Children's Home run by Acorn Residential Care Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report children‘s home: 2509731 1 Registered provider: Acorn Residential Care 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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or social difficulties or have faced adverse childhood experiences, trauma, and/or placement and family breakdown. The home is privately owned. The home was registered by Ofsted on 4 April 2019. The registered manager holds suitable qualifications for this role.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 December 2019

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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: not applicable – first inspection since registration

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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 Inspection report children‘s home: 2509731 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 s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Gu Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the qua lity standards’. . The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Statutory requirements

Requirement Due Date In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s s care, in accordance with the child’s s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s s needs; and if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevan t person’s s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s s needs are met in accordance with the child’s s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(a)(b)(c)) 31/01/2020

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Statutory requirements

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non- attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(viii)) 31/01/2020

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Statutory requirements

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(c)(2)(c)) 31/01/2020 Inspection report children‘s home: 2509731 3 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— an understanding about acceptable behaviour. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s s age and understanding. (Regulation 11(1)(b)(2)(a)(iii)) 31/01/2020

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Statutory requirements

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)) 31/01/2020

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Statutory requirements

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s s statement of purpose; and ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c )) 31/01/2020

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Statutory requirements

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the child’s s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s s relevant plans is requested, if— the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or 31/01/2020 Inspection report children‘s home: 2509731 4 has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s s needs. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(2)(e)(i)) The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s s home a statement (“the sta tement of purpose”) ) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16(1)(5)) 31/01/2020

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Statutory requirements

Subject to paragraph (5), the registered person must ensure that children are provided at all reasonable times with access to the following facilities which they may use without reference to persons working in the home— a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private. (Regulation 22(3)(a)) 31/01/2020

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Statutory requirements

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 31/01/2020

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Recommendations

 Ensure that there is a workforce plan in place, which can fulfil the requirements of Regulation 16 schedule 1. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Gu Guide to the children’s s homes regulations

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, , page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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improvement to be good

This is the first inspection of the home since it was registered. Managers and staff do not ensure that children make good progress in all areas of their development. Staff use internal care plans to collate information from placing authorities and other agencies regarding children’s s needs. However, partnership working between Inspection report children‘s home: 2509731 5 the service and other professionals is not consistent or effective. This means that children do not always benefit from an integrated approach to meeting their needs or supporting their progress. The child currently living in the home does not have a suitable school placement. Staff arrange and deliver in-house learning activities to provide the child with a structured day and informal learning opportunities. Nevertheless, these activities do not replace the need for formal education. At this time, the manager has not taken sufficient steps to

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improvement to be good

work with the placing authority to identify a school placement. Consequently, the child is unable to achieve their educational potential. Staff liaise with specialist agencies in an attempt to provide children with up-to-date advice and support regarding the impact of their lifestyles on their longer-term health. However, children are often reluctant to engage with these agencies. Staff do not have the bespoke knowledge to deliver this work. Furthermore, when children cannot access the psychological or emotional support they need, the manager does not take effective action to address these barriers. This means that all children’s s health needs are not met well. Relationships between staff and children are generally positive. Staff use these relationships to support children to voice their wishes and opinions regarding plans for their future. As a result, children are involved in decisions about their care and support.

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improvement to be good

However, they are unable to access a phone without asking staff. This may prevent children from contacting their social workers or advocates without reference to staff. Staff encourage children to gain age-appropriate independent living skills. They help cook meals, keep the home clean and tidy and take ownership for their bedrooms. This means that children learn to be responsible for their surroundings and this helps to create a welcoming home. Children are able to spend time with their friends and families. Staff appreciate how important these relationships are to children even when these are not necessarily always positive. They use key-work sessions to help them to understand what is a good relationship and to recognise what may be a harmful relationship. This helps children to start to develop emotional resilience. Work is ongoing in this area.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not consistently ensure that children’s s risk assessments include all relevant information. For some risks, such as when children go missing from the home, these documents provide staff with clear strategies to help them to manage and reduce children’s s risks. However, other possible risks such as the use of social media and internet safety are not fully addressed. This means that staff are unsure how to manage these risks. When children’s s behaviours become more challenging or complex, the manager does not consistently raise his concerns with the placing authority. The failure to request a review of a child’s s care plan means that the manager is unable to evaluate the suitability of the Inspection report children‘s home: 2509731 6 placement to continue to meet the child’s s changing needs. There are times when children’s s behaviours and actions have placed them and others at risk of harm. Staff do not always ensure that they take appropriate steps to protect the

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improvement to be good

child or other people potentially affected by their behaviours or raise these concerns to other professionals in a timely manner. For example, when a child needs specialist support to help them to change their behaviours or to understand the triggers to these, staff do not look for imaginative or creative ways to engage with children or to encourage children to engage with others. Consequently, staff actions are often ineffectual in managing and reducing children’s s risks. Furthermore, on one occasion staff failed to provide a child with emotional support as well as practical support when they were distressed, anxious and upset. This lack of understanding questions the ability of staff to consistently respond appropriately to safeguarding issues and to promote children’s s safety and well-being. Staff use key-work sessions and incident debrief sessions to help children to begin to understand how their behaviours may influence their own development. However, they

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improvement to be good

do not encourage children to consider how their actions impact on others, such as their family and friends. This limits a child’s s potential to develop an age-appropriate social awareness. The use of physical restraint is rare. Staff use personalised rewards and incentives to encourage children to behave appropriately. When they impose sanctions, the manager reviews these incidents to ensure that sanctions are relevant to the behaviour. This helps children to understand why their actions were unacceptable. The manager appropriately refers allegations of abuse or harm to relevant agencies. Records of allegations are clear. The manager ensures that any complaints or concerns that children raise are dealt with promptly and that children receive verbal and written feedback. This means that any issues that children raise are taken seriously and addressed. The organisation’s internal recruitment procedures are effective. All staff are subject to a

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improvement to be good

range of suitability checks, including recent and previous relevant employment references and disclosure and barring service checks. Consequently, children are supported by staff deemed suitable to do so.

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

A lack of strong and effective leadership impacts on children’s s development. The manager does not appropriately challenge other agencies, services or professionals when they fail to meet children’s need s. Consequently, children’s s overall experience and progress is not consistently good. The manager does not ensure that the home operates in accordance with the statement of purpose. For example, this document makes considerable reference to the provision of therapeutic and psychological services for children. Currently, these services are not available and have not been provided for a considerable period. This is a misrepresentation of the service and misleading for placing authorities considering Inspection report children‘s home: 2509731 7 placing a child in this home. Staff are positive about their work and receive regular supervision. However, these meetings do not help them to reflect on their practice or consider their learning needs.

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

For example, supervising managers do not use these meetings to test out the knowledge staff gain from the online safeguarding training course they complete. This means that managers are unable to confirm that all staff know how to keep children safe or how to refer matters of concern. The manager recognises the need to improve on the quality of training to ensure that all staff have the skills and knowledge to meet children’s s needs. However, there is no workforce development plan in place. Consequently, he does not fully understand the development needs of the staff team or how to address these. The home opened in April 2019. Since this time, the manager has collected and collated information to form the basis of his review of the quality of care provided by the service. At this time, these monitoring systems are in their infancy and the home has only accommodated two children in total. These systems need to be developed to enable the

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

manager to identify any patterns or trends that may impact on children’s s progress and to ensure that the service meets children’s s needs.

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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: 2509731 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorn Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 13a Pitsford Street, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham B18 6LJ

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Inspector

Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: 2509731 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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