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 cancelled their registration with Ofsted on 31 October 2018. The current manager has not applied to register with Ofsted to date.

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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 inadequate

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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: 7 November 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2018 Full Good 16/10/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/11/2016 Full Good 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child‟s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that health plans, care plans, risk assessments and positive behaviour support plans are updated for all children. 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 31/07/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC023651 4 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (d)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children‟s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(2)(a)(b)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider is an organisation, the organisation must ensure that the responsible individual undertakes such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the responsible individual has the skills needed for supervising the management of the home. (Regulation 29 (2)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. (Regulation 45 (1)) 31/07/2019

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and Inspection report children‟s home: SC023651 5 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.  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Staff should be made familiar with the home‟s internal whistleblowing procedures through the induction process. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.9) In particular, who they should go to

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Recommendations

if they have complaints or concerns about the responsible individual.

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improvement to be good

There are shortfalls relating to care planning, fire regulation and leadership and management. Therefore, an overall judgement of requires improvement to be good has been made. However, these shortfalls have not resulted in children coming to significant harm, and many aspects of day-to-day life at the home ensure that children have a positive experience.

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improvement to be good

One child‟s care plan, risk assessments and positive behaviour support plans were brief and not all the records were updated following the receipt of new information. Staff spoken to by the inspector had not read all of the children‟s care plans following a period of absence from the home. One child did not have a health plan on file. This means that there is the risk of staff not being aware of the child‟s health needs.

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improvement to be good

Most of the children attend the organisation‟s school. They access a range of therapies during the school day, including equine therapy, yoga and interactive psychotherapy techniques. Close professional working relationships with therapists mean that staff have regular, helpful consultation. This equips them with the necessary skills to best help each child.

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improvement to be good

Staff advocate for a child who attends an alternative education provision to ensure that his welfare is protected. They liaise closely with the child‟s social worker to address the child‟s concerns.

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improvement to be good

A strength of the staff is their relationships and consultations with children. Key-work sessions are effective in covering areas that are important to children, as well as each child‟s emotional and physical safety. Meetings before school help to develop positive relationships between staff and children. These meetings are a strong mechanism for children to reflect on the previous evening and prior to starting their school day. Inspection report children‟s home: SC023651 6 Children usually move on in a planned way because of the progress that they have made. Life story work prepares them by reflecting on their past and acknowledging the progress they have made while at the home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers report safeguarding concerns to the local authority. They fully comply with any actions agreed. Safeguarding is now discussed in team meetings, supervisions and group supervisions. However, the responsible individual has not instigated discussions about safeguarding scenarios to identify areas of strength and any gaps in staff knowledge.

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improvement to be good

Fire evacuations are not undertaken regularly and according to the home‟s fire safety policy. One child has not participated in a fire drill since she moved into the home in February 2019. This misses the opportunity to give staff and children practice in how to act in the event of a fire.

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improvement to be good

There have been no complaints since the last inspection. However, processes are not clear if staff and children have cause to make a complaint against the responsible individual.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained in behaviour management techniques and de-escalation skills. The use of physical interventions has significantly reduced. The responsible individual reviews individual episodes of physical interventions. He ensures that there is reflection and any learning informs future practices.

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improvement to be good

The staff ensure that children can use the internet and electronic devices. The staff check children‟s mobile devices to ensure that they use these devices safely. They also help children to use these devices safely in preparation for when they live more independently. A written agreement devised with children ensures that they agree safety measures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been no registered manager for more than 26 weeks. In addition, the deputy manager has also been absent. This has impacted on the responsible individual‟s ability to monitor the home effectively and bring about improvements. A manager was newly appointed to manage the home on 15 April 2019. Ofsted was not informed of this appointment. The manager has not applied to register with Ofsted to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings and supervisions provide opportunities for learning and professional development. These forums support staff to manage children‟s needs effectively and to develop strategies to reduce the occurrence of difficult behaviours. However, they are not regular, which is a missed opportunity to share essential information. In addition, Inspection report children‟s home: SC023651 7 appraisals have not occurred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual does not receive formal supervision. This does not equip him with the necessary support, guidance and challenge that this role requires.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not completed a development plan to inform any improvements needed. There has not been an audit of each staff member‟s skills and training completed to inform the responsible individual and manager in relation to the strengths and weaknesses of the staff team. In addition, the statement of purpose has not been reviewed and updated to reflect staffing changes. Ofsted has not received the statement of purpose after the last update in July 2018. The responsible individual did update the statement of purpose during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual has failed to identify weakness in care planning, risk assessments and positive behaviour support plans. He has failed to ensure that medication errors are correctly recorded with all actions taken. In addition, he has not ensured that children have all the necessary information included in their health plans.

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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 8

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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 9 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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