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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since its last full inspection in September 2015 the home has been unsettled. Young people’s challenging behaviour and instability in the management and staff team have all contributed to its decline in effectiveness. The home environment is not safe or conducive to good child care practice. Damage to the home has not been swiftly or adequately rectified. This has resulted in the home being unsafe for young people to live. For example, a young person’s bedroom had architrave and an electric socket hanging loose and in a young person bathroom, a shower glass unit door was off its hinges. On the day of the inspection, this damage was made safe. Further damage includes missing spindles from a staircase which create a risk of fall. Inadequate management oversight has resulted in the home being unclean and looking neglected. Damage caused by young people, such as, holes in walls and a broken toilet seat have not been

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

repaired. Kitchen units and three windows had been boarded up and burns are evident in the carpet upstairs. Furthermore, the environment is not homely, clean or nurturing. For instance, dirty clothing and food deposits have not been washed or tidied away. The young people’s living room has been kept locked in an attempt to manage young people’s behaviour. As a result, young people are not able to access all shared areas of their home. Young people are not achieving positive outcomes or making good progress. Two young people are not having their educational needs met as they are refusing to engage in any form of education. Education plans are insufficient and do not meet their needs. Young people are not having their health needs met as they are not all eating a healthy diet. For instance, one young person ate a combination of pizza, chips, fries and wedges six days in one week. Inconsistency and recent changes in staff membership has meant staff are

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

struggling to build effective relationships with young people to actively promote positive behaviour. The use of inappropriate and repeated sanctions, such as, grounding and car bans combined with a lack of structure, has resulted in the ineffective management of young people’s behaviour. As a consequence, there has been a high use of physical interventions since the last inspection and an increase in the number of times the police have been called to the home. During this period, the organisation’s independent quality assurance processes identified inconsistency in staffing which led to inconsistent care and support being provided. As a result, senior managers have introduced a new staff structure which recently has led to a more consistent staff team with designated staff. Safeguarding incidents are reported and acted upon appropriately. These have included instances where young people have gone missing, instances of fire setting

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and an inappropriate physical intervention. The management and staff work well with other agencies, such as, police and local authority social workers to safeguard young people when these instances occur. There have been two occasions when young people have gone missing from the home. On one occasion the young person did not receive a return home interview by an independent person. As a result, staff may not be able to put appropriate arrangements in place to safeguard each young person. There have been three complaints since the last inspection. These have been responded to appropriately. The investigation of one complaint, relating to the inappropriate administration of medication to a young person, is still ongoing. The management and staffing of the home has been inconsistent. Although the registered manager has been in managerial oversight of the home since the last inspection she has not been present in the home throughout this time managing

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

day to day issues. Registered managers, from other homes owned by the organisation, have helped to provide management cover. This has led to ineffective monitoring of the day-to-day practice within the home. Two requirements and two recommendations were made at the full inspection on 2 September 2015. These have not been fully met and will be remade. Management arrangements and the monitoring of the home have been ineffective. Risk assessments and fire evacuation drills do not support young people and staff to be fully aware of the measures to take in the event of a fire.

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Information about this children's home

The home accommodates up to seven 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 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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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must ensure that staff:-

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Requirement Due date

(c) ensure the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to- (i) meet the needs of each child. (ii) enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 18/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure that staff -

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) (x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child's relevant plans. 18/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationship standard, the registered person must ensure that staff -

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Requirement Due date

(1) help children to develop and benefit from relationships based on- (a) mutual respect and trust (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults. 18/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that –

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Requirement Due date

(d) the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from 24/02/2016 avoidable hazards to the child's health.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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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

(2) (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach sand ethos and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of the care provided in the home. 18/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must take adequate precautions against the risk of fire; provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of a fire; ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and so far as reasonably practical, children are aware of the procedures to be followed in case of a fire. (Regulation 25(a)(b)(c)) 18/03/2016

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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 children are provided with nutritious meals suitable for each child’s needs. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.8)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the children's home is a homely, nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Ensure children are able to access all shared areas of the home unless there are specific reasons why this wold not meet a child’s needs. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the each young person has an opportunity to have an independent return home interview in line with police and local authority protocols (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 Ensure there are clear lines of accountability when the manager is absent. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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

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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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