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

Inspection report for children's home: 2688021 1 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 home is operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to seven children. The home supports children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were four children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since November 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

Date of last inspection: 15 January 2025

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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: 2688021 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2688021 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are relaxed in their home environment. They actively seek out staff and are confident in sharing their views, wishes and feelings, which staff are responsive to. The positive relationships between the children and staff are a strength of the care the staff provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Detailed and child-focused plans support the children who move into or out of this home. One child recently moved in and was familiar with their surroundings due to having visited and stayed at the home before they moved in. Staff decorated and prepared the child’s bedroom and bought things the child had asked for to help them to settle in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to have positive childhood experiences. They encourage the children to develop friendships with other children away from the home. One child has had friends to stay for sleepovers. Staff plan and promote the children’s time with their family and, when appropriate, family members are invited to spend time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External professionals are complimentary about the care provided to the children and say children are making progress. One social worker said, ‘It has been a life-changing experience for [name of child], and it is so refreshing seeing him grow.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager promotes the children’s education. He has worked with placing authorities to ensure children have access to suitable education and that the identified provisions are able to meet their needs. In response, the children’s engagement with learning has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, spacious and child focused. The staff provide a range of activities for the children. The children have two pet guinea pigs which they help to take care of. However, the swimming pool erected in the garden had not been effectively risk assessed; the manager has taken action to address this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children generally have open access to all communal areas in the home. However, when the staff secure the house in the evening, the kitchen door is locked. This takes away from the homely feel the manager and staff are trying to create. The manager intends to review this practice.

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

Children say they feel safe and well cared for. Staff’s safeguarding practice follows correct procedures and information-sharing is effective. External professionals say there is open and collaborative working. Inspection report for children's home: 2688021 4 Staff are responsive to the children’s individual needs. These needs are understood by the manager and staff. This has resulted in physical intervention not being needed and no complaints or allegations being made.

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

When needed, staff use door alarms overnight on children’s bedrooms. The need to use these is individualised and regularly reviewed by managers, and those with parental responsibility are appropriately consulted.

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

One child had a high number of missing-from-home incidents due to external pull factors. The manager and staff worked closely with the child’s social worker and external agencies and were determined in their efforts to reduce the number of incidents. The child’s social worker said, ‘They have been fluid and worked with the local authority plans.’ However, there have been missed opportunities to obtain additional information from return home interviews to inform staff’s forward planning and risk assessing.

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

Staff identified specific risks for one child. They made initial attempts to engage the child in educative work, however, this was not completed or followed up robustly. This did not have any direct negative effect on the child’s safety or well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. He has submitted his application to register with Ofsted. The manager has a clear vision for the home and is introducing the staff to a new model of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a good advocate for children and recently challenged an education provider on their decision not to allocate a place to one of the children. This resulted in the child being offered a place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is currently no deputy manager in post. This gap in the management structure of the home has caused some drift in tasks being completed. However, the direct effect on the children has been negligible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff unanimously say they are well supported. Managers share information effectively, regular team meetings take place and required regular training is provided. However, staff have not always had regular supervision and when supervision has taken place, this has not always been recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive the training needed to carry out their roles, including training to meet the specific needs of the children. However, the manager has not kept the workforce development plan under regular review. The details of staff experience, qualifications and training needs are not current. Inspection report for children's home: 2688021 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. In particular, that children can access the kitchen at night. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This is specifically in relation to the maintenance and use of the swimming pool. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff’s safeguarding skills include supporting children to develop strategies to manage and reduce any risks. In particular, that children are educated around known risks such as fire-setting. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  The registered person should take account of information provided by return home interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child after being missing from care or away from the home without permission. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16, regularly reviewing the experience and qualifications of staff currently working at the home and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure a record of supervision is kept for staff, including

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Recommendations

the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: 2688021 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

Cassie Martin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2688021 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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