Children's Home run by Accalia Care Services Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report for children's home: 2494873 1 Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2494873 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/08/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/01/2025 Full Good 28/06/2023 Full Good 01/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2494873 3

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Summary of findings

Children are settled in the home and enjoy positive relationships with staff. All children are engaging with education. The home environment requires maintenance; however, plans to address this are underway.

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Summary of findings

Incidents involving children are responded to promptly and key agencies informed as required. However, further improvements are needed in recording practices and ensuring that children's care and safety are consistently maintained.

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Summary of findings

Leadership of the home is stable. Staff have received training to meet the specific needs of children. Improvements to the quality of communication with professionals and staff supervision are required to strengthen the safeguarding of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved into the home and 2 have moved on. At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with all children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving into the home are warmly welcomed by staff. This supports them to settle quickly and feel comfortable in their new environment. When children move on, staff help them to prepare by providing reassurance and guidance, supporting well- planned and positive transitions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person was due to move towards independence in the weeks following the inspection. Timely and effective planning between staff and the local authority has helped the young person to feel prepared for the next stage of their life. Activities to promote a positive ending have been thoughtfully planned and delivered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are making progress in education. Staff implement clear and structured routines that support children to be ready to learn. When one child experienced a period out of education, staff provided learning activities to maintain their engagement. This supported the child to settle successfully into their new school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. They enjoy spending time with them and feel able to share their worries and concerns. Staff use these relationships effectively to influence and guide children. As a result, children feel valued, develop in confidence and are supported to build trusting relationships with others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment has deteriorated since the last inspection. In particular, children's bedrooms require redecoration and new furniture. A plan to address these shortfalls was in place prior to the inspection and is due to be implemented imminently. Inspection report for children's home: 2494873 4

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

Physical intervention is only used when necessary to protect children and others from harm. Following incidents, children and staff are given opportunities to discuss what has happened. However, these discussions are sometimes led by the staff involved in the restraint. This does not provide an appropriately independent space for reflection and may limit open discussion.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff take prompt action to locate them and inform relevant agencies. However, records do not consistently demonstrate how children are supported following these incidents. In addition, not all serious incidents are recorded or notified to the regulator. This lack of oversight reduces assurance that appropriate action has been taken and that children receive the necessary support.

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

There has been improvement in how the provider responds to allegations. When concerns are raised, prompt action is taken to notify safeguarding agencies and investigations are undertaken. However, action to manage potential risks to other children during investigations is not always effective. For example, staff who are the subject of allegations have been redeployed to other homes without appropriate risk assessments. This means that potential risks are not fully considered or mitigated when staff are working in other homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She is committed to improving the lives of the children in her care. Staff report that they feel supported and enjoy working in the home. Changes to staffing arrangements since the last inspection have strengthened the team and improved stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive training that is relevant to their roles and to meet children's individual needs. Two children have identified neurodiverse needs, and the manager has arranged bespoke training to increase staff knowledge and understanding of these needs. This supports staff to deliver more informed, consistent and effective care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Feedback from schools and social workers is generally positive. While no significant concerns have been raised regarding communication, this remains an area for development. For example, key information about children's experiences is not always clearly recorded or shared with professionals, including concerns about family time arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are held regularly and staff receive supervision from experienced team members. However, records show limited evidence of reflective and in-depth discussion. This is a missed opportunity to strengthen staff practice, deepen their understanding of children's needs and promote continuous improvement. Inspection report for children's home: 2494873 5

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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

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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all serious incidents involving children are recorded, including follow-up action after the event; debriefs for children and staff following the use of physical restraint are undertaken by staff 31 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2494873 6 who have not been involved in the restraint; and communication with the local authority, and other professionals, relating to concerns for children's welfare are documented.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 2494873 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Accalia Care Services Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Bransons Cross Farm, Beoley Lane, Beoley, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 9DP

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Leaford Williams

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Inspector

Becky Rutter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2494873 8 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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