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) Limited Interim 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 young people and ensure that they feel safe, secure and cared for. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection : None

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted carried out an interim inspection of the home after several concerns were shared with the regulator.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers have failed to address the shortfalls identified at the full inspection in October 2018. For example, none of the five requirements raised have been met. This inspection has found widespread failures that have resulted in a further four requirements being raised. Most of the shortfalls raised relate to the safeguarding of young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff recruitment is not safe. Four staff files were seen during the inspection. Three of Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 2 these were found not to contain the necessary checks that help to keep young people safe. The files did not include complete work histories, references, verification of why a staff member had left their previous positions when working with children and/or vulnerable adults or the reasons staff had been dismissed. Gaps in employment have also not been adequately explored. Managers were unable to gain access to all recruitment files of people involved with the home. These various weaknesses in the recruitment of staff mean that young people are left at risk of being exposed to adults who may pose a risk to them.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are not skilled or trained in meeting the needs of the current young person. For example, only two members of staff have received training in the organisation’s approved method for carrying out physical interventions. Staff have also not received first aid training. Despite a young person living at the home who has been diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder, only one member of staff is trained to be able to meet her needs. This leaves the young person in the care of staff who are not knowledgeable about her needs and do not understand how her autism affects her daily life.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Not all staff escalate concerns about colleagues’ practice promptly. On some occasions when staff have raised concerns, managers have failed to take action to address these. This demonstrates a lack of due regard to fulfilling their basic safeguarding obligations and ensure that young people are protected from harm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff supervision and annual appraisals have not taken place in line with the organisation’s agreed procedures. For example, despite the policy stating that a new member of staff should receive supervision every two weeks, a staff member who started in December 2018 has only received supervision twice in the last five months. This gap in support means that staff do not benefit from managerial help and guidance in order to develop their practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers have failed to ensure that the young person’s statutory documents are held at the home and are available to staff. For example, the placing authority’s education health and care plan, personal education plan and care plan are not held in the young person’s file. The absence of essential documents compromises the staff’s ability to provide care that has been agreed by the young person’s placing authority.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

None of the five requirements raised at the last inspection has been met. For example, physical intervention records still show no evidence that the young person is offered a debrief after being involved in a physical intervention. Furthermore, staff do not receive a debrief to help them to review their practice, and there is no managerial oversight of these important records.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been further incidents of young people being able to gain access to car keys and become involved in incidents that have put them and staff at risk.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers continue to fail to review incidents and, as a result, miss the opportunity to learn from young people’s placements that have ended in an unplanned way. This lack of oversight and learning means that practice is not reviewed or changed, and poor Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 3 decision-making continues.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been inconsistent management of the home. A new manager took up her post a few weeks ago and the impact of her practice is still not evident.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

As a result of this visit, the home was issued with two compliance notices and a notice to restrict the accommodation of further young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good

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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)) 01/07/2019

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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 young people’s home that promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2))* 01/07/2019

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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. 01/07/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 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

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)) 01/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d))* 22/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 01/07/2019

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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)) 01/07/2019

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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)) 01/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 01/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 5

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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

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

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’.

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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: Claremont House, 223 Branston Road, Burton-on- Trent, Staffordshire DE14 3BT

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1276706 6 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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