Children's home run by Aspris Care Central Limited in North Northamptonshire

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 in effectiveness . The children continue to make good progress and they have built positive relationships with the staff. The managers have worked hard to identify and support one of the children to move to a specialist school that is better suited to his needs. The child’s social worker said, ‘The staff have put in so much effort and support to get him into his new school.’ The move has been positive for the child, both educationally and personally. He has increased confidence, he is becoming more sociable and he is now willing to try new activities. The staff said, ‘He has come on leaps and bounds.’ With one exception, the children are maintaining high levels of school and college attendance. One child has recently begun to refuse to attend college. The staff and his social worker believe that his disengagement with education is due to his

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

imminent move to an adult placement. The staff continue to stress the importance of education and are using various incentives in an attempt to boost his motivation to attend. Keywork sessions provide the opportunity for the children to discuss specific topics, such as their preparation for independence. The children are gradually increasing their levels of independence and are developing the life skills that they will need in adulthood. This includes unsupervised time in the community and access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities, in accordance with risk assessments and care plans. One child has secured part-time employment. The staff effectively managed the associated risks and supported him throughout his period of employment. This enabled the child to experience the positive feelings gained from working and earning his own money. The children’s meetings give the children an opportunity to share their views and

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

the staff encourage them to make suggestions about the home or activities that they would like. The staff then seek to incorporate these suggestions into the weekly planners. A recent suggestion was for a fortnightly/monthly cultural night to be included in the planner. The children and staff will learn about a particular place or culture and prepare meals with traditional foods. This enables the children to learn about different countries and cultures and demonstrates that, when possible, the staff act on the children’s views and suggestions. When incidents occur, the staff successfully utilise a range of de-escalation techniques. This has prevented the need for the staff to use physical interventions. No children have gone missing from home. The manager has revised the protocols to address specifically the need for any child who goes missing from home to have a return home interview. This meets the recommendation made at the last

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

inspection. The staff are confident in their roles and their abilities to meet the children’s needs. The managers have a good understanding of the strengths of the home and are able to identify areas that they wish to build on. This includes the introduction of a new puppy. The managers hope that the children will develop increased levels of empathy as they learn to care for the puppy. Professionals are positive about the level of care that the children receive and describe having good partnership working with the manager and the staff team. Feedback from professionals includes:

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

 ‘It [the home] is excellent for the type of work that it does. They [the staff] have made [child] feel worthy and he has received a local authority award for engaging with the therapeutic processes. He feels supported and less pressured as the staff are protecting him.’  ‘The staff team, from the management down, are cohesive and create a positive, and as importantly, a secure atmosphere for the children.’ A parent was equally as positive about her child’s placement and how the staff ensure that the child has regular contact visits. The parent said, ‘The staff are brilliant, very helpful and caring and really look after [child]. He was in a right state and was suicidal when he went there. He is great and he has really picked up since has been there. Now, he is not self-harming and he is doing really well at school.’

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is part of a large organisation operated by a private company. The children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

10/03/2015 Interim Sustained 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 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 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 0300 123 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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 at: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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