Children's Home run by Aspris Children’s Service in Southampton

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:

  Young people are making good progress, developing life and social skills and  achieving within education.  Staff encourage young people to engage in social activities and develop  interests in and out of the home.   Young people are developing key skills in preparation for adulthood.  Young people trust those that care for them and have good relationships with  key staff.  Staff support young people to self-regulate and manage their behaviours  through robust behaviour plans and risk assessments.  Young people are involved in key decision making about the care they receive.  Staff support young people to maintain positive contact with their family and  friends.  Young people are encouraged with their education with positive links with  education providers. Alternative plans are sought when young people are not  engaging with education.  Staff are knowledgeable and have insight into the needs of young people in

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The children's home provision is good because:

 their care.  There are good collaborative relationships with key stakeholders involved in  young people’s care and planning. 

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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 protection of children standard the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health. (Regulation 12 (2) (d)) 01/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (2)(a)) 01/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the children's views, wishes and feelings standard the registered person must ensure that staff :

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home's care; and

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Requirement Due date

(d)(ii) ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child's arrival about how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with. (Regulation 7 (a)(iv) & (d)(ii)) 01/12/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations: Expectations of standards of behaviour should be high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships with staff in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations 8.11 page 39)

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Recommendations

Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (Guide to the Children's Home Regulations 9.59 page 49)

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Information about this children's home

 The home is registered to care for up to 6 children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties (EBD).  The home is privately owned by a large organisation.  The home is linked to a specialist education provider and so young people may attend that setting for education purposes.  Therapy services are accessible on the school site.  The home is located in an urban area within easy reach of all local amenities and services. 

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/12/2014 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

22/10/2013 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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good

All young people are making good progress from their individual starting points. Young people have had achievements in a variety of areas with staff keeping ‘life story’ boxes with all certificates and mementos for future reference.

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good

Relationships between staff and young people are positive and these are especially strong with their keyworkers. Through these they explore a variety of topics which have a positive impact, for example, reviewing the targets to work towards.

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good

Staff have good communication with families and stakeholders, and through these regularly review plans and jointly consider how best to meet young people’s needs.

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good

Young people are encouraged to follow key interests and hobbies with staff supporting them to develop new interests and skills. These vary from bicycle maintenance to taking part in team sports.

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good

Staff promote contact with family with plans and strategies considered to ensure positive experiences are had by all. Staff include family’s members in all aspects of a young person’s life and care planning.

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good

Young people are supported to develop their self-care skills and learn to be as independent as possible in many aspects of daily life. For example young people assist with evening meal preparation and shopping.

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good

Young people are involved in planning their care; they are consulted on menu planning, and on choosing the decor for communal areas of the home. House meetings have been productive, provided good topical conversation and learning as well as giving young people an opportunity to share their views. These have not been consistently held and so not utilising all opportunities to gather young people’s views and help them make choices.

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good

Staff encourage all young people to attend education or training. They attend all educational celebrations and meetings that take place. Education is also encouraged within the home through board games, books and other activities.

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good

Health plans detail how and what is required to meet individual health needs with all local services being accessed to meet these needs. Plans do not currently detail all the support with emotional well-being given at the linked school site. Judgement grade

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good

Young people report that they feel safe and trust key adults that care for them; they are able to seek assistance and explore matters which worry them.

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good

Behaviour is managed positively with behaviour support plans in place with highlighted de-escalation techniques and strategies to be applied if needed. Behaviour is well monitored with review and amendment to plans as and when required. Young people are learning strategies to manage their own behaviour and levels of physical intervention for a young person are reducing. Physical restraint is well recorded with a need for robust application to be applied to ensure all incidents time scales and strategies applied are recorded. Risk assessments are detailed with aspects of risk and strategies to minimise risk easily identified.

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good

Some staff are effective at role modelling of behaviour, expectation and boundaries although at other times poor behaviour has not been immediately addressed. Staff reward positive behaviours and achievements through certificates and celebrations.

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good

There have been no episodes of missing from the home but the required policy, procedure and risk assessments are in place if required.

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good

Sanctions are proportionate and well recorded. Robust review regarding how effective each sanction is e.g. the consideration of impact of the regular use of restricted paid activities.

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good

Young people know how to complain as this is covered in house meetings and within the young person’s guide. The guide does not inform young people of what to expect once they have made a complaint. The complaints policy in place requires review and the young person complaints forms need updating to state the current person to complain to.

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good

All aspects of concern are thoroughly recorded and policy and procedure followed to address these concerns. There are positive links with the local safeguarding board and their views are regularly sought regarding practice. Child protection and safeguarding policies have been shared with the local safeguarding board.

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good

Young people are supported to resolve and reflect on conflict through a variety of mediation methods used e.g. exploring how others felt about damage to their home in a house meeting and suggestions as to what sanctions could be applied.

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good

The environment is safe and meets need; aspects of damage and repair have not been swiftly addressed and maintained. Staff are not vigilant in addressing minor damage when it occurs and this detracts from the homely feel which they are attempting to provide. Some areas within the home have recently been decorated and altered, young people have been engaged in making key decisions about these changes and positive impact has been seen.

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good

Leaders and managers have good knowledge and understanding about young people’s needs and how to address those needs. Care plans consistently address correct information and needs of young people with regular review in place. There is evidence that the manager has challenged others to ensure the best outcome and service is provided for the young people in his care.

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good

The manager has a good knowledge of the homes strengths and weaknesses with actions plans in place to address key areas. Monitoring and evaluation process in place assist in highlighting key areas and identifying trends and patterns affecting the care young people receive.

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good

The statement of purpose is regularly reviewed with clear aims and objectives addressed within. The manager continues to embed the ethos as described within the statement of purpose within day-to-day practice at the home.

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good

The manager is robust and effective in his management of staff with aspects of poor performance being well managed and addressed. Supervision of staff is regular and effective now although there were gaps in frequency until recently. Staff meetings likewise have not taken place consistently and if not addressed could impact performance, practice and development of staff going forward.

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good

All staff are appropriately qualified or working towards achieving the required qualifications. When training needs are identified staff access core training provided by the company with regular updates of behaviour management and other key topics being completed.

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good

The manager is developing positive working relationships with other organisations which at this time are not embedded. The manager has identified that a more robust relationships with local police will support the home in their plans to introduce a restorative approach to sanctions.

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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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