Acorns Children’s Home in Bexhill rated inadequate by Ofsted

Acorns Children’s Home, in Bexhill, has been rated inadequate by the watchdog following an inspection in October.

The respite and residential home, which can care for up to eight children with learning and physical disabilities, currently cares for two children who were placed as emergencies in 2019 and 2020.

They have remained living in the home ever since because a suitable alternative placement cannot be found.

Inspectors said the children were “deprived” of their liberty, did not have access to “meaningful” education, and were not living in a “pleasant” home, with a window falling on a child and another’s hygiene deteriorating because of a delay in addressing their sensory needs when accessing the bathroom.

The report said: “There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

“Children do not live in a pleasant home and staff practices create an institutional environment, such as the locking of doors.

“The environment is bleak and unwelcoming. For example, in one child’s bedroom there is a stockpile of dirty sofa cushions and there are marks, holes and writing all over the walls. There is a boarded-up window, with no confirmed date when this will be fixed.

“There has been a lack of urgency to repair a child’s bathroom. There is a radiator missing from a wall which has not been replaced and, consequently, there is exposed pipework.”

Inspectors said staff did not have the skills, experience or knowledge to manage the children’s behaviours, resulting in staff using practices to impose restrictions to keep children safe.

The report said: “For example, to manage one child’s behaviours, there is a practice of locking the child in an area or room to contain them, while staff observe through a window.

“Other strategies include staff holding doors shut to keep themselves safe when children’s behaviours escalate.

“The level of restrictions imposed on one child are so severe that he only leaves the home to attend medical appointments or for a short minibus ride under staff supervision.

“He has no interaction with other children and is not able to participate in any activities outside the home.

East Sussex County Council, which runs the home, said improvements have already been made.

“We are extremely proud of the work we do in our children’s homes and are, of course, disappointed with the latest Ofsted Rating for Acorns Children’s Home,” said a council spokeswoman.

“We accept the findings of the report and the responsibility for failings identified.

“We are determined to deliver the best possible care to children in our county and were reassured that OFSTED’s recent monitoring visit confirmed that we have already made significant progress in addressing the points raised in the inspection to ensure the necessary improvements are made.”