Children's Home run by Aspris New Education Services Limited in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC412971 Inspector Charlie Bamber Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Priory New Education Services Limited Registered person address Unsted Regional Office Munsted Heath Road Godalming Surrey GU7 1UW Responsible individual Katherine Bridon Registered manager Beverley King Date of last inspection 19/06/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 26/02/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

The young people continue to make very good progress from their starting points. The home is making a positive difference to their lives and this is recognised by the young people's parents and other agencies. The quality of care and the nurture they receive, alongside a consistent staff team allows them to achieve better outcomes in the areas of communication, social and behavioural development and independent living skills. The home continues to support and promote a high level of contact with the young people's families, and the provision of staff to support this contact allows the young people to have a much higher level of contact than they otherwise would have. One young person has recently commenced overnight stays with family which has been successful.

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This inspection

The staff show skill in observing and interpreting young people's behaviour and because both young people are non-verbal this is particularly important in facilitating effective communication between the staff and young people. A social worker reported that staff are in tune with and respond positively to the young person's needs. The use of observation, responsiveness of staff, objects of reference and communication systems ensures that the young people's communication is effective.

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This inspection

Young people are encouraged to access a wide range of community activities and for one young person this is a huge step forward. The activities are tailored to the young people’s interests and their developmental and sensory needs so that they are both enjoyable and beneficial. The young people are set targets working towards gaining some independent living skills and, whilst the targets are set at initially low levels, this allows them to evidence the progress the young people make, however small those progressions are. Once targets are achieved these activities are incorporated into the daily routines so that the skills are retained and further targets are set. This allows young people to continue to build upon the range of skills they have developed them and prepares them for later transition. 3 of 6 Young people's health is closely monitored and their medical issues are recorded and linked to their mood and behaviour to look for trends and patterns that may inform

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This inspection

staff and health professionals about their health needs. Staff are particularly vigilant following any changes to medication to record any observable impact so the young people’s health needs are met as well as possible. Some medication has to be administered covertly, as advised by health professionals, and this is now in line with the company policy.

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This inspection

The environment that the young people live in is suited to their needs. The sensory and play equipment is tailored to their specific likes and developmental progression. The home is kept immaculately clean and hygienic which reduces the risk of illness and infection. The young people's bedrooms are personalised and designed in accordance with their interests, their safety needs and their parents' views. Safety in the home is given a high priority and staff have been creative about the use of soft furnishings which allow them to prevent young people from harming themselves and also allow them to feel secure. Staff are responsive to young people's behaviour and adapt routines and living arrangements in the home to best suit the young people's needs and to minimize escalations of behaviour. There continues to be a high number of physical interventions with one young person, but these are seeing a month on month decrease following a change in medication. The staff and the

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This inspection

young person's social worker reported that the incidents are decreasing in frequency and intensity. Staff were observed to respond extremely quickly to a young person escalating and had a clear and successful method available to de-escalate her behaviour.

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This inspection

The young people have a range of professionals involved in their care due to their complex needs and the home works in a proactive and coordinated way to ensure the young people’s welfare and to promote positive outcomes. The home accesses behaviour analysts, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and child and adolescent mental health services amongst other health and education specialists to ensure that care, behaviour and support plans are fully commensurate with young people's needs. This joined up working, alongside consultation with parents ensures that young people are given the best opportunity to achieve positive outcomes.

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This inspection

The home is well organised and managed. Monitoring by the Registered Manager is thorough. Action plans are developed following visits by the independent person and following social worker visits should any recommendations arise. Daily documentation of the young people in every area is very detailed, with photographic evidence of all of the activities they participate in. Although there are systems in place to ensure that staff read and sign updated plans, some signatures are not evident in the young people's files. Reports by the independent person are received regularly, although the manager has some concerns about the factual accuracy of some aspects of the reports. Staffing is adequate and consistent and the home is adequately staffed for the number of young people who are in placement. Staff, 4 of 6 including ancillary staff are regularly supervised. Improvements have been made to the records relating to the transition of young people and impact risk assessment

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This inspection

At the previous inspection two statutory requirements and two recommendations were made. These have been met, other than one statutory requirement under Regulation 30 (1) which could not be evidenced due to no notifiable events having occurred since the previous inspection. Progress has continued and the registered manager continues to drive improvements within the home. No new requirements or recommendations are made. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is operated by a private organisation. The home provides residential and respite care and accommodation for up to four young people with learning disabilities.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2014 Full good 16/01/2014 Interim good progress 06/06/2013 Full adequate 25/03/2013 Interim satisfactory progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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