Children's Home run by Acorn Homes (UK) Ltd in Medway

Inspection report for children’s home: 2572812 1 Registered provider: Acorn Homes (UK) Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in February 2022. This was the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties. The home is run by a private organisation that operates several registered children’s homes.

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Information about this children’s home

This home has not had a registered manager since 15 July 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2572812 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected. Inspection report for children’s home: 2572812 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are developing positive relationships with the staff. The staff know the children well and understand how their past adverse childhood experiences have impacted on their self-worth and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are listened to and respected. Individual meetings with a key worker provide each child with the opportunity to explore their specific developmental and emotional support needs. There is a strong emphasis on supporting each child to develop the knowledge and skills they need to keep themselves safe as they approach adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the children are experiencing difficulties in maintaining good school attendance. The staff are consistent in their efforts to help the children overcome these difficulties. The manager engages positively with education professionals to ensure that the children receive the right education that best meets their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a sensitive approach to supporting children to maintain good physical and mental health. One child has been able to overcome a fear of attending dental appointments, and others have learned the importance of good sexual health and building healthy personal relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff give a clear message that individual children’s identities and diversities are to be celebrated. This has given the children the confidence to express themselves in a safe and supportive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff liaise well with external support agencies, such as the child and adolescent mental health service and therapeutic counselling service. This ensures that good professional networks are being built in a timely way so that children can have access to support at the point of need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are developing independence skills at a pace they can manage. One child has made significant progress in terms of being able to travel for leisure and social activities. Careful planning has been carried out to ensure that the associated risks to the child are appropriately managed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of supporting children to maintain positive family relationships when this is appropriate. They have the skills to communicate with the children’s family members and ensure that family visits are managed safely and effectively.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have the skills to build positive, trusting relationships with the children. Consequently, children have the confidence to speak to staff about any worries or Inspection report for children’s home: 2572812 4 concerns they may have, and this is a protective factor. The staff have a detailed knowledge of each child’s vulnerabilities and associated risks, and they are vigilant in terms of identifying patterns of behaviour that could indicate a child is becoming unsafe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Effective action has been taken when it has become apparent that a child is potentially becoming groomed for exploitation. In one case, the staff promptly alerted managers to concerning comments made by a child which indicated they were becoming criminally exploited. This resulted in a timely multi-disciplinary response designed to reduce the level of risk the child was exposed to. In another case, a child who was at risk of sexual exploitation has received effective support, and has subsequently developed the skills and knowledge needed to prevent themselves being contacted by unsafe individuals.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s individual risk assessments are updated following any significant events. However, not enough thought has been given to determining whether the level of risk is increasing or reducing over time.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Since the home opened in February 2022, there have been a high number of incidents when children have gone missing from the home. There has been a co- ordinated response to these missing episodes and staff have been tenacious in trying to locate the child at the earliest opportunity. Effective communication takes place with the police and other relevant agencies when a child does go missing, and locally agreed missing protocols are followed. In recent weeks, there has been a reduction in the number and frequency of missing episodes.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

In recent months, the staff have become more confident in promoting positive behaviour and maintaining appropriate boundaries. The staff give the children clear messages around their expectations, and they demonstrate a good understanding of the triggers for certain behaviours. Good management oversight ensures that behaviour management procedures, such as the use of consequences, are kept under review.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Emerging child protection concerns are quickly identified, and these are promptly shared with the relevant child protection professionals. This has resulted in effective multi-disciplinary action being taken to keep children safe. A good standard of recording ensures that there are clear audit trails to demonstrate how decisions are made and how follow-up action is taken when a child is thought to be at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left her post in July 2022. Senior managers had identified some weaknesses in how the home was being managed. The home has been managed by the deputy manager since the registered manager’s departure. He was formally appointed to the post of manager on 19 August 2022. At the time of this inspection, he was completing an application to become registered with Ofsted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2572812 5 There were shortfalls in relation to the former registered manager’s appointment to the role. She was interviewed for the post more than a year before taking on the responsibilities of a registered manager. Her induction to the post was also completed before the home started to operate. Consequently, her ability to manage the home effectively was not assessed during her induction and probation period. Senior managers who were present at this inspection acknowledged this was not

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

good practice and described what they had learned from this experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children did not settle well in the first few months that the home was open, and the staff did not feel well supported. This situation has significantly improved in recent weeks and the children who have remained at the home are now presenting as more settled, secure and thriving. An independent reviewing officer commented that the home has ‘stabilised’, and this has had a positive impact on the child who was the first to be admitted to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A strong and effective culture of learning from mistakes and reflecting on practice is becoming established in the home. There are effective systems in place for monitoring the quality of care being provided. When things do go wrong, there are comprehensive management-led investigations into how situations could have been managed differently. This has resulted in some changes to practice. For example, staff are now encouraged to think about the likely impact that a child leaving the home will have on the children who are remaining.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Soon after the home opened, four children were admitted in quick succession. It became apparent that the needs and vulnerabilities of some of these children were not fully understood when they moved into the home. However, children were still being admitted before the needs of those who had recently moved in were fully understood. This resulted in a period of disruption, which one professional referred to as ‘chaotic’. Three children have left the home since it opened in February 2022. The three children currently living at the home are now settled. Senior managers report that there are no current plans to run the home at the capacity of five children, until more communal space can be made available for the children to enjoy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they now feel supported, and they receive clear guidance on how to meet the responsibilities of their role. The staff receive good-quality supervision when they can reflect on how their practice impacts on the lives of the children they care for, and how the emotional demand of the role affects them personally. The staff can access a full training programme and can request additional training specific to the needs of individual children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2572812 6

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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

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b)) 7 November 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This is with specific reference to ensuring that children’s individual risk assessments are regularly reviewed and evaluated for effectiveness. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person must only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. This is with specific reference to ensuring that each child’s needs are fully understood before accepting new admissions to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 for children’s home: 2572812 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorn Homes (UK) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 73 And 74 Maple Leaf Business Park, Manston, Ramsgate CT12 5GD

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Inspector

Stephen Collett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2572812 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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