Every day, we build incredible futures for thousands of people, their families and communities through a relentless focus on caring and learning. Our commitment, quality and expertise have been recognised by numerous industry accreditations and awards.

Accreditations

Autism Accreditation

This accreditation is issued by the National Autistic Society (NAS). Its an internationally recognised process of support and development for all those providing services to people on the autistic spectrum. In 2017 we were also nominated by the NAS for the Autism Accreditation Excellence Award.

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British Psychological Society Accreditation

Approved by the British Psychological Society for the purposes of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

The Outcomes First Group Therapeutic Parenting Programme is designed to develop an attachment, trauma and neurodiversity informed workforce to create a positive and reflective therapeutic environment to achieve the best outcomes for all the children and young people we support.

Our Therapeutic Parenting Programme has been approved by the British Psychological Society for the purposes of continuing professional development. The British Psychological Society is a registered charity which acts as the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK, and is responsible for the promotion of excellence and ethical practice in the science, education and application of the discipline.

Awards

Autism Accreditation

This accreditation is issued by the National Autistic Society (NAS). Its an internationally recognised process of support and development for all those providing services to people on the autistic spectrum. In 2017 we were also nominated by the NAS for the Autism Accreditation Excellence Award.

British Psychological Society Accreditation

Approved by the British Psychological Society for the purposes of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

The Outcomes First Group Therapeutic Parenting Programme is designed to develop an attachment, trauma and neurodiversity informed workforce to create a positive and reflective therapeutic environment to achieve the best outcomes for all the children and young people we support.

Our Therapeutic Parenting Programme has been approved by the British Psychological Society for the purposes of continuing professional development. The British Psychological Society is a registered charity which acts as the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK, and is responsible for the promotion of excellence and ethical practice in the science, education and application of the discipline.

Great Places to Work UK

Outcomes First Group has been recognised by Great Place to Work® as one of the UKs Best Workplaces™ for 2021. The accolade is in recognition of the pride people have in their jobs, the level of trust that colleagues place in managers, and an inclusive working environment based on collaboration and team work.

Disability Confident Committed

Outcomes First Group is proud to be registered as a Disability Confident Committed Employer in recognition of our commitment to inclusive practices.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we celebrate diversity with a proactive approach to employing a diverse workforce, and are committed to offering an accessible and inclusive recruitment process which offers equality of opportunity for all existing and prospective staff. 

As an inclusive organisation, Outcomes First Group is committed to challenging attitudes towards disability by actively removing barriers and offering disabled people opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations with us.

You can find more information about the Disability Confident scheme here.

Restraint Reduction Network

The Restraint Reduction Network is a charity striving to reduce reliance on restrictive practices by sharing their expertise and resources, the quality standards and practical tools that support reduction.

Outcomes First Group is proud to be approved as a member of the Restraint Reduction Network, demonstrating the groups continued commitment to reducing restrictive practices and benefiting from the expert advice, guidance and materials provided as part of the membership.

Education Business Awards Winner 2021

Bramfield House School, part of Acorn Education at Outcomes First Group, has won the SEN Provision Award at the Education Business Awards.

The award acknowledges the high quality care and education provided to students with special educational needs, as well as the hard work and dedication supporting young people to achieve fantastic outcomes.

Education Investor Awards 2020

Outcomes First Group has been shortlisted as a finalist for an Education Investor Award in the category Private Education Group of the Year.

The Education Investor Awards are presented to organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to education in 2019-20, with a view to promoting excellence and recognising innovation in the private education sector.

The shortlisting relates specifically to Acorn Digital Learning (ADL), part of Acorn Education at Outcomes First Group, which is dedicated to transforming vulnerable children and young peoples lives by providing high quality, cost-effective and innovative real-time online teaching to those who require an alternative learning environment.

LaingBuisson Awards 2020 – Childrens Service Award

Acorn Digital Learning was shortlisted for providing excellence in the delivery of childrens services.

Acorn Digital Learning is dedicated to transforming childrens lives by providing high-quality and innovative real-time online teaching for young people who require an alternative learning environment.

Working with children to achieve the best possible outcomes, ADL provides inclusive, safe, nurturing, flexible learning environments, removing barriers to learning and delivering high quality online education while supporting with reintegration into a school environment.

Education Investment Awards 2019

Acorn Education was nominated as a finalist the Education Business of the Year Award in 2019.

Some of the reasons for the shortlisting include:

  • Four new schools were created in 2018/2019
  • Appropriate expansion of existing Acorn schools to help meet local authority needs, offering 93 SEMH and ASD pupils a specialist education
  • During 2018/2019 we made investments to update and enhance facilities and curriculum offering
  • In 2018/19, across all Acorn schools, there were over 300 qualifications gained including BTEC and NVQs. 133 pupils gained 381 results across 14 GCSE subjects, achieving an 88% pass rate

LaingBuisson Awards 2018 – Outstanding childrens services provider 2018

Outcomes First Group was delighted to be presented with the award in recognition of Outstanding Services in Childrens Servicesfor 2018. The award covered our work in fostering, education and residential. The judges made special mention of our focus on qualityand delivering excellent servicesin both our schools and fostering services.

The prestigious award recognised the amazing work undertaken by our foster carers, staff teams and family of fostering agencies, alongside our schools and childrens residential homes, all of which work hard to make a real difference to the life chances of some of the UKs most vulnerable children and young people.

Education Business Awards

We were shortlisted as a finalist for the SEN Provision Award in the Education Business Awards. These awards recognise schools across the UK for improving the standard of education and the life chances of their students, highlighting the vital work of educational professionals up and down the country.

Education Business Awards

We were shortlisted as a finalist for the SEN Provision Award in the Education Business Awards. These awards recognise schools across the UK for improving the standard of education and the life chances of their students, highlighting the vital work of educational professionals up and down the country.

The Award for Outstanding New Teacher of the Year, Supported by the Department of Education – The Pearson National Teaching Award

Oliver McIntyre from Hillcrest Shifnal School had the honour of winning The Award for Outstanding New Teacher of the Year (2020) by the Pearson National Teaching Award. 

Fostering Excellence Awards

The Fostering Excellence Awards, hosted by The Fostering Network, are the UKs most prestigious foster care awards. The awards celebrate outstanding achievement in fostering and recognise those who make exceptional contributions to foster care every day.

In 2020, there were two winners for the Fostering Excellence Awards from FamilyPlacement.com.

Sabrina-Jayne won the award for Outstanding Contribution by Sons and Daughters. This particular award celebrates a son, daughter or sibling group, aged 18 or under, who have gone the extra mile to support their parents or the young people in foster care with their family.

Jamie Barrett won the Outstanding Contribution by a Social Worker Award. This recognises a social worker who has made an exceptional contribution to foster care.

Two carers from Child Care Bureau made the shortlist for the Jon and Kathy Broad Award, and a senior practitioner from FamilyPlacement.com made the shortlist for Outstanding Contribution by a Social Worker Award.

Great British Care Awards 2020

Luke Taylor, Registered Manager at Ramsey House, part of Acorn Education, was shortlisted for a Great British Care Award. This particular award recognises a manager who has a clear vision in developing person-centred care, demonstrating a high level of expertise with exceptional skills managing a home and supporting the whole team in meeting the individual needs of the children.

The National Children and Young People Awards 2020

Villa Farm were announced as the winners of The Childrens Home Team Award at the Children and Young People Awards ceremony.

We are also active members of:

The Childrens Services Development Group

Our membership of The Childrens Services Development Group (CSDG) supports our company values. CSDG is a coalition of leading independent providers of care and specialist education services for children and young people with complex needs.

Operating as a collective voice for the independent sector since 2006, CSDG champions child-centred, meaningful, and outcomes-focused support for vulnerable children and young people that ensures their stable and successful transition into adulthood.

The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities

Our membership of The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities is a reflection of our commitment to operating in a therapeutic environment and manner. The consortium is for organisations that recognise the influence of our social environment on how we are, what we learn and how we change.

The Community of Communities

The Community of Communities (CofC) is a standards-based quality improvement and accreditation network working with Therapeutic Communities (TCs) in the UK and abroad. This accreditation is issued by the Therapeutic Community Accreditation Panel (TCAP), and is an exciting benchmark within the residential childcare sector.