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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC469396 1 SC469396 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

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children aged up to 18, who may have social, emotional and mental health difficulties. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2021.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC469396 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/02/2022 Full Good 23/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC469396 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There has been significant improvement since the last inspection. Leaders have recognised that change was needed in developing the culture of children’s care and some of the decor in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with clear individualised care plans that demonstrate a good knowledge of need, aspiration and how to care for them. Staff speak confidently of the individual needs of children and have worked hard to manage and address the level of incidents and occasions when children go missing from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make their views known in a variety of ways, including in key-worker sessions and children’s meetings. However, children’s meetings are of limited effect, because the children do not want to engage in them together. Leaders have not fully considered other ways of supporting children to express their views on their care arrangements and the appearance of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the wide range of activities available to them. Since the last inspection, they have enjoyed trips to London and to a theme park, and regular wave-boarding sessions. Children look forward to these trips and talk positively about them. Staff have put together memory books with photos of these events and they help children to have a record of positive memory-making events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are some ongoing challenges regarding educational engagement for one child. Staff and leaders work tirelessly to encourage the child to attend school. When this has not been effective, there is good multi-agency working to ensure that education plans are suitable. There are, however, some gaps in guidance for staff in how best to support the child when they do not engage in education. This lack of direction potentially hinders success in supporting children to engage in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made progress since the last inspection. However, oversight by leaders and managers and their understanding of progress is limited. For example, key areas, such as education, have not been fully explored. As a result, leaders and the registered manager had not identified the extent of the issues regarding one child’s educational needs and attainment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is ongoing work planned to support independence skills for children, based around cooking and children keeping their bedrooms tidy. This work is largely carried out on an ad hoc basis. This means children do not fully benefit from having a consistent and structured approach when trying to develop their independence skills. As a result, children do not fully understand what they are working towards. More could be done to prepare them for when they move on from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC469396 4

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

Children’s risks are well known and understood by staff and managers. Over recent months, there have been some challenges in the home in relation to children’s presenting behaviours. This has included incidents when children have gone missing from home, substance misuse and aggression. Staff have detailed guidance on how to manage these situations. Risk management plans are regularly reviewed and instantly updated if new behaviours emerge.

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

When there have been thematic concerns relating to children engaging in risk-taking behaviours, staff have carried out extensive work with children to help them better understand the risks and potential consequences involved. This is further enhanced by staff and leaders liaising with external agencies for advice and support when needed.

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

When children do go missing from home, the staff response is robust. Clear plans are followed well by staff, who ensure that responses are immediate and reporting is clear. Following any missing-from-home incident, children are always supported back to the home and suitable follow-up work with the child and external agencies is carried out. Leaders are prompt in following up with social workers and making sure that return home interviews with children are carried out. Children are supported to reflect on where they have been and to consider what could have been done differently.

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

Staff provide consistent boundaries when children present behaviours that challenge. Together with the other improvements in staff practice, this has led to a reduction in incidents and missing-from-home episodes.

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

Recruitment procedures are robust. Extensive checks are undertaken by leaders to ensure that staff working with children are safe to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and the registered manager have high aspirations for children and what they want to achieve. The period since the last inspection has been challenging for the home, both in terms of responding to the previous judgment and in responding to the emerging and changing needs of the children. This has led to some difficult decisions and a determined drive to embed the new culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and the registered manager communicate well with external agencies. For instance, when there have been concerns, this information is shared well and children’s social workers and teachers are held to account, ensuring that the needs of the child are paramount.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff talk confidently about the support they receive from leaders and the registered manager. They highlight the availability of leaders when they need support and how things have improved in recent months. Regular and effective supervision, induction plans and training help to support staff development and practice. Staff supervision Inspection report for children’s home: SC469396 5 records are detailed and show how well staff are supported and, where appropriate, challenged. This is always done with the aim of improving the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet regularly to review the care of children. However, during these meetings, actions from previous meetings are not reviewed and direction from leaders is inconsistent. There are also no records of staff discussion, to promote learning from each other about what strategies may or may not be successful.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have developed comprehensive monitoring systems that demonstrate a good knowledge of the home’s successes and challenges. The report developed from the monitoring reflects what has gone well and what has been learned and includes clear plans as to how progression will continue.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are not always kept up to date or stored consistently. As a result, the registered manager’s ability to monitor the home effectively could be hindered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The shortfalls identified at the previous inspection have been addressed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC469396 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, The 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 31 August 2023

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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;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 31 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC469396 7 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that staff have clear guidance on how best to support children when they do not want to engage in education.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help children to prepare for any moves from the home. This includes supporting children to develop their independence skills. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.43)

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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: SC469396 8

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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

Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC469396 9 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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