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

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:

 The registered manager is an effective leader.  The registered manager and staff put young people’s needs at the forefront of their practice.  Staff are sensitive to young people’s needs and are good at developing respectful and trusting relationships with them.  Young people feel safe and settled in the home. They are making good progress in all areas of their development.  Young people are actively supported in their education. This has resulted in young people making significant educational progress.  Staff prepare young people well in their transition to adulthood  Staff promote positive behaviour which results in significant improvements to young people’s social and emotional well-being.  The home environment is calm, warm and comfortable.  There is one shortfall. This is with regard to young people not being seen by an independent person following their return after being missing from the

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Ensure when a young person returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Information about this children's home

The home accommodates up to three young people of either gender who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is run by a private company. The home’s Statement of Purpose indicates that the age range is 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

12/03/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

08/10/2013 CH - Interim Satisfactory progress

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good

Young people receive high quality, individualised care. This is largely because staff take time to get to know young people and build trusting relationships with them. This results in young people developing in confidence and self-esteem. Staff take the time to understand young people’s feelings and are sensitive to their wishes. They work well in partnership with young people, understanding their views and entitlements, while at the same time working with them to keep them safe. Young people say they get on very well with staff and feel happy and settled living at the home. One young person said, ‘It is good’ and the other stated, ‘I think staff are great.’ Social workers and parents confirm that relationships between staff and young people are strong. One professional commented, ‘Young people have good relationships with staff and have seen this when I visit the home; they are very supportive.’ Young people make good progress in relation to their health, educational and

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good

emotional well-being. Some are making excellent progress compared to their starting points. One youth offending worker stated, ‘He has made an exceptional progress in all areas since placement.’ Even those who have recently been admitted into the home are settled, attending college and are not engaging in anti- social behaviour. Young people are actively supported in their education through one-to-one tutoring. Those who previously have had histories of non-school attendance, have progressed well in their education and have sat GCSEs. Staff are innovative in their engagement with young people finding activities and interests which motivates them. For example, young people enjoy cooking, attending the cinema and are members of local clubs. One young person regularly goes rock climbing. As a result, young people receive day-to-day experiences which are of a high quality and geared to their individual needs.

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good

Staff prepare young people well in their transition to adulthood. Staff work with placing social workers to support young people to develop the skills they need for independence. Young people are encouraged to travel independently to see family and friends and are supported to find college courses and part-time work. One young person gained voluntary experience, through the Worcestershire Community Trust, at a local community centre for the elderly during the summer holidays. Another young person was supported and assisted by staff to attend an interview for an advocate job with a county council. Her placing social worker commented, ‘The staff are fantastic in supporting her and supporting her independence.’ The home feels calm, warm and comfortable. Communal areas are spacious and furnished to a high standard. Young people are able to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their personality.

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good

Young people are safe living in the home. This is because staff clearly understand the risks to young people. They provide clear and consistent boundaries which help them feel safe and secure. Care planning is good. Placement plans and individual risk assessments are clearly understood by staff and thorough impact assessments mean young people are appropriately placed in the home. Staff are knowledgeable and up-to-date with regards to safeguarding including, child sexual exploitation and cyber bullying. Young people do not frequently engage in risk-taking behaviour. Although one young person has on occasions gone missing from the home, this behaviour has reduced over recent weeks. This is largely because staff are sensitive to young people’s wishes and feelings. They try to work proactively with them to help them understand the risks associated with going missing and find ways to minimise this risk. When young people return, staff talk with them to ensure they are safe and

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good

well. On two occasions, however, they have not been seen by an independent person on their return. This does not give young people the opportunity to speak with someone from outside of the home should they have any concerns about the home. Young people feel safe. They know how to make a complaint and can identify members of staff they can talk to if they have any concerns. Staff manage young people’s behaviour well. They use the positive relationships they have developed to manage young people’s behaviour and as a result, rarely need to physically restrain them. One Placing social worker stated, ‘Staff work one-to-one with young people … they have been successful in stabilising her behaviour.’ All fire and environmental checks are regularly conducted to ensure the home environment is safe and secure. Young people and staff are fully aware how to keep themselves safe in the event of fire through regular fire evacuations. Visitors

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good

to the home are checked and supervised appropriately so young people are safeguarded. One Independent Reviewing Officer commented, ‘My ID was checked properly and this indicated to me that children’s safeguarding was a priority.’ The selection process for new staff working in the home is thorough. This helps ensure all those working with young people are suitable.

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good

The home is well led by an experienced registered manager. He is currently enrolled on the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) . The home is well resourced and staffing is relatively stable. As a result, young people are experiencing continuity and consistency of care. It is clear that managers and staff put young people’s needs at the forefront of their practice. The young people in the home are making good progress from their starting points across all aspects of their development. The manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. This is because he monitors and evaluates the quality of care to young people on a regular basis and is able to identify patterns and trends in behaviour. He has developed a system to capture the feedback from young people and others to help inform his evaluation of how well the home is meeting young people’s needs.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision and feel well supported. One member of staff commented, ‘Andrew is an amazing manager ... I love working here.’ Staff feel they are adequately trained to meet young people’s needs. They are appropriately qualified and have obtained or are in the process of completing the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare. The organisation has developed a programme of training for staff which enhances mandatory training and helps ensure the staff team deliver good quality of care to young people . Staff are also able to identify and attend external training which is relevant to their role. The manager and staff work well in partnership with families, placing social workers and other professionals working with young people. One placing social worker commented, ‘The home has been absolutely fantastic they give me a weekly update … they are always on the end of the line and are very good at

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good

keeping me informed.’ Staff are prepared to challenge others when needed to ensure young people’s needs are met and will advocate on young people’s behalf. They are also prepared to listen to families and have increased communication when this has been raised as a concern. Young people’s records are clear and contribute to the understanding of their life. They are kept up-to-date and stored securely. The home’s statement of purpose and children’s guide entitled, ‘Young People’s Welcome Booklet’ are accurate and give clear information to those using the service.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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