currently three young people preparing to move on from the home. They are undertaking an independence programme that is accredited by the AQA and, on completion, they will Inspection report children’s home: SC390751 4 receive a certificate. Alongside this they are also having experiences in how to buy food and cook meals. This is helping them to be prepared to budget when they leave the home. A young person said: ‘My key worker has helped me loads to buy food and learn how to cook.’ Pathways plans are in place, they are up to date and all of the young people have been involved with their plans.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans are up to date and robust. The children and young people are encouraged and supported to contribute to their plans. They each have a ‘my journey plan’, which is a child-friendly plan devised to encourage young people’s participation in fun way. The manager and staff have worked really hard to create these plans and it is clear that they take pride in enabling the children and young people to have their wishes and feelings recorded in their plans. Risk assessments are detailed and set out the needs of individual children and young people. They are updated appropriately and a copy is kept on the staff handover file, ensuring that any changes can be picked up by the staff quickly. This means that the staff are up to date with identified risks for all of the children and young people.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff hold weekly meetings with the children and young people to help to obtain their views and feelings about life at the home. The minutes of these meetings are looked at by the home’s manager and shared at staff team meetings. Feedback is given to the children and young people on the issues raised. The home is registered with the Investing in Children awards scheme. This organisation promotes children and young people’s rights and undertakes an annual inspection of the home. Two young people participated in the most recent inspection in September 2017. The report was very positive, finding that the children and young people are supported to have a voice and are listened to at the home. One young person said, ‘I liked doing the inspection. It was hard work, but made me feel good about my home.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work well to support and facilitate the children’s and young people’s contact. They provide transport, and contact can also take place at the home, if this appropriate. A social worker said: ‘The staff have been brilliant in supporting contact. They have provided transport. They supported extra contact over Christmas, which was really appreciated by parents.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work very well with all professionals, which means that appropriate care can be offered to the children and young people. The social workers spoken to all said that they had good relationships with the manager and staff and they felt that the children and young people were well supported.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team helps to promote involvement with activities. There are plenty of activities to do, both inside and outside the home. Fishing and horse riding are very popular, as are visits to a local leisure centre. One young person went on holiday to Spain. This was his first time abroad or on a plane. The children and young people have also, with the help of the staff, held a fundraising event for charity. Inspection report children’s home: SC390751 5

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The children and young people are safe and protected while living at the home. Individual risk assessments identify strategies and actions to minimise risk. The staff take appropriate action and support the children and young people to behave in ways that keep them safe.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical restraint is a rare occurrence. The staff use consistent boundaries and routines, combined with incentives for positive behaviour or achievements. Sanctions are used to manage behaviour, when necessary. A restorative approach is also used, which involves negotiation with the children and young people. This enables them to develop an understanding of their own behaviour. The combination of these approaches to manage behaviour is effective.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There has been a reduction in the number of missing from home episodes. The staff act promptly, trying to locate any children or young people who go missing. They provide support and reassurance when the children and young people return home. Return interviews are undertaken by an independent person. A social worker for a young person who had recently left the home said: ‘The staff went that extra mile trying to locate him, looking for him and contacting him on his phone. They tried really hard to get him home.’

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Information on how to make a complaint and how to access an independent advocate is available in the children’s and young people’s guide. Complaints are investigated by the manager, and the children and young people are informed in writing of the outcome. There is a record of their response to the outcome of the complaint. This means that the children and young people clearly know that they are listened to and that appropriate actions are taken when they make a complaint.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager is experienced and qualified to manage the home. She is well supported by a dedicated deputy and senior members of staff. She has been instrumental in ensuring that the therapeutic and nurturing model of care is being embedded within the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are appropriately recruited and there is a full staff team, which ensures that the children and young people thrive with consistent levels of care. There is a structured and thorough induction programme for new staff, which prepares them well to work in a safe and confident way. A member of staff said: ‘I found the induction to work very good, and going through the standards workbook really made me think about my approach to my work.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is very high. Staff state they are well supported and valued in their work by managers and senior staff. They have regular supervision and annual appraisals. However, the supervision agenda does not contain safeguarding as a standard item. This means that the staff are not able to discuss and reflect on the safeguarding culture Inspection report children’s home: SC390751 6 at the home on a regular basis.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Quality assurance is robust, with the manager carrying out in-depth and appropriate monthly monitoring. This ensures that she is able to have a very clear overview of the staff practice at the home. There is also external scrutiny in the form of regular risk management and safeguarding audits, which are carried out by the responsible individual.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a training matrix in place that tracks when updates are necessary. The staff benefit from a range of training, both in-house and external. Staff stated that they felt that they had the right training for their work. All of the staff have completed nurturing and attachment training and say that this has been extremely beneficial in helping them to understand the children’s and young people’s behaviour and trauma from their past. The staff are trained to use the PACE therapeutic model, which outlines ‘a way of thinking, feeling, communicating and behaving that aims to make the child feel safe’. A consultant clinical psychologist is employed on a part-time basis. This ensures that staff have regular support and training to help them to improve their own practice. The managers and senior staff are very proactive in sourcing training and have developed a learning culture within the staff team. A member of staff said: ‘Training is fantastic and

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

you can discuss your training needs and ask for specific training. I did this recently and it resulted in staff being enrolled on a mental health awareness course at a local college.’

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a cohesive and established team of staff who clearly enjoy working together. As a result, there is a low turnover of staff. This offers continuity of care for the children and young people.

p.6

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

p.6

Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC390751 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorn Care (UK) Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 33 Kellaw Road, Yarm Road Business Park, Darlington, County Durham DL1 4YA

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Julie-Ann Foxton

p.7

Inspector:

Dot McGough, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC390751 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector:

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector:

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

p.8

Inspector:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8