Children's Home run by Acorn Care (UK) Limited in Darlington

Inspection report for children’s home: SC390751 1 SC390751 Registered provider: Acorn Care (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC390751 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/08/2024 Full Good 20/09/2023 Full Good 25/10/2022 Full Good 15/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC390751 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The progress of children is exceptional from their starting points. This is because staff provide excellent care to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff team is extremely long-standing, and this allows the children to build trusting and lasting relationships with a consistent staff team. Children report that they feel happy and settled and want to stay in the home. This stability and consistency in staffing means that children have a real sense of permanence and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is a large property, with plenty of space. It looks and feels like a family home. It is well maintained, and children say that if there are any issues, they are quickly identified and rectified. The children and staff take huge pride in their home, and the children’s bedrooms are personalised to their own tastes and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Education is a priority for staff and is promoted in the home. As a result, children have achieved excellent school attendance from their starting points and are making significant progress with their education. Staff and the manager have a good understanding of the children’s educational needs and are strong advocates for them. They work effectively with education professionals when children need a suitable alternative education provision to meet their individual needs. This has helped children to continue to achieve academically and develop aspirations for their future education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The voices of children have a significant influence on how care is delivered by staff. Children feel confident in sharing their views with staff and are secure in the knowledge that this will have an immediate impact. Furthermore, children play a significant role in their own care planning. This level of participation provides children with a sense of agency and control over what happens in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home has a therapeutic approach to caring for children. Children who have experienced trauma and neglect have access to specialist therapeutic support that is overseen by the home’s clinical psychologist. The psychologist supports the staff’s learning and development through training and consultations related to individual children’s needs. The psychologist has input into children’s plans, which are regularly updated to ensure that staff have access to the latest information about the children and how best to meet their needs. This has a significant impact on the progress that children are making in relation to their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have a deep understanding of children’s past experiences and how they impact on them. The manager has considered how staff respond to children’s feelings of separation and loss and how to support each child as an individual.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are provided with a variety of activities to help build their confidence. Staff encourage the children to try new things and broaden their interests. These activities are Inspection report for children’s home: SC390751 4 important to children and give them opportunities to explore their talents and make new friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work hard to build positive and trusting relationships with the children’s parents and families. One parent said, ‘They pitch communication just right; they tell me the good, the bad and the ugly, so I know what is happening.’ Staff work with children from a trauma-informed perspective and know how their journey into care impacts on them. This provides staff with an understanding of the family dynamics, which assists them in supporting the children to maintain those important relationships.

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

Children feel safe and are protected from harm effectively. Staff work hard to build trusting relationships with children and help them to feel comfortable talking to staff if they have any worries or concerns. One child said, ‘I feel much better living here.’ Consequently, they no longer go missing from home. This is because staff make the home a place where children want to be.

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

Staff help children to take appropriate risks for their age and level of understanding. Staff know the children extremely well and can quickly identify any changes in behaviour. This helps staff to create effective risk assessments and plans that help them to keep children safe.

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

Staff help children to understand their emotions and how to manage them appropriately when they are angry or upset. Staff use the expertise of the home’s clinical psychologist to better understand how to respond to children in a therapeutic way. Staff are provided with specialist training to aid their knowledge and understanding of the children’s needs. Staff are equipped to manage and support the children effectively. Consequently, the number of incidents involving children has reduced significantly.

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

Staff use restorative practice methods when children’s behaviour is not appropriate. This helps children to understand the consequences of their actions and encourages them to make reparations. This increases their sense of personal responsibility and teaches them about the impact that their choices can have on themselves and others.

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

The manager has undertaken independent research into how the use of physical intervention can affect children. This provides the manager with a better understanding of the impact of restraint on children and the relationships they have with those who care for them. The manager then shares that learning with the staff team. This shared learning has a direct impact on how the staff care for children, and as a result, there have been no restraints in this inspection period.

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

Risk assessments help staff to manage the dynamic nature of risks to children. They contain details about the children’s individual risks and are regularly reviewed. The staff follow the strategies that are set out in the risk assessments. This provides children with a consistent response and helps to reduce any harm that they may be exposed to. Inspection report for children’s home: SC390751 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager creates an environment that has a significant influence on children’s lives. He inspires the confidence of his staff and is highly ambitious for children. The manager knows the children exceptionally well and takes great pride in their progress and achievements. The manager has high expectations for staff to change and improve the lives of the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and deputy manager are tenacious when escalating concerns to other professionals so that they get a timely response. This helps them to ensure that plans for children progress appropriately and that they have access to what children need from other professionals. For one child, this has helped to ensure their safety is the priority when considering arrangements for them to spend time with family.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff enjoy working in the home and say they feel supported and valued by leaders and managers. They have access to bespoke training, regular reflective supervision and support from a consultant psychologist. This helps to promote staff learning and development and enables staff to give high-quality care to children that is tailored to their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and deputy manager have positive working relationships with other professionals. The home’s clinical psychologist talked about how open they are to challenge and that they instil a learning culture in the home that ultimately benefits the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals say that communication is open, transparent and up to date. One professional said that working with the home has been a truly collaborative experience. All professionals agree that the children are making considerable progress from their starting points. Inspection report for children’s home: SC390751 6

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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: SC390751 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorn Care (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Yarm Road Business Park, Darlington, County Durham DL1 4YA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Julie-Ann Foxton

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Inspector

Dawn McCluskey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC390751 8 regulates 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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