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

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. There is currently one child living in this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It 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

Previous inspection date: 11 December 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:  children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: 2509731 2

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

The registered manager maintains excellent and regular contact with professionals. This supports the team around the child working together to improve opportunities and experiences for the child. He sources information to inform the team when considering a range of options and challenges when advocating for the child. The registered manager has escalated his concern when there has been a delay in commissioning services. This supports children to receive the most appropriate education and mental health support to meet their needs.

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The care of children

The inspector observed positive interaction between the child living in this home and staff. This was important, as the child found the inspector’s visit unsettling. Staff supported the child to manage their anxiety through calm responses and diverting the child to assist with cooking. This avoided an escalation of their behaviour. The child was delighted and proud to share chapattis that they had helped to prepare with leaders and the inspector.

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The care of children

The registered manager is installing a separate telephone line for children to make calls in private. There has been a delay in the completion of this work due to COVID-19 restrictions. The child living in this home has a mobile phone linked to their mother’s account. Staff work closely with the child’s mother to monitor phone usage. This helps to safeguard the child while ensuring that they can choose when they make calls to people who are important to them.

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The care of children

Staff facilitate children visiting their families. The registered manager is promoting the planning of an overnight stay at Christmas. Staff promote safety during the COVID-19 pandemic while balancing this against family contact to maintain the child’s positive mental health.

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The care of children

The child’s mother, social worker and teacher all confirmed that after initially finding it hard to adjust to living in this home, the child is settling and making good progress.

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The care of children

At the last inspection, shortfalls in how the registered manager had responded to meet the health and education needs of children and how the registered manager alerted and escalated concerns about care provision were identified. At this assurance visit, these shortfalls were all met.

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The safety of children

There have been improvements in how staff identify and take effective measures to reduce risk for the child. This is evident in care plans and assessments as well as staff understanding of how to manage the child. When there has been serious Assurance visit report: 2509731 3 concern about the child harming themselves, staff have responded appropriately, and the registered manager has escalated his concern. As a result, the child received additional care to keep them safe.

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The safety of children

Some risk assessments lack sufficient detail because the registered manager has not demonstrated professional curiosity in the assessment of risk from low mood or behaviour patterns when the child feels anxious. As a result, staff do not always have the guidance and skills to identify signs that the child may be at risk of harm. Staff do not use opportunities within day-to-day care to influence behaviour patterns to protect the child effectively from harm.

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The safety of children

The registered manager does not ensure that all records are signed and dated by the author, staff and children. This shortfall compromises the maintenance of accurate records to assist staff in caring for children.

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The safety of children

The registered manager has considered the individual impact of government guidance to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. While staff wear face masks when required, the child living in this home wears a sunflower lanyard to raise awareness of their hidden disability. This reduces potential challenge from others and helps the child to feel confident when out in the community.

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The safety of children

A clinical psychologist provides monthly therapeutic consultation to staff. This supports staff in building relationships with children and reflecting to understand children’s behaviour.

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Leaders and managers

On this assurance visit, improvements were identified in the availability of psychological services for the home. A clinical psychologist was commissioned in February 2020 and is described correctly in the home’s statement of purpose. Due to COVID-19 visiting restrictions, the psychologist has provided remote drop-ins for the child and consultations to staff.

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Leaders and managers

Managers and staff have not yet fully embedded the principles of the psychological model into their decision-making, interactions with the child and writing of records. The registered manager has not yet reviewed feedback from the child and monitored the impact of the therapeutic parenting model to make continuous improvements to the quality of care the child living in this home receives.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager ensures that staff are safely recruited and suitably qualified when they come to work in the home. Staff have attended three therapeutic parenting training days delivered by the clinical psychologist. They have also received training in autism spectrum disorder and the management of self-harm. In addition, leaders have implemented a training programme for staff which involves each staff member researching a topic and delivering feedback in a team meeting. Staff now have a foundation of knowledge which improves their skill level to meet the specific needs of children living in this home. Assurance visit report: 2509731 4 The registered manager now supervises all staff. This provides a consistency in management oversight and supports staff to explore their development with him. Despite differing pressures due to the management of care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have continued to receive regular and reflective supervision.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b)) 27/11/2020

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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 27/11/2020 Assurance visit report: 2509731 5 promotes their welfare.

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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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

Joanna Warburton, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2509731 6 to 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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