Children's home run by Accalia Care Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2723189 1 Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates this home. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties due to past trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager who has been in post since the home opened. There are currently two children living in the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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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: 2723189 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home was registered with Ofsted in June 2023. This is the first inspection. Two children currently live in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers carefully consider whether children’s needs can be met before they move into the home. They plan children’s moves sensitively so that they are warmly welcomed by staff who are ready and prepared to look after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build trusting relationships with adults who listen to them. There are a variety of forums for children to be able to express their views and be involved in decisions about their care. Children feel able to make complaints and know they will be taken seriously. They have used the complaints process. Their complaints are dealt with quickly and appropriately. Children are given verbal and written outcomes that they are satisfied with. This not only helps to improve the care children receive but also helps children to build trusting relationships with staff and managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school. Staff have supported children to have a positive start to the school term by preparing them physically and emotionally. There is effective liaison with schools, and children are well prepared to engage with their learning. Staff also seek opportunities to help children learn and develop. This includes working with children to help them understand and manage their feelings and emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are healthy, and staff support them to attend appointments and seek any health support they require. Children are supported to be active and have a wide variety of experiences and activities, which positively impacts on their physical and emotional well-being. Children have fun. One child was supported to go to the seaside for the first time and experience sand on their toes. They have since visited another seaside resort because they enjoyed it so much.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good-quality day-to-day experiences because there are consistent boundaries implemented by staff to encourage positive behaviour. This contributes to children feeling safe and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is clean, tidy and well equipped for children. However, some work is required to ensure that children’s bedrooms and communal areas are personalised and homely, in line with children’s preferences.

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

Children feel safe. They have trusted adults they can talk to, and they speak openly with staff when they are worried or unhappy. Action is taken promptly when needed to address any issues and to ensure that children feel safe and secure. Inspection report for children’s home: 2723189 3 The manager ensures that risks to children are identified, understood and managed by staff. Individual risk assessments identify risks and management plans for each child. Staff follow these plans to ensure that children receive clear and consistent care and support. Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Staff help children to manage their behaviour with de-escalation techniques and reflection following any incidents.

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

Physical intervention is only used to keep children safe from harm. All interventions are appropriately recorded by staff. A senior member of staff speaks to the child and staff promptly, and their views are considered.

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

There are plans in place for well-coordinated responses when children go missing from home. Staff know and follow these plans. There was one occasion when a child went missing for a short period of time. Staff acted quickly to locate the child and protect them from harm. They worked with the child following the incident to understand why they went missing and to help prevent it from happening again. There have been no further incidents of children going missing from home.

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

Staff use door alarms to monitor children at night-time, only when it is absolutely necessary to keep children safe from harm. This is suitably assessed and discussed with relevant professionals. However, there is no written consent for the use of a bedroom door alarm from one child’s placing authority in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a qualified registered manager. The manager is child-focused and ambitious for the service. She has high expectations for children and for staff to provide high-quality care. However, she will soon cease managing the home. Swift action has been taken by the provider to recruit a new manager to work alongside the existing manager until they leave. This will help to ensure a smooth handover and stability of leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a supportive environment where staff can learn and reflect on their practice. Induction, training and development activities are effective. They are focused on ensuring that staff can meet the specific needs of the children they are responsible for. Staff receive effective support and challenge, including through supervision and team meetings, to ensure that they continually develop their practice to meet the needs of the children living in the home. Staff consistently report that they feel well supported and well equipped to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and review systems are clear and established. This helps managers to maintain oversight of the service, including of incidents and staff practice. Children are asked for their feedback on how the home could be improved, and there are plans in place to address the feedback, such as providing a ping-pong table as requested by children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses and has plans in place for improvements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2723189 4 Leaders and staff work proactively and positively with other agencies and professionals. Communication between the home and social workers is excellent, which promotes good outcomes for the children. Professionals are complimentary about the care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2723189 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the environment, including children’s bedrooms, is homely, nurturing and personalised to meet the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that consent is gained in writing from the placing authority for any monitoring or surveillance that is in use to safeguard children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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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: 2723189 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Radclyffe House, 66-68 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8PF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leaford Williams

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Inspector

Tara Lovatt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2723189 7 and inspects 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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