Children's Home, Residential special school run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Staffordshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is led by a well-qualified and experienced manager who is currently undergoing her registration with Ofsted. Since she has been managing the home she has developed a good understanding of the strengths and development needs of the home. She monitors, reviews and evaluates the quality of care young people receive which has led to significant improvements in staff practice and in outcomes for young people. The manager has developed consistency within the staff team in the home which supports continuity of care for young people. There is now less dependence upon the use of agency staff. Any agency staff who work in the home work on a regular basis and are known to the children. Staff have a good understanding of children’s complex needs. They receive training in specialised areas that meet the needs of children they care for. They all now have either obtained or are enrolled on the Level 3 Diploma for Residential

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Childcare. The home has had one safeguarding incident since the last inspection involving a member of staff who left the home. The manager promptly and appropriately referred this to the relevant agencies and changed procedures within the home to prevent any reoccurrence. Children are making good and in some cases excellent progress. They enjoy going to school and their attendance is excellent. Children are healthy and are supported well by staff to attend all routine and specialist health appointments. Children receive good individualised care from staff and are comfortable in their presence. This is because staff develop positive and nurturing relationships with them. Children’s needs are carefully assessed. Staff work in a supportive and structured way to support them and try to prevent any event or activity trigger escalating their behaviour. As a result, children feel safe and well cared for. Some children

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

have made significant progress which has resulted in a substantial reduction in incidents and the need for physical intervention since the last inspection. One child who at the last inspection was living in a flat separate from his peers, is now fully integrated into the home living with other children, and is beginning to enjoy shared activities. Children do not go missing from the home or engage in risk taking behaviour. Due to their high complex needs children do not go out alone. They receive a high level of staff supervision both inside the home and when out on activities. Children continue to make significant progress in the development of life skills and staff support young people well in the transition to adulthood. The manager and staff develop effective working relationships with children’s families, placing social workers and other professionals in supporting contact and accessing colleges and

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

adult placements. The manager is continuing to develop ways of engaging children to seek their views wishes and feelings. She has produced a children’s guide in the form of a visual and audio booklet. This will be personalised for each child and shown to each new child prior to admission to the home. The home environment has been significantly improved. The home has been refurbished and redecorated throughout to provide a warm and comfortable living space for children. Bedrooms are clean and child friendly. Children can personalise their rooms to reflect their personalities. Photographs of staff on duty and communication aids are used in communal areas. This ensures children are aware of who is on duty and their activities and routines for each day.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection on 27 October 2015 have been met. There are no requirements or recommendations made as a result of this inspection.

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Information about this children's home

This home is part of a residential special school which is part of a large private care organisation. The service is registered to accommodate 23 children and young people with learning disabilities. The home offers planned long term placements. The school is registered with the Department for Education.

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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 Declined effectiveness

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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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