Children's Home run by Little Acorns London Beach Farm Limited in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC023651 1 SC023651 Registered provider: Little Acorns London Beach Farm Limited

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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 privately run home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children who may have behavioural and/or other difficulties. Therapy is available to all children if required. There is a registered school on site.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous manager de-registered with Ofsted on 31 October 2018. The current manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 16 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC023651 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/11/2016 Full Good 17/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC023651 3

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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 registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI. (Regulation 16(2)) 28/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

This regulation applies to a child who is looked after by a local authority. The registered person must co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan (Regulation 17(1)(2)) In particular, ensure that there is a placement plan and records of reviews of children’s care plans on their files. 28/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24(1)(a)(d)) 28/12/2018

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Recommendations

 The children’s guide should help children to understand: - What the day to day routines of the home are (‘what happens in the home’); - The Statement of Purpose of the home (the care they can expect to receive while living there); - How to make a complaint in line with the home’s complaint procedure; - How they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy if eligible. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.22)  The specific responsibilities of the home towards supporting the health and well- Inspection report children’s home: SC023651 4 being of each child should be agreed with the placing authority and recorded in the child’s placement plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.7) In particular, obtain emergency medical consents.  When considering new placements, the registered manager should fully consider

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Recommendations

the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children and evidence their judgement supporting compatibility with existing residents. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, assess staff’s knowledge of safeguarding processes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children form meaningful relationships with staff. They choose their key workers and significant adults who create a safe space for children to explore their feelings and to educate them about important issues. Children choose who they want to help them with their daily routines, such as bath times and settling to bed. The use of a booklet containing photographs of staff and the home is effective for children who are not able to visit the home prior to moving in. Additional information regarding the rules and routines of the home would better prepare children regarding what to expect. Staff prioritise the educational needs of the children. They work closely with the organisation’s school, which most of the children attend, to ensure a consistent approach. Children enjoy attending school and they participate in activities such as equine therapy and yoga. Staff facilitate one child’s attendance at school by travelling

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

over an hour to and from the school. Morning community meetings take place to enable children time to reflect on the previous evening. This helps children to start the school day positively. A strength of the home is the intensive, in-house therapeutic service. An individualised programme for each child ensures that staff, together with therapists and teaching staff, provide emotional support to children. These therapeutic interventions aid children to make positive changes. One child who was not able to communicate verbally is now able to make himself understood, and another child has learned to manage her emotions better. Children make significant progress. They work to agreed targets that are achievable and linked to self-care, managing their feelings and appropriate social skills. Staff monitor children’s physical well-being and ensure that they attend all necessary medical appointments. The manager advocated successfully for a review of a child’s

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

medication following concerns about his presentation. Staff seek medical advice when Inspection report children’s home: SC023651 5 needed; however, there is no written consent to emergency medical treatment signed by a person with parental responsibility. This could cause unnecessary delay if emergency intervention is needed. Managers recognised that they could no longer meet one child’s complex needs. They worked with the placing authority to ensure a sensitive and smooth transition for the child to a more specialist service.

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

Staff follow clear safeguarding policies and procedures. Any concerns are reported to external professionals and internal investigations are undertaken if recommended.

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

Close supervision and positive relationships with staff mean that children learn how to keep themselves safe. Children are, if necessary, supervised when using electronic devices. Safety measures prevent access to inappropriate sites. Staff are not risk averse, as they work with children to help them to use the internet safely. One child said, ‘I have done internet safety, I know not to talk to people I don’t know on social media.’ She uses a mobile phone which prepares her for when she has less staff supervision in the future. An ethos of positive reinforcement has been successful in rewarding good behaviour. Initiatives such as ‘star of the day’ awards during morning meetings celebrate good behaviour. Sanctions are now rarely used. The manager and staff have a good understanding of the children’s therapeutic needs. Collaborative working with the in-house therapists results in effective behaviour plans,

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

and physical restraint techniques and care plans have been informed by knowledge of the child. Analysis of information about children has led to changes to reduce known triggers, for example changes to the school routine to help a child manage changes from one environment to another better. As a result, the number of physical interventions used has significantly reduced. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and use well-written risk assessments that promote children’s safety. Staff support children to participate in a range of activities inside and outside of the home. Surveillance and monitoring devices are used to alert staff to a child waking in the night. One child has an audio and visual device in his room. The reason for this was not clear and there was no policy in place to guide staff in relation to its use. The manager is addressing this and will review its use with the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current manager is a competent, experienced manager who was previously the responsible individual for the home. The home is well resourced and has a stable, skilled staff team. New staff are inducted into the running of the home and the children’s needs before they work directly with them. Only staff who are familiar to the children work with Inspection report children’s home: SC023651 6 them. Initial assessments, placement planning meetings and thorough care plans, devised with professionals and previous carers, equip the staff with the knowledge that they need to care for the children. This information is used to ensure that the children are matched with those already here. However, an impact risk assessment has not been completed to evidence decisions made and copies of child’s care plans have not been obtained from the local authority for staff and children to refer to. Supervisions, team meetings and therapeutic support provide opportunities for staff to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

review and reflect on children’s emotional needs. They have a good insight into the meaning of behaviours and how to support the children. These meetings are child centred and also consider how to develop the service. Safeguarding issues are discussed; however, some staff members spoken to were not aware of which external professional to report to in the event of an allegation. A focus on scenarios and testing staff’s knowledge would identify such gaps. Managers maintain positive working relationships with stakeholders. A social worker reported, ‘We have agreed for my child to remain there for two more years; a testament to them.’ A parent said, ‘They are brilliant, faultless, they go out of their way for my child.’ The level of service provided is in line with the ethos of the home. The statement of purpose has been updated; however, it has not yet been submitted to Ofsted. The manager is committed to developing the service by learning through monitoring

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

processes. He analyses incidents and identifies areas of improvement. He values the independent visitor feedback and acts swiftly on any recommendations. He is committed to providing the highest standard of care for the children.

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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: SC023651 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Little Acorns London Beach Farm Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: c/o A1, Marquis Court, Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE11 0RU

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Inspector

Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC023651 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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