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

Inspection report for children's home: SC023645 1 SC023645 Registered provider: Acorn Homes (UK) Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately operated home is part of an organisation which has several homes in the area. The home provides care for up to seven children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 11 March 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 outstanding

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC023645 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2023 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 09/11/2021 Full Good 19/12/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC023645 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff care deeply about the children in their care. They demonstrate high levels of commitment and determination for children to achieve positive outcomes, even when circumstances can be challenging. Staff know and understand the children to a high degree. They deliver tailored individual care and support which focuses on each child’s strengths.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

While some children have left the home in unplanned ways, the team has managed to make these endings positive experiences for children. Staff go beyond expectation to maintain and nurture relationships with children long after they have moved from the home. Staff maintain close contact whenever possible or desired by the child. Staff talk proudly of the achievements of children currently living at the home and those who left several years before.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff’s ethos is that they will always offer support to children, who often present highly complex patterns of behaviour. Staff do not give up on children and are resilient in the face of difficulties. Staff produce excellent transition work at ending points that enables children to have a positive experience at difficult moments in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with family members and enable children to strengthen family connections. One family member said, ‘The staff are amazing. They do their best to support the whole family as well as the child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff at one child’s school were highly positive about the support and partnership working with the home. They said the collaborative working between school and home was excellent and enabled the school to better understand the child’s needs. In situations where children do not attend school, staff ensure that they continue to get access to educational support and alternative provision where possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a high value on ensuring that children’s views and wishes are heard and are at the centre of decision-making in the home. Children said that they feel listened to and are confident to express their views.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff provide high-quality safeguarding support. They follow their agreed procedures closely. Staff collaborate closely with safeguarding partners, such as the local authority and the police, to ensure that they all work together to reduce the risks to children as quickly as possible.

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

Staff’s extensive knowledge of the children, their families, friends and their known contacts helps to build a picture of their possible locations when they have gone missing from the home. When children return, they are warmly welcomed and staff work hard to Inspection report for children's home: SC023645 4 ensure that children know that they are cared for deeply, no matter what the circumstances.

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

Staff have a good understanding of their obligations to safeguard children. They receive regular training, and the registered manager ensures that regular conversations take place in team meetings and supervision to always keep the safety of children at the forefront of staff’s minds.

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

Parents and professionals all expressed confidence in the staff team’s ability to keep children safe. The police praise the collaborative working and sharing of information. One officer said, ‘Safeguarding is done well. Staff show a great commitment to children and always want to improve practice and develop their safeguarding strategies whenever possible.’

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

Staff do use physical intervention but only as a last resort to safeguard children or those around children. In situations where intervention is used, record-keeping is meticulous and follow-up work with staff and children is supportive and seeks to help children and staff to learn from incidents.

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

Staff focus on rewarding positive behaviours and celebrating success with children, rather than sanctioning poor behaviour. They ensure that there are clear boundaries around acceptable behaviour and focus on encouraging positive relationships. This has resulted in a safe and positive environment in the home. Children who may not always be making safe choices for themselves benefit from the consistency, stability and predictability of their home, even when their lives outside the home may be less stable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager demonstrates exceptional levels of commitment to children in her care. She knows them well and uses this deep insight to create tailored support that aims to achieve the best outcomes possible for every child who comes to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager aspires to give every child the opportunity to benefit from the high levels of care and support they will receive at the home. She retains a pragmatic stance when she considers placement matching and will not take unnecessary risk. However, she will take positive risks and tries to accommodate children with complex needs if she can.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

To achieve these goals, the registered manager provides superb support to her team. A deputy manager and senior staff brilliantly support her to create a staff team that has the skills, emotional resilience and commitment to work with children with very complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is reflective, analytical and willing to learn from every situation that arises at the home. Her work this year on transitions and endings for children is superb. Inspection report for children's home: SC023645 5 She ensures that staff see children’s strengths and potential, even in the toughest of circumstances. Staff have created beautiful memory books and placement records for children that they can take to their next placement and keep into adulthood. It is testament to the manager and her team that children stay connected to the home after they leave. The manager’s pathway tracking of children who have left the home allows her to monitor the impact of the care and support they received, long after they have left.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff praise the exceptional levels of support they get from the manager and her senior team. They absolutely trust them, and this enables them to undertake challenging work and continue delivering high-quality support during times of crisis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent systems for monitoring the quality of care and support delivered by staff. She holds herself and the team to ambitious standards and collaborates closely with her team to ensure that they maintain an excellent service for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a tireless advocate for the children in her care. She champions their views and wishes in professional meetings and constructively challenges others when she thinks children are not receiving the support that they deserve. She continues to do so even when children are no longer directly under her care at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

She ensures that staff provide an inclusive and supportive environment for children that allows them to be proud of their identities. They feel comfortable to express their individuality in a safe and accepting place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager benefits from the supportive oversight of the responsible individual. They work in close partnership to ensure that staff feel supported by the wider organisation and leadership team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations were made at this inspection.

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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: SC023645 6

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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

Peter Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC023645 7 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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