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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2682837 1 Registered provider: Acorn Homes (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to seven children 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.

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Information about this children’s home

The home opened in June 2022. This was the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 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: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2682837 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home opened in June 2022, with the first child moving in towards the end of that month. The children currently living at the home benefit from positive, nurturing relationships with the staff and they are all making progress in many aspects of their lives. The dynamics between the children are positive, and the children say that they feel happy and well supported at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are effective systems in place for ensuring that the children can express their views on the care they receive and the support they need. Individual key-work sessions are particularly effective and encourage the children to talk about any aspects of their lives where they are struggling. This practice could be further enhanced by ensuring that the children can set their own agenda for children’s house meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A proactive approach is taken to ensuring that the children receive the most suitable education to meet their individual needs. There is frequent liaison with education professionals to ensure that any barriers to a child making the most of their educational provision are overcome. When a child is temporarily out of full-time education, the manager ensures that there is a detailed plan for how the child will be kept engaged in meaningful activities throughout the day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s physical and mental health needs are given high priority. The staff have received training on how to support a child with a specific medical condition and they demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of how the child’s condition should be managed. Professional advice has also been taken on the emotional impact the health condition is likely to have on the child’s well-being. The children are encouraged to engage with specialist support services where these are identified as being in the child’s best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are sensitively supported to develop their self-care and personal hygiene skills, and they respond positively to the nurture they experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children engage positively in a range of enjoyable activities arranged in the home and in the local community. Many of these activities help to develop the children’s independence skills and improve their self-esteem. Some children have joined local youth and sports clubs. The children’s achievements are celebrated, which makes them feel valued and more confident as they approach young adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm and nurturing environment where the children can relax and begin to overcome some of their past negative experiences. The home is comfortably furnished, well maintained, and the children take pride in their bedrooms where they feel safe and secure. Inspection report for children’s home: 2682837 3

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

Children develop trusting relationships with the staff, which contributes to their overall sense of safety and security at the home. The children have the confidence to speak to the staff about any worries or concerns they may have, and the staff take appropriate action whenever a potential concern about a child’s welfare is identified. The staff are familiar with each child’s vulnerabilities and the associated risks.

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

Staff’s understanding of each child’s risks is reflected in the children’s individual risk assessments. These contain effective strategies for the staff to follow to reduce the potential of the child coming to harm. The risk assessments are kept under constant review and are amended to reflect a child’s changing circumstances. Some staff have demonstrated high levels of professional curiosity, which has resulted in emerging risks being addressed in a timely way.

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

There has been a strong and effective response to children who go missing from the home. When a missing-from-home incident occurs, the staff implement a wide range of measures to try and locate the child at the earliest opportunity. For example, local taxi companies are alerted to the fact that the child could be looking for transport. Frequent searches of the local area take place, and there is good liaison and information-sharing with the police and other interested parties.

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

The managers and staff are alert to the potential for missing children to be exploited. Where there are indications that a child is becoming exploited, prompt action is taken to reduce the level of risk. In one case, this has included allocating a named member of staff to support the child on every shift, to ensure that the child is adequately supervised and engaged in positive activities.

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

The children receive good support and guidance to help them understand the risks they may be exposed to in the community and when online. For example, the staff will sit with the children and help them to complete online courses related to keeping safe. They also use other resources, such as videos, to help raise the children’s awareness of the dangers they could become exposed to.

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

The children have individual behaviour support plans. These specify the signs and indicators that a child might be becoming unsettled and therefore more likely to engage in unsafe behaviours. These plans contain clear guidance for the staff to follow to diffuse volatile situations and support the child to overcome their anxieties. The use of physical intervention to manage behaviour is kept to a minimum. Whenever such an incident occurs, steps are taken to ensure that there is a full and thorough debrief with the child and the staff members involved.

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

The staff are familiar with the procedures they need to follow should they have any concerns about a child’s welfare. The manager ensures that comprehensive records are kept of any safeguarding or child protection concerns. These give a clear indication of how decisions have been made in relation to safeguarding matters and the actions that have been taken to protect the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2682837 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has provided strong and effective leadership since the home opened. She has worked hard to ensure that the new team of staff develop their knowledge and skills and work collaboratively to meet the children’s needs. Although the first child to be admitted to the home was unable to settle, all the children who have subsequently moved in have found stability and present as happy and content in their home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are currently four children living at the home. Leaders and managers have taken the decision not to seek full occupancy at this stage as there are currently some staff vacancies, and the staff team is relatively inexperienced. This has ensured that the home is operating well, and the children are being given the time and space to settle into their new surroundings. The staff also benefit from having the time to reflect on their practice, learn new skills and engage with external professionals offering guidance on how best to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective systems for monitoring the quality of care being provided. The registered manager reviews all serious incidents and considers how well the staff manage situations. A thorough review was carried out following one child moving on from the home, and clear learning points were identified. The registered manager is developing a culture in the home where reflective practice is given high priority and any shortfalls in practice are seen as a learning opportunity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Prior to a child moving into the home, an impact assessment is carried out. These assessments clearly identify the needs of the child being referred. However, the assessments do not consistently provide strong analysis of how all the children’s needs and behaviours could be affected by the child moving in. In particular, there is insufficient analysis of whether the children could be drawn into the unsafe behaviours occasionally demonstrated by their peers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been very well supported by the organisation’s area manager. Good-quality supervision has enabled the registered manager to develop her management skills and build confidence in her role. The staff have also received regular good-quality supervision, which ensures that the children receive good- quality care. The staff have access to a full range of training opportunities, including training that is specific to the needs of the children living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children’s case records are maintained to a high standard. They give a clear indication of the children’s circumstances and the plans in place to ensure that their needs are met. The key-work sessions carried out with the children are particularly well documented. They give a clear indication of the progress children are making towards meeting their individual goals and how they are responding to the support being offered. Inspection report for children’s home: 2682837 5

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that the impact assessments that are carried out before a child moves into the home take into consideration how all children living in the home could be affected by a new child moving in. 31 March 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children are consulted with regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. This should include the children being able to set the agenda for children’s house meetings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: 2682837 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorn Homes (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Units 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: 2682837 7 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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