Children's home run by Acorn Homes (UK) Ltd

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2588753 1

p.1

Acorn Homes (UK) Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to six children aged between seven and 16 who may experience social, emotional and/or mental health difficulties. The home is run by a private organisation that operates several registered children’s homes.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home has not had a registered manager since 8 March 2021.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 14 and 15 July 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 9 and 10 June 2021. A monitoring visit took place on 14 and 15 July 2021. As a result of this visit, the home’s registration was suspended.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This latest monitoring visit took place to monitor the provider’s compliance with the notice of suspension. The requirements made at the last monitoring inspection were also reviewed to check that progress is being made in meeting these.

p.1

This monitoring visit

No children have lived in this home since 15 July 2021. As a result, the provider has complied with the notice suspending registration.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Bedrooms are being redecorated and, at the time of the monitoring inspection, two of the six bedrooms were finished. The remaining four bedrooms are not yet completed. The provider told the inspector that this work remains ongoing. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2588753 2 The responsible individual, who was present for the monitoring visit, acknowledges that there has been some progress towards meeting requirements. However, the responsible individual also noted that this remains very much a ‘work in progress’. There is an ongoing review of the care planning and recording used in the home. This has meant that new templates have been introduced but, as yet, they have not been used.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff have accessed a wide range of both face-to-face and online training. These training opportunities are documented within individual skills audits. However, the audits do not allow leaders to recognise when training needs refreshing. There is also inconsistency in how the areas for development for staff are recorded.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff have received training on one-to-one work with children and how to support children to engage in this process. There is a new template to support staff in recording discussions with children, to assist in a greater quality of work being recorded.

p.2

This monitoring visit

After children have left the home, the manager has completed an outcomes report to review a child’s experiences. This has allowed the manager to reflect on what children have been able to achieve while living in the home.

p.2

This monitoring visit

New supervision agendas have been created for use with managers and the wider staff team. These are now more task focused to support both supervisees and supervisors to learn from working experiences. The manager has introduced a new monthly checklist to provide a greater degree of oversight by the management team. This checklist covers a range of areas in the home, from the physical environment to the case management of children. The revised supervision agenda and the monthly checklist provide additional layers of monitoring.

p.2

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/06/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2588753 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.3

Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.3

Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv))

p.3

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to regular children’s meetings and one-to-one discussions with children. 29 September

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 29 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2588753 4 The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d)) 29 September

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 29 September

p.4

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.4

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 29 September

p.4

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

p.4

Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

p.4

Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

p.4

Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

p.4

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)) 29 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2588753 5 This refers specifically to the use of holding and locking doors.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.5

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.5

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 29 September

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

p.5

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.5

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorn Homes (UK) Limited

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 424 Margate Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 6SJ

p.5

Inspector

Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2588753 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.

p.5

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6