Children's Home run by Acorns to Oaks Children’s Care & Support Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: 2785316 1 Registered provider: Acorns to Oaks Children’s Care & Support Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for four children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children spoke to inspectors about their experiences of 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: 2785316 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children say that they feel safe, happy and settled living in the home. They are making progress in all areas of their lives. Staff form positive relationships with children by being open, honest and calm in their response. This helps children to know that staff care about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s progress and attendance in education. Consequently, one child’s attendance has significantly improved since they moved to the home. This support ensures that children are helped to develop the skills they need to achieve their aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff support children to have relationships with people who are important to them in line with their plans. Children’s family and friends are welcomed in the home. These relationships help children to develop a strong sense of identity and to benefit from support outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health and are encouraged to be active. Staff understand the children’s healthcare needs and encourage them to take part in fun activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the children with a loving and nurturing home. There are areas for the children to relax as well as socialise with one another. This provides opportunities for the children to build relationships with each other as well as with staff. The children’s bedrooms are personalised and well furnished. Photos of the children are displayed in the home. This helps children to develop a strong sense of belonging and pride in the home.

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

Children say they feel safe living in the home. Their risks and vulnerabilities are known and understood by staff, and their risk plans are individualised and detailed. Staff know how to respond to children if risks arise.

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

The manager oversees all incidents. However, following a significant incident, the home’s lone working policy has not been updated to ensure that staff know how to respond if they are lone working, and opportunities to identify learning for the team have been missed.

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

There are clear boundaries and routines in the home, with the focus on rewarding children for positive behaviours. This provides the children with stability and is something they respond to well. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785316 3 Staff have meaningful conversations with the children about risks they may be exposed to. This helps children to develop their understanding and awareness of risks, including keeping safe online, knife crime and substance misuse.

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

The children are encouraged and supported to take age-appropriate risks to help develop their independence skills and confidence.

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

Staff receive training that is tailored to the individual needs of each child. This includes training on domestic violence, knife crime and online safety.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place to ensure that only adults who are safe to work with children are employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is knowledgeable and caring. She promotes a positive culture in the home and is highly regarded by the staff team. However, she has submitted her resignation, and a new manager has been employed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the children are heard and that their wishes and feelings are acted on. This enables children to feel listened to and involved in their care. The managers and staff have high expectations and aspirations for themselves and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are committed, enthusiastic and proud to work in the home. Staff work positively and proactively together, and with other agencies, to provide the children with consistently high levels of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular training opportunities to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. However, the manager has not ensured that all staff supporting children have received a thorough induction before joining the team. Consequently, the manager cannot be assured that staff are confident in their role and understand the risks and vulnerabilities for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and supervisions are effective. They focus on the children’s well- being and provide opportunities to reflect on practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided to the children. This enables them to understand the home’s strengths and areas for development. However, when statutory plans have not been received, these have not been escalated to ensure that children receive care that is in line with their statutory plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785316 4

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that escalation processes are followed if documents are not provided in a timely manner by children’s placing authorities. 4 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 4 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2785316 5 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the lone working policy is reviewed following significant lone working incidents.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) 4 January 2025

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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: 2785316 6

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Childrens home details

Registered provider: Acorns to Oaks Children’s Care & Support Limited

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Childrens home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3, 125-129 Witton Street, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 5DY

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Inspectors

Michelle Snape, Social Care Inspector Kelly McCurdy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2785316 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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