“children's homes in Darlington”

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 33 Kellaw Road, Yarm Road Industrial Estate, Darlington, County Durham DL1 4YA

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Information about this children's home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for 5 children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Information about this children's home

The home accommodates up to five children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to five children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

What the inspection judgements mean

are in place. However, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Inspector(s)

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor, social care inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC421995 4 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.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

This monitoring visit

This home was judged as good at the full inspection on 7 June 2016. An interim inspection was carried out on 9 January 2017 when Ofsted judged that it had declined in effectiveness. Following the interim inspection, the home was subject to a restriction of accommodation notice for three months from 11 January 2017. This is a monitoring visit to gather evidence to determine whether the provider has met the compliance notices. The evidence gathered during the inspection on 9 January 2017 demonstrated that there were concerns that the leadership and management of the home were ineffective and placed children and young people at risk of harm to their welfare. The evidence confirmed that a number of regulations were not being met. Those regulations related to understanding the needs of children and young people, and how to provide care to keep them safe. Compliance notices were issued on 16 January 2017 and were required to be

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This interim inspection was brought forward, following concerns relating to a notification under Regulation 40 that had been sent to Ofsted by the home. In addition, concerns have been expressed by professionals involved in the home that some of the young people were regularly going missing from the home and were not being safeguarded effectively.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people live in a home that meets their needs. It is homely, comfortable and very clean and tidy. There is ample room for privacy and socialising. Each young person has their own bedroom that they can personalise to reflect their individuality. There is good access to local amenities and public transport. Young people are very much part of their local community which promotes inclusion and acceptance.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Good

The home is clean, tidy and welcoming. There are sufficient rooms for both privacy and communal activities. The games room is particularly well designed, and offers young people good facilities to enjoy as well as an information point. Young people’s bedrooms are well equipped and personalised, enabling them to develop a sense of belonging.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judge that it has declined in effectiveness .

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Good

inappropriate for young people, and work hard to offer alternative activities in the locality to develop new friendships. Staff are proactive in supporting contact, for example when they need to supervise the time spent with relatives if there may be a safeguarding concern. A parent said, ‘The home is really good and they keep me up to date with things. She has improved and settled there.’ Three young people have left the home in recent months. One young person successfully transitioned to a supported lodgings placement nearby and maintains regular contact with the home. The young person’s social worker sent a card to staff to thank them for their work. The other two young people moved to other placements, as it was felt that the home could no longer meet their needs. For one young person, this also meant that the home could not keep him safe, and the manager took the decision to end the placement. As the home has only recently

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Recommendations

satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs as recorded in the child's relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 56, paragraph 11.4).

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A requirement to ensure the independent visitor’s report clearly sets out that young people are safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes their welfare is not fully met. This will be raised again in this report. While this shortfall has no immediate impact on young people at the time of this inspection, a prolonged failure by the registered persons to clearly demonstrate the independent visitor is scrutinising the home’s performance in relation to young people’s safety could potentially compromise young people’s welfare.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

Darlington · DL1 4YA · Part of Acorn Care (NE) Limited

The children's home provision is good because:

young people.  A strong senior leadership team takes responsibility, where there are shortfalls, and acts quickly to improve situations.