Children's Home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Rotherham

Unique reference number SC473631 Inspector Jamie Richardson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Priory Education Services Ltd Registered person address 5th Floor 80 Hammersmith Road London W14 8UD Responsible individual Helen Sharpe Registered manager Hilary Jane Grimshaw Date of last inspection N/A 2 of 10 Inspection date 08/10/2014

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Previous inspection N/A Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness inadequate

Outcomes for children and young people inadequate Quality of care inadequate Keeping children and young people safe inadequate Leadership and management inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

This home is judged as inadequate overall, as young people are not achieving and they are not safe. The judgement is a result of shortfalls in leadership, safeguarding, progress in young people’s outcomes and quality of care.

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Overall effectiveness

This is the first inspection of the home since it opened. Some positive relationships have been built between young people and staff. Progress from young people’s starting points is not satisfactory. Some young people have made no progress in areas such as education or emotional development. Young people’s safety has been compromised by inadequate planning of new admissions, staff training, staffing levels and staff’s competency to address behaviour issues. This is impacting on all areas of young people’s safety, progress and wellbeing. 3 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private national provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the children’s home is conducted so as to promote and make proper provision for the safeguarding and welfare of young people accommodated there; and make proper provision for the care, education, supervision, support and, where appropriate, treatment, of children accommodated there. (Regulation 11 (1) (a) (b)) * 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that there is at all times, having regard to the size of the children’s home, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children accommodated there; a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working at the children's home (Regulation 25(1)(a)) * 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that there is at all times having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of the children accommodated in the home, a sufficient number of suitably qualified and competent and experienced persons working at the children’s home; (Regulation 25(1)(b)) 27/10/2014 4 of 10 (2001) ensure that all persons employed by him receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal (Regulation 27 (4) (a)) * 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

4 (2001) ensure that the children’s home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 4 (6)) 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to the missing child policy, the registered person shall consult, and take into account the views of such local persons or bodies as the registered person considers appropriate (Regulation 16 (5) (i)) 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the missing child policy, has regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children (Regulation 16 (5) (ii)) 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work at a children’s home unless he is physically and mentally fit for the purposes of the work he is to perform (Regulation 26 (3) (c)) 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure if, in relation to a children’s home, any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. (Regulation 30 (1)) 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all parts of the premises to which children have access are so far as reasonably practicable free from hazards to their health or safety. (Regulation 23 (a)) 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) prepare and implement a written policy (in this regulation referred to as the “behaviour management policy”) which sets out the means whereby appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the home. (Regulation 17B (1) (b)) 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) promote the educational achievement of children accommodated in a children’s home, in particular by ensuring that the children make use of educational facilities appropriate to their age, aptitude, needs, interests and potential (Regulation 18 (1) (a)) 18/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the routine of the home is organised so as to further children’s participation in education, including regular attendance at school and participation in school activities of children of compulsory school age, and regular attendance at college where applicable (Regulation 18 (1) (b)) 27/10/2014 5 of 10 (2001) prepare and implement as required a missing child policy (Regulation 16 (4) (b)) 27/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice 6 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people inadequate

Outcomes for young people in this setting are variable across all aspects of their safety, welfare, behaviour, education and independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people inadequate

Some positive relationships are developing between young people and staff. Young people do not undertake life story work and their achievements are not celebrated. This does not help young people to understand their lives now and they do not develop any confidence and emotional resilience. This will continue to impact on them as they grow into adults.

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Outcomes for children and young people inadequate

Some young people are going to educational settings judged to be inadequate and some are not engaging in education at all. This means their educational needs are not being met, which will affect their chances of gaining employment in the future.

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Outcomes for children and young people inadequate

Some young people make improvements in their behaviour, however, sustained improvements for all is not achieved and challenging risk taking behaviours, such as climbing on the roof of the home, continues. This places young people at risk of physical harm from falling.

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Outcomes for children and young people inadequate

Children and young people are having their basic health needs met. They are registered with core health services such as doctors and dentists and they attend their routine appointments; this will help them to maintain a basic standard of general health and oral hygiene. Some young people’s emotional and psychological health needs are not being addressed in this home. They are not accessing the therapy they need. This is resulting in young people not being able to cope with their feelings. It is not allowing them to progress emotionally and is also impacting on their behaviour and educational achievement. For example continuing with risk taking behaviour and poor school attendance.

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Outcomes for children and young people inadequate

Children and young people are working on daily life skills, such as cooking, washing, and bathing; this will help them to prepare for independence in later life. Their progress in this area is not adequately assessed to help them improve further.

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Quality of care inadequate

Staff are caring towards young people and are trying to build positive relationships with them. Staff work hard in difficult circumstances, for example when unexpected admissions take place without planning. They try to facilitate and maintain quality care for young people. This is not enough and is beyond their limited resources to ensure young people’s needs for safety and supervision are met. 7 of 10 Consideration to the wishes and feelings of young people are mixed. On a daily basis young people’s views are sought by staff through house meetings and consultations. They influence their own food choices and running of the home. For example staff respect young people’s views by adapting their approaches accordingly. A young person objected to a house notice board displaying complaints information; staff responded by changing their approach, providing complaints cards which are more discreet and approved by the young person. This respect for young people’s wishes

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Quality of care inadequate

and feelings helps to promote their sense of value and belonging. On other occasions young people are not provided with information and their views are not ascertained before new young people come into their home, one young person commented: ‘He just came. I did not like this, they could have told me, it’s my home.’

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Quality of care inadequate

Staff attempt to engage young people in education. Their efforts are not successful and young people continue to lack motivation to attend or maintain their placements. This will have a significant impact on young people’s knowledge and will limit their abilities in later life to function in society and gain employment.

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Quality of care inadequate

In-house care plans are in place for young people, these care plans cover a wide range of young people’s needs. Gaps in the monitoring of these plans makes it harder to evaluate progress and support young people’s achievement. This is impacting on young people, as vital areas of care, such as specialist therapeutic support and challenging behaviours, are not being addressed.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

Safeguarding is judged inadequate, as young people are not safe in the home. Lack of planning for the mix of young people’s needs, coupled with inadequate levels of night staffing and monitoring, leaves young people vulnerable.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

Young people have left the home during the night without staff knowledge. This has left them in danger as young people in this setting are unable to identify risk. It has also left them open to harm from others. The missing from home policy is inadequate. Staff are not clear on correct procedures for missing persons, in addition staff have inadequate knowledge of related issues such as child sexual exploitation. As a result young people are not safeguarded from harm and are at risk of being exploited.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

Due to a lack of supervision from staff, incidents of violence and aggression from young people towards each other, has resulted in young people being injured. Young people have sustained marks from attempted strangulation and injuries from being punched or scratched. The impact of this for young people is reflected though their comments. One young person said: `I was scared when he got hurt. I was scared for him and me. He used to punch me. I felt sorry for him when he was hurt.’ Another young person commented ` I feel safe now but not when people tried to beat the 8 of 10 **** out of me.’

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

Some risk assessments are in place for each young person. They are ineffective due to staff’s inability to identify risk. Risk assessments are not robust and vulnerabilities for all young people are not recognised, consequently young people are at risk from engaging in inappropriate or dangerous activities, such as going missing, smoking or climbing on rooftops. In some cases young people are accessing the community independently without appropriate risk assessments, this is compromising their safety and leaving them susceptible to risk from themselves and others.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

The environment is not physically adapted to meet needs of young people in the home, for example, young people remain able to climb onto the gate at the side of the house and then onto the roof. This behaviour is placing young people at great risk of physical injury.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

There are variations in the speed of notifications to Ofsted regarding events relating to the protection of young people. This is mainly in connection to occasions when the police have been called to help resolve challenging behaviour. This is slowing down information sharing, which limits the ability for analysing safeguarding practices to better promote the safety of young people. The sharing of specific safeguarding matters in relation to allegations is dealt with appropriately, and the manager liaises with the local safeguarding board in a timely manner, ensuring issues of this nature are dealt with swiftly to protect young people from harm.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

All staff working at the home are carefully vetted to ensure unsuitable individuals do not work with the young people.

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Leadership and management inadequate

The leadership and management is inadequate because of a number of issues. This includes the managing and monitoring of staff; and the lack of adherence to the home’s Statement of Purpose.

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Leadership and management inadequate

The admission planning process is not in line with the Statement of Purpose and emergency admissions have been accepted. As a result the management has admitted young people whose needs cannot be met. The admission and placing process does not include a sufficient assessment of the needs of all young people concerned. This directly impacts on young people’s sense of wellbeing and safety. For example it has resulted in an incident where one young person has sustained significant injury and others have been exposed to frequent incidents of aggression.

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Leadership and management inadequate

Staff are not supported by effective and regular supervision, consequently shortfalls in workers' practice is not being robustly monitored and the competence of workers is not addressed. For example a minority of staff fall asleep at work as they are not physically fit. This affects the safety and quality of care that young people receive, as 9 of 10 not all staff are performing to an acceptable level.

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Leadership and management inadequate

A shortfall in staffing levels on some shifts leaves young people at risk. The impact of this for young people is significant and young people have left the building without staff knowledge. During this unsupervised time violent behaviours between young people have occurred, resulting in injury to a young person, which left them requiring hospital attention. Additional staff have recently been recruited to address this problem but are not yet in role.

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Leadership and management inadequate

Staff are receiving an induction package of training. They are registered on appropriate required training courses. There is a shortfall in training in areas such as missing persons, sexual exploitation and supervision training. This does not ensure that all staff can adequately respond to young person’s needs and keep them safe.

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Leadership and management inadequate

The registered manager is suitably qualified and has been in post since November 2013. She has been involved in working with young people in care for over 14 years. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management inadequate

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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