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 declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been no new young people admitted to the home since the last inspection. There have been no complaints or incidents of young people going missing from care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children’s home comprises of two houses situated very close to each other. The interior condition of one house is poor in comparison to the other house. Some young people’s bedrooms are not adequately furnished or decorated. For example, some bedrooms have holes in the wall and ceiling, and bathroom areas have mould growing and are stained. One young person’s bedroom’s smoke alarm has been tampered with. This has resulted in bare wires being exposed. Action was taken during the inspection to remedy this shortfall. However, the registered manager was unable to confirm that an appropriately qualified individual completed the repair. Ofsted ensured that the registered manager took advice during the inspection from the fire authority.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

During early January 2017, 49 different staff worked in the home during a one- week period. This included using agency staff that were not appropriately vetted before they started working at the home. The manager has now recruited eight new staff. These staff are awaiting suitable checks before they can start.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has put in place restrictive measures in an attempt to manage young people’s behaviours. This has included isolating one young person from other young people. This has meant that one young person has restricted access to communal areas of the house. Furthermore, the garden is not freely accessible to the young people as the door to the garden is kept locked. This is custom practice rather than risk assessed and managed in the best interests of the young people’s vulnerabilities and needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments are not kept up to date after events occur. Furthermore, not all risks are identified. For example, one young person is being isolated from the other young people as a means of managing their behaviour. The young person will particularly target another young person. This behaviour and the control measures are not recorded in the two young people’s risk assessments. This leaves stafwithout clarity and guidance. This practice also limits opportunity for risks to be appropriately monitored and for progress to be tracked effectively.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When young people’s behaviours escalate and cause concern or a risk to other young people, the registered manager does not consult other professionals to help inform practice. This hinders collective working.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirement raised at the last inspection remains unmet. Two members of staff have still not completed the level 3 qualification in residential childcare within the necessary period. However, the registered manager has put plans in place to monitor and to encourage the staff members to progress their learning.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite the shortfalls found during this inspection, the core staff team remains motivated and dedicated to their care of young people. For example, members of staff have helped one young person to learn the necessary skills to brush her own hair and teeth.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been improvements in staff training. This includes staff receiving awareness training in reflexology and understanding sexualised behaviour. Young people now have access to advocacy support.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is aware of the concerns raised by Ofsted during the inspection and is passionate about making improvements to ensure that young people live in a safe and caring environment.

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Information about this children's home

This home is part of a residential special school which is operated by a large private care organisation. The two adjacent houses are registered to accommodate 14 children and young people who have learning disabilities, who all attend the school. The school is registered with the Department for Education and has a specialism in autism spectrum disorders.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/07/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/12/2015 Full Good 30/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

5: Engaging with the wider system standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. 28/04/2017

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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

(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

(vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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. 28/04/2017

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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 ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

(2) (e) the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 28/04/2017 The registered person must ensure that any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation (21 (c) (ii)) 28/04/2017

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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)) 28/04/2017

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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)) 26/05/2017

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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 whom 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: 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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