Children's Home run by The Acorns Leicester Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 1 The Acorns Leicester Limited

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the visit, no children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is being led by an acting manager. She is not registered with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place to monitor the provider’s compliance with the restriction of accommodation notice issued by Ofsted on 9 May 2025. Additionally, to review progress made by the provider to meet the statutory requirements set by Ofsted at the full inspection on 6 and 7 May 2025.

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This monitoring visit

No children have moved into the home, and therefore the provider has complied with the restriction of accommodation notice.

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This monitoring visit

A new manager has very recently been appointed to lead the home. She will be supported by the responsible individual. The manager understands the importance of becoming registered with Ofsted without delay.

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This monitoring visit

The home has been redecorated, making it inviting and comfortable. The children’s rooms have been refurbished. This includes new beds, furniture and carpeting. This makes children’s rooms inviting for them to enjoy and be proud of.

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This monitoring visit

Although the manager is very new to her role, she has a good understanding of the areas that require improvement, and that the home is subject to a restriction notice. She is not deterred by the restriction notice or the work required to improve this home for children. She said that she is committed to helping the home move forwards. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 2 The statutory requirements set at the full inspection have been reset at this monitoring visit as there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that these are met. The processes to recruit staff safely is not sufficiently rigorous. For example, managers did not verify a reference for a member of staff starting in the home, and a staff member’s work history was not fully accounted for. These constitute crucial checks to ensure that individuals employed by the organisation are safe to work with children.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are planning to implement a new electronic recording system. This will help and support them to complete daily logs and record children’s risk management, relevant plans and documentation. However, this is not yet implemented, and staff have not yet been trained to use the system for this to become fully operational.

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This monitoring visit

The management team is very new to working together. They understand the reasons for previous difficulties in the home and accept that the home is not yet ready to accept children coming to live there. They have not yet undertaken work to learn lessons following the last inspection or to discover how they can use this learning to help develop staff and the processes to prevent a recurrence of the issues previously raised.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have been actively recruiting staff. Although some vacancies remain, they have several full-time staff in post. These staff are currently undertaking their induction to work in the home. This includes completing mandatory training, including safeguarding. The new manager has also arranged for staff to complete behaviour management training together. The manager is keen to ensure that all staff have the same training to provide consistency of care practice in this area so that children understand what is expected of them and how staff will approach the day-to-day management of behaviour. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/05/2025 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 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 with the given timescales.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(vi)(b)) 3 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 3 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 5 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 3 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. 3 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 6 Case records must be kept—

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all records are available, signed and kept up to date, with updates and outcomes included in the records.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 3 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are aware of the procedures that should be followed in the event of a fire and that they participate in fire drills. 3 October 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping, and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’, supporting them to view and contribute to the record that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 7

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Acorns Leicester Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 50 Dalby Avenue, Bushby, Leicester LE7 9RD

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Inspector

Phillip Morris, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2783593 9 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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