Children's home run by Acorn Children’s Home (Branston) Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 1 Registered provider: Acorn Children’s Homes (Branston) Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home accommodates up to four children and young people. It is one of two children’s homes run by a small limited company. Their aim is to stabilise children and ensure that they feel safe, secure and cared for. A therapist is available on site for up to two days per week.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is qualified and has many years’ experience in managing children’s homes. He is supported by a full-time deputy manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: the home was registered on 5 July 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

This is the home’s first inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 2

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that there is consistently safe practice around keys, money and medication. 20/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 5 days of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that young people always have the opportunity to talk with staff and/or managers about serious incidents and their consequences. 20/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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 which includes the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that managers fully review whether responses to poor or unsafe behaviours have worked. 20/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 20/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 3 registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, monitor and review the practice of staff to identify and address where staff skills in behaviour management and de- escalation need improvement. The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, improve the quality of analysis and professionalism in communications with the local authority so that social workers know about the strengths and vulnerabilities of each placement; how these are being addressed; and what needs to be done by whom. 20/10/2018

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Recommendations

 For most looked-after children, many planning duties fall to the placing authority. The registered person should ensure that they and their staff engage proactively with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care on an ongoing basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3) In particular, contribute fully to young people’s education and placement plans so that delays are minimised and young people fully understand what is happening.  Children’s homes staff should encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day to day health and well-being. Where children have specific health needs or conditions, they should be supported to manage these subject to their age and understanding. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)

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Recommendations

In particular, help young people to understand the links between diet, exercise, medication, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD), and well-being.  The registered person should agree with their local police force, procedures and guidance on police involvement with the home to reduce unnecessary police involvement in managing behaviour and criminalisation of behaviours. Children should not be charged with offences resulting from behaviour within a children’s home that would not similarly lead to police involvement if it occurred in a family home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.40) Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 4

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improvement to be good

Four young people have lived here since the home opened in July 2018. Managers have ended two young people’s placements following serious incidents. However, young people’s moves into the home are well planned. Staff provide warm, nurturing and individualised care to each young person from the outset. Staff understand young people’s needs, backgrounds and family circumstances. Staff build positive relationships with young people.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff do not fully contribute to young people’s education plans. Three young people do not attend or receive any formal education. Local authorities are seeking placements, but managers do not advocate sufficiently to be sure that delays are minimised. Staff provide all young people with a good range of educational and leisure experiences. They transport one young person a long way to school so that he has educational stability during his short-term placement away from his home area.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s engagement is adversely affected because they do not know how long they are staying at the home. For example, managers and staff cannot reassure one young person about delays in his planned move. This is because they do not know enough about the process of approval that his prospective foster carer is undergoing. Staff have not liaised effectively enough with the placing authority. Nevertheless, staff work well with young people’s families and prospective carers, including making sure that young people see them regularly.

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improvement to be good

Young people live in a homely environment and have helped to redecorate their bedrooms in their own style. Staff, the therapist and young people play games, do craft work and cook together. Staff plan activities, outings, holidays and celebrations with young people. They promote young people’s talents, for example in singing and drama. Staff take numerous photos of the good times that young people have experienced. Young people have their own scrapbook of memories which staff periodically update with them.

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improvement to be good

Overall, young people’s emotional health is improving. They take more pride in their personal hygiene and appearance. However, staff do not teach young people about the links between diet, exercise, side-effects of medication, diagnosed hyperactivity and attention deficit difficulties, and well-being. As a result, young people have less understanding about what they can do to improve their physical and emotional health.

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improvement to be good

The therapist has shown staff how to provide individualised winding down activities, soothing techniques and strategies to help young people settle to sleep at night. Some of these include a hot chocolate and a chat, hand massages, tucking in, relaxing stories and aromatherapy. Staff and young people have a ‘circle time’ each day to talk about good and less good aspects of the day. These routines and strategies help young people feel calm, listened to and cared for. Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 5

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improvement to be good

On a few occasions, young people’s behaviour has harmed others and placed them at serious risk. Young people have caused disturbances late at night, climbing out of windows, attacking staff and causing mess and damage in the home. On one occasion, two young people drove the home’s car around local streets, having managed to take the car key from the office. Practices such as taking things from young people when they are misusing them, and refusing young people access to a phone until they are calm, have sometimes worsened situations.

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improvement to be good

Staff often help and protect young people well. The home’s independent visitor recently said, ‘Staff were excellent at defusing situations when [a young person] became verbally abusive. Strategies identified in the crisis management plan proved to be effective. Staff were calm and recognised why [the young person] presented this behaviour.’ One member of staff said, ‘We played it down and sat there chatting to them. In the end they were tired and went to sleep.’

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improvement to be good

Staff responses to serious incidents include discussing them with young people afterwards. This has often helped young people to see the impact of their behaviour and look at different ways of responding. On many occasions, young people help to clear up, apologise, and pay back some money to replace or fix broken items. However, there are no recorded discussions following the incident in which the car was taken. Young people have not been debriefed and no proper plan formed about how they will learn from the incident.

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improvement to be good

On three occasions, staff have called police to help them manage young people’s behaviour. Three young people have been arrested in relation to incidents. Staff and managers have not fully discussed their views or agreed an approach on thresholds for criminalising young people. They have not discussed this with the local police either. This shortfall increases the possibility that young people experience inconsistent responses.

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improvement to be good

One young person made an allegation about a physical intervention by two members of staff. The allegation was properly referred to the local authority designated officer and all relevant professionals were informed. No concern about practice was identified. Staff respect young people’s right to complain and give them good opportunities to express their views, wishes and feelings. Young people therefore feel safe here and have not gone missing from the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff confidently show young people physical affection because they have developed good relationships with them. Staff praise and reward good behaviour. They devise achievable weekly targets for young people that address areas that they need to improve. Young people feel proud when they achieve their goals and they enjoy their rewards. Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager served notice on one young person’s placement the day after the incident with the home’s vehicle. He facilitated a holiday period away from the home in a caravan until the placing authority identified a new placement for her. He and the therapist informed the young person of her move when they were taking her to the caravan. His rationale was to prioritise the safety of all. However, the young person experienced a surprise move and a breakdown of the placement at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The deputy manager is heavily relied on by staff. He is very ‘hands on’ and has positive relationships with young people and staff alike. He plays a full part in caring for young people, and young people enjoy his calm, warm and fatherly influence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have not effectively reviewed whether the staff’s response to poor or unsafe behaviour has worked. They have not reviewed the practice of staff to identify and address where staff skills in behaviour management and de-escalation need to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers’ communications with placing authorities have not provided good-quality analysis and professional views. Young people’s social workers do not know much about the strengths and vulnerabilities of each placement; how staff are working on those; and what needs to be done by whom. As a result, decisions to serve notice on two placements have come as a surprise to them. Despite this, one social worker said, ‘Their dedication to [the young person] is exceptional and they are good at articulating [the young person’s] wishes and feelings.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager and deputy work hard to reassure neighbours about the home and their safety. They regularly attend meetings with neighbours and respond proactively when neighbours complain.

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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 differences 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.

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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: 1276706 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorn Children’s Homes (Branston) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Repton House, Suite 1.33, Bretby Business Park, Burton on Trent, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

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Inspector

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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