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

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Risks surrounding sexualised and adolescent behaviour are not well managed or understood by the registered manager or his staff team.  Behaviour of a sexual nature is viewed in isolation. This hinders the opportunity to evaluate emerging trends and patterns of behaviours and to put in place protective measures.  There is a lack of professional curiosity from the registered manager and his staff surrounding sexualised and adolescent behaviour.  The registered manager has not ensured that staff have the skills to be able to safeguard young people. This includes a lack of knowledge about internet safety and child sexual exploitation.  Information is not always shared with professionals in a timely manner.  Not all staff have obtained their level 3 qualification in residential childcare within the necessary timescale.  Care plans and risk assessments fail to capture all essential information to ensure that young people are safe.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The registered manager does not place enough emphasis on the importance of reflective supervision with staff.  Staff fail to ensure that all relevant information about risk is captured in assessments. This includes ensuring that the home’s locality risk assessment is up to date.  Incidents records do not always provide sufficient evidence to understand the risk and needs of each young person.  Managers do not follow safe recruitment practice.  Staff do not always follow the risk assessments that are in place to help keep young people safe.  The registered manager has failed to notify Ofsted of a serious event in relation to one young person.  Maintenance of the premises is not given sufficient priority to ensure that young people are safe.  Locking of the kitchen door is common practice. This detracts from a homely environment.  Young people do not have access to advocate services.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people live in a stable and consistent environment where they can develop a sense of belonging and permanence.  Staff promote young people’s physical health, including supporting them to access health services.  Staff respect the feelings and views of young people and encourage them to make day-to-day decisions about the running of the home.  Staff help young people to pursue individual interests and hobbies. This includes taking part in a range of activities, which extend to leisure activities and trips.  Staff support and encourage young people to maintain and develop family contact and friendships.  Young people say that they like living in the home and have good relationships with staff.  Young people make good educational progress.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(x) are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. 14/12/2016

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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

(2)(a) that staff (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

(ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

(iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and 14/12/2016 (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

(2)(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.

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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)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 20/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b)(ii) that arrangements are in place to manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

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Requirement Due date

(c) that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

(e) that the child's placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child's relevant plans is requested, if (i) the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child's needs. 14/12/2016 The registered person must ensure that children can access all appropriate areas of the home’s premises. (Regulation 21(b)). 14/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to any individual employed to work in the children’s home in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 14/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. The appropriate qualification is the level 3 diploma for residential childcare or a qualification that the registered person considers to be equivalent. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)) 14/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the registered person, under regulation 46, reviews the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home's location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process, ‘Children's homes regulation amendments 2014’: advice for children's homes providers on new duties under regulations that came into effect in January and April 2014. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  Ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support, and, where possible, this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Children

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Recommendations

looked after are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Ensure that the registered person judges whether the incident is sufficiently serious to make formal notifications and, if it is, which other relevant persons

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Recommendations

may be notified, for example, the police, probation service, health professionals, the local authority for the area the home is located in (if this is not the child's placing authority) and others involved with the care or protection of the child. (’Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.12)

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Information about this children's home

The home accommodates up to three young people, irrespective of gender, who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is run by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

12/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Requires improvement

All young people all have care plans, which include important information about their care. Nevertheless, there are parts, especially risk assessments that fail to capture key information. This results in young people not having all aspects of their risks assessed and managed in ways that enhance their well-being and safeguard them from harm. Young people enjoy good physical health through having ongoing access to health services that they know and trust. For example, one young person had a fear of going to the dentist. Staff, therefore, ensured that the young person was able to attend their previous dentist, in whom trust was already well established. There are also good links with specialised health services to meet the emotional needs of young people. However, there is no joint working taking place to safeguard young people’s sexual health. All young people have education placements. Young people’s educational

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Requires improvement

attainment is variable. Staff work in partnership with schools and placing authorities to make sure that tailor-made education packages are completed. This has given young people the best opportunities to progress in their education. Young people are afforded opportunities to express their views and opinions. For example, young people’s meetings take place regularly. These are well attended and give young people the opportunity to discuss important issues with staff. However, young people do not receive advocacy support. This leaves young people without the opportunity to talk to an adult who is independent of the home and their social workers. Staff ensure that opportunities exist for young people to participate in community activities. For example, young people are encouraged to take part in boxing and marine cadets. These activities, when appropriate, take place near to their home county to help young people to maintain important links.

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Requires improvement

Staff support and value young people’s contact with their families and others important to them. This helps to ensure that young people sustain meaningful relationships with people who are important in their lives. Staff ensure that young people are equipped with the skills, confidence and self- esteem to progress into independent living. This includes helping them to manage a budget, cook for themselves and apply for housing. One young person living at the home has a job that staff have helped to secure. This has given the young person a positive experience of the expectations of being employed in readiness for adulthood. The home is clean, and young people are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. However, maintenance of the home is not given the same level of priority. For example, a freezer drawer had been broken, leaving sharp plastic exposed. This risk has been present for a number of weeks, and no action had

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Requires improvement

been taken. This presents a risk of harm to young people and staff. Staff routinely lock the kitchen door. This detracts from a homely environment and limits young people’s opportunities to develop life skills that come with trust and respect.

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Requires improvement

Risks surrounding sexualised and adolescent behaviour are not well managed or understood by the registered manager or his staff team. Staff struggle to discuss or record with confidence events that are of a sexualised nature. There is a lack of professional curiosity from the manager and staff, resulting is missed opportunities to ensure that young people receive the help and support that they need. The staff team’s limited awareness of young people’s sexualised vulnerabilities means that additional resources to maximise support are not secured. Specialised training is absent and leaves staff without the knowledge needed to safeguard young people in this area. The staff do not notify all appropriate authorities of significant events that have occurred. This omission leaves other professionals without key information. Young people’s sexualised behaviour is viewed in isolation, with no recognition of how this can manifest in increased risk-taking behaviours. Staff fail to record

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Requires improvement

incidents in sufficient detail to help everyone to understand the presenting risk or to communicate their concerns with other key professionals. This has caused confusion about events that have taken place and about who has taken actions to ensure that all young people and staff are safeguarded. Risk assessments are not always implemented effectively. For example, one young person requires his mobile phone to be checked by staff. These checks have not taken place, and this oversight by staff has left the young person at risk. Staff have a limited understanding of internet safety and risks surrounding child sexual exploitation. This leaves vulnerable young people without the level of protection that they require. There is a lack of multi-agency working with the local authority and police. Consequently, there are delays in information being shared, and the necessary support or service is not being secured. This leaves young people without access to

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Requires improvement

early intervention and preventive work. The home uses a system of financial rewards and incentives to promote positive behaviour. Sanctions are appropriate and are consistently used. This helps to support young people with their behaviour management skills. Young people have reduced their missing-from-care and associated risk-taking behaviour. Part of the reason for young people’s success is their relationships with staff that help them to reflect on the risks. This means that young people are safe from the risks associated with being missing. Staff ensure that health and safety checks are routinely completed. However, they do not pay enough attention to the location risk assessment. This document is missing information about risk factors in the local community. For example, there is a stream at the front of the property. This is not identified in the assessment. This leaves staff ill prepared to ensure that all risks are minimised.

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Requires improvement

An experienced registered manager manages the home. He holds a level 4 national vocational qualification in residential childcare (children and young people) and a degree in community and family support. An experienced and dedicated deputy manager supports the registered manager. Staff work additional shifts during times of staff shortage. This ensures that there is continuity of care for young people. Staff speak highly of the management team and each other and enjoy their work with young people. This helps to create a stable and caring environment. Two staff members are not qualified in residential childcare within the required timescale. This means that there are gaps in some staff members’ skills and knowledge in regard to working with young people. All staff are supervised in line with the company’s policy. However, supervisions do not support staff to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings

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Requires improvement

about and responses to the behaviour and emotions of the young people in every aspect of their care. For example, when a staff member asked for guidance on what to do if a young person exposed himself to her, the manager recorded that she had to ‘deal with it’. This lack of clarity and support can leave staff feeling unmotivated and vulnerable. An independent person visits the home and produces a monthly report. The most recent report identified some of the same themes as this full inspection has identified. The management team has now taken on board these findings and is drawing together a vigorous action plan to improve the service and to ensure that young people are fully safeguarded in every aspect of their care. Managers do not follow safe recruitment practice. For example, managers do not fully explore gaps in employment. This leaves a gap in safeguarding that can compromise young people’s safety and leave them vulnerable.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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 whom 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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