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

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There is effective leadership in the home. The registered manager is qualified and long standing. The staff team is stable and have a range of experience.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager and staff show a strong interest in the experiences and development of the young people. They are sensitive to their needs and identity and are respectful to them.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people live in a consistent environment where they are able to develop a sense of belonging and achieve stability and safety.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are in full time education. They have good attendance at school and are progressing well with their learning.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff promote positive behaviour wherever possible. As a result, young people’s behaviour has significantly improved and levels of risk-taking have significantly decreased.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff work with young people in a structured way to promote independence and develop their skills and confidence needed in adulthood.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There are few shortfalls in practice. These include; the physical environment of the home, gaining feedback from stakeholders, ensuring staff obtain the required professional qualifications and lastly ensuring young people know how to contact the Office of the Children's Commissioner.

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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 (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.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c) have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child (Regulation 13(2)(c)) 31/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating- the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children; and considering the opinions of parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(2)(b)(c)(5)) 31/08/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the children's home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children. This specifically relates to the personalisation of the home ((The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that young people are informed of how to contact the Office of the Children's Commissioner for advice and assistance about their rights and entitlements (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 23, paragraph 4.19)

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Information about this children's home

The home accommodates up to seven young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is run by a private company. The home’s Statement of Purpose indicates that the age range will be between 11 and 18 years of age.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people are living in a stable and consistent environment where they can develop a sense of belonging and permanence. They build secure relationships with the manager and staff working at the home. All have lived there for a substantial period of time and staff know them well. One young person rated the home ‘10 out of 10’ and said both staff and home were good. Another young person stated, ‘the home is a good one and staff are caring.’

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Good

Staff spend time with young people and listen to them. They encourage young people to take part in activities, such as, fishing and playing pool and spend time with them playing games at the home. Young people are treated with respect because staff are sensitive to their needs and identity. As a result, young people grow in confidence and self-esteem. For example, young people who have previously had difficulties socialising with others now play football and badminton and are much more sociable around the home.

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Good

Staff actively promote young people’s welfare by talking and challenging others who work with them, such as, teachers and youth offender workers. One placing social worker stated, ‘staff advocate well for young people.’ Staff also build effective relationships with young people’s families and friends. They encourage and support young people to have regular and positive contact with their families and others important to them.

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Good

All the young people are in full time education. The majority attend the company’s own school and have good attendance. Even those who in the past have struggled to attend school now attend regularly. Young people are all progressing with their learning at differing rates depending on their abilities. Some are doing very well in their education and are taking GCSE’s while another young person regularly gets A’s in his homework. Staff are ambitious for young people. They actively promote young people’s learning and education through providing incentives for them, such as, completing homework. Staff regularly read with one young person in the evenings and as result, his reading ability has increased significantly in a short space of time. Staff communicate with teachers on a daily basis and attend education meetings when required. The manager and staff try to incorporate young people’s learning within school into activities within the home. For instance,

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Good

one young person enjoys cooking at school. Staff encourage him to cook for the staff and other young people by giving him financial incentives to bake cakes.

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Good

Young people are encouraged to develop the skills and confidence they will need in adulthood. Staff work with young people post 16 years in a structured way completing life skills such as cooking, shopping and budgeting. This work is completed in partnership with young people’s social workers to ensure it is planned in accordance with their individual needs. Young people are encouraged to spend time with friends from outside of the home and are supported to participate in various leisure pursuits in the local community. This helps them develop interests and friendships outside of the home.

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Good

All the young people are in good general health. Although some smoke cigarettes the manager and staff try to promote incentives to encourage them to stop. This has had varying success. Staff encourage young people to talk about their health and promote healthy lifestyles through key worker sessions and through the home’s rewards system. The organisation has its own in-house therapy and consultation team to support young people and staff if specialist help is required.

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Good

Young people’s living accommodation is spacious and appropriate to their needs. The décor inside and outside of the home is tired and looks unkempt. Managers have recognised the home needs redecorating and a planned programme of repainting is due to commence. The windows are dirty and litter was evident in the garden on the first day of the inspection. The home also lacks warmth and does not feel homely or reflect young people personalities. Although young people can personalise their own bedrooms they have little say in the furnishings and decor of the communal areas in the home.

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Good

Young people live in a safe environment and are supported by staff to keep themselves safe. They feel that staff will protect them from harm, including bullying, accidents and self-harm. Young people can talk to staff if they have any concerns or worries. They know they will be listened to. One young person stated, ‘staff listen to me and I feel safe.’ Another young person said, ‘I know how to make complaints and feel staff would listen.’

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Good

The risks associated with young people’s behaviours are well known by the manager and staff. This is because risk assessments and behavioural management plans are regularly updated and reviewed. Young people do not regularly engage in risk taking behaviours such as running away, drug or alcohol misuse. If young people do run away staff follow the correct procedures and work with local agencies, such as, the police. This helps to reduce the risks when this happens. On young people’s return to the home staff speak with young people social workers to arrange independent return interviews. Staff promote positive behaviour wherever possible. As a result, young people’s behaviour has significantly improved since arriving at the home. Incidents involving the police have decreased and young people are more respectful of each other. This is because they are encouraged and motivated by staff to behave in socially

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Good

acceptable ways. The home also uses a system of financial rewards and incentives to promote positive behaviour. As a consequence, there are a low number of physical interventions. All staff are trained so they are able to physically restrain young people safely and incidents are reviewed and monitored. Sanctions are appropriate. These include the use of restorative justice and involving the young people in determining their own sanctions. This helps young people to take ownership of their actions.

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Good

The home is physically safe and secure. Regular health and safety checks and fire evacuations are conducted regularly. Fire equipment is checked and serviced at required intervals. Staff undertake a careful and rigorous selection process. This helps ensure all those who working at the home are suitable to work with young people. Visitors to the home are supervised and monitored appropriately to protect young people from harm.

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Good

The home is managed effectively by an experienced and qualified registered manager. She has been a registered manager since 2012 and has managed the home since it opened in 2014. The home is adequately resourced and the staff team is stable. This ensures young people experience continuity and consistency of care.

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Good

Over the last 12 months some staff have had difficulties accessing the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare, or equivalent qualification. As a consequence not all staff are yet qualified to the required level. Management have recognised this shortfall and provision has now been made for all staff to enrol on the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare. A programme of training for staff has also recently been implemented which will further enhance their mandatory training. This will help ensure a suitably qualified staff team delivers high quality care to young people.

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Good

Partnership working is good. The manager and staff are proactive in working with partner agencies and other professionals. They challenge professionals where required and build up effective communication with schools, placing social workers and others working with young people. For example, recently the manager invited the fire brigade to a young person’s meeting to discuss the risks of fire from smoking. One professional working with a young person placed at the home commented, ‘the staff has remained helpful attending high risk planning forum meetings for the review and planning appropriate interventions for X; communicating.. and keeping us informed of incidents taking place by telephone and email.’ In addition, staff maintain frequent contact with family members which support young people’s day-to-day care as well as planning for their futures. One parent stated, ‘I am very happy about the way things are going. Staff keep me

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Good

very well informed if things happen. They always phone and ask permission.’

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Good

There is an on-going programme of formal supervision and annual appraisal. This ensures staff understand their roles and responsibilities and enables them to reflect on and develop practice. Regular team meetings are taking place which further supports this.

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Good

The statement of purpose accurately sets out the home’s operation, philosophy and ethos. Young people have access to a children’s guide called a ‘welcome pack’ which gives them information about how the home operates and what to expect from the service. Young people, however, are not made aware of how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for advice and assistance about their right and entitlements. The young people’s ‘welcome pack’ is currently being reviewed by a young person who is living at the home to make to more age appropriate. Young people’s records are kept up to date, stored securely and fully contribute to the understanding of their life.

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Good

The manager regularly monitors the quality of care given to young people and their progress since living at the home. She identifies strength and weaknesses for improvement and has clear development plans to further improve the home and young people’s care. The manager and staff consult with young people on a daily basis through key worker sessions and regular young people’s meetings to ascertain their views about the home and the quality of their care. Quality assurance monitoring, however, does not regularly capture and evaluate feedback from professionals, staff or young people. In addition, these processes are not used to evidence the actions taken as a result of any consultation. As a result, the views of young people, parents and social workers are not effectively used to shape and inform the home’s development or improvement.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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