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

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 From their starting points, young people make good progress in their education.  Young people are taking more responsibility for themselves.  Young people are learning to self-regulate and manage their emotions more positively.  Young people are able to build on, and improve, their relationships with their families.  Staff have a good understanding of child protection and safeguarding, and their role in protecting young people.  The registered manager is an excellent advocate for the young people.

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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 within the given timescales.

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11: The positive relationships standard

In order to meet the positive relationship standard, the registered person must ensure that staff: (2) (a) (i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for their own behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; (v) communicate to each child the home’s expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding.

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08/05/2017

The registered person must ensure that, within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— (a) (i) the name of the child; (ii) details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vi) the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a

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08/05/2017

result of the measure. (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)— (i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and (c) within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person— (i) adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii), (b)(i)(ii), (c)(i))

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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

 The registered persons must ensure that recruitment procedures safeguard young people and minimise potential risks to them. In particular, ensure that all the required checks as specified in schedule 2 are completed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1).  The registered persons must further develop and consolidate the assessment of the suitability of the location of the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1).  Staff must help each child to prepare to live independently, including learning practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 617, paragraph 3.27).  The registered persons should demonstrate how staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them.

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Recommendations

This includes consideration of the risks of child exploitation, radicalisation and online safety. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5).  The registered persons should ensure that the children’s home provides a nurturing and supportive environment. In particular, to ensure that all parts of the home are maintained and decorated to a good standard. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 15, paragraph 3.9).  The registered persons should ensure that the home meets the children’s basic day-to-day needs and physical necessities. In particular, care plans should provide detailed guidance on how to support each young person’s communication needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 15, paragraph 3.7).

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home that is part of a national organisation and provides care and accommodation for five young people who have emotional, behavioural and/or education difficulties. Young people attend the provider’s school, which is a short drive away.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

07/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

14/05/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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people living in the home are

Young people have positive relationships with staff. They are relaxed with staff, seek them out and enjoy spending time with them. These relationships are founded on mutual respect, and humour and banter is enjoyed between them. From their starting points, young people make good progress in their education, and their attendance at school has significantly improved. This is an achievement considering that these young people did not previously engage in education. However, recently one young person has refused to attend school. Staff are liaising with his education provider and reviewing strategies to encourage him to attend. Staff offer a wide variety of activities to young people, encouraging each young person to follow a key interest or hobby. As a result, young people have been able to try new things, building on their confidence and sense of achievement. Staff have worked closely with one young person who previously refused to participate

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people living in the home are

in activities outside of the home. Through setting realistic targets, the young person is now attending activities in the community at least once a week. This is a significant achievement for this individual and has enabled him to develop his social skills, building on his self-esteem. Young people are taking more responsibility for themselves. Young people are engaging in their routines, and those who previously required prompting now carry out their personal hygiene routines independently. Young people are allowed to take age-related risks through access to free time outside of the home. This enables them to learn how to keep themselves safe. However, there is limited evidence of staff supporting young people to develop daily living skills. Consistent boundaries support young people to learn self-regulation and to better manage their emotions. This has led to some young people improving their relationships with their family and returning home to live.

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people living in the home are

Young people’s health is well maintained, and all young people are promptly registered with core health services. Staff monitor young people’s emotional well- being. When there are concerns, the staff seek the support of the organisation’s therapy team to ensure that young people receive effective support. Careful planning by the manager supports smooth transitions for young people moving to live in the home. This includes thoughtful consideration of staff skills and the needs of young people already living in the home. Strategies are put in place to mitigate against any adverse effects on the young people already living in the home. Young people are actively encouraged to share their views in groups and individual meetings. They have opportunities to attend ‘key work’ sessions with an allocated member of staff. These provide regular opportunities for young people to talk through pertinent issues and worries that they may have. Staff have used these

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people living in the home are

sessions to provide guidance on the risks associated with risk-taking behaviours, relationships and healthy lifestyles. Sound arrangements and agreements are in place for young people to have contact with family members. Where appropriate, young people have regular visits home and are able to keep in touch using the phone or Skype. As a result, young people are able to build, and maintain, relationships with significant family members and maintain their sense of belonging in their families. Care plans are detailed and individualised. They describe young people’s unique needs and identify support strategies to assist young people to make progress. However, one young person’s placement plan does not reflect all relevant information. As a result, staff are not sufficiently informed of his needs or how to support him. Systems for the storage and administration of medication are robust and ensure that children and young people get the right medication at the right

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people are helped and protected

Young people say that they feel safe in the home. They are relaxed in their surroundings and feel confident in approaching staff to ask for help or to discuss a worry or concern. Young people feel able to say what they think. They feel that staff listen and will be fair and proportionate in their response. As a result, there have been no complaints. Staff have a good understanding of child protection and safeguarding, and their role in protecting young people. They are aware of individual vulnerabilities and how to reduce risk. Staff ensure that all child protection and safeguarding concerns are shared with relevant professionals, including the designated officer as appropriate. Staff respond to missing from care episodes well, deploying a managed and coordinated approach to ensure the safe return of the missing young person. The home has protocols to follow in the event that a young person is missing from the

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people are helped and protected

home. However, these protocols are not clear on when staff should report young people missing to the police. This has resulted in inconsistencies in the time staff have reported young people missing to the police and may hinder the police response. In general, risk assessments for young people’s individual needs are comprehensive. However, risk assessments do not demonstrate staff’s consideration of the risk of child exploitation, radicalisation or online safety and how these risks can be minimised. Young people regularly use the internet in the home; therefore, the lack of information in regards to online safety means that staff are not sufficiently informed on how to ensure that young people keep safe online. In one instance, staff have not revised a young person’s behaviour management plan in response to his escalating violence and aggression. They have not intervened effectively and the young person continues to present a risk to other

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people are helped and protected

young people and staff, and he is at risk of further criminalisation. Staff have sought the support of relevant professionals and are working closely with them to establish the cause of the young person’s behaviours, to review his plan of care and to find a resolution that protects this young person, the staff and other young people in the home. Physical intervention is used only as a last resort and in accordance with the regulations and guidance. The manager has updated behaviour management plans to include the preferred physical intervention strategy to be used, to ensure that there is consistency in staff’s approach. However, sanctions are not recorded as methods of discipline in line with regulation. This compromises the manager’s ability to review and improve practice. Suitable recruitment processes are in place to minimise the risk of unsuitable people working with the young people. Some shortfalls were identified in the

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people are helped and protected

recruitment records relating to gaps in an employment history and reasons for leaving previous employment. The home’s location risk assessment does not detail sufficient strategies on how the risks presented by its location and nearby amenities can be reduced or mitigated. Current strategies listed are limited and lack detail. There is no evidence that the manager has consulted other professionals, such as the police and the local authority’s designated officer, to inform the assessment. As a result, staff are not adequately informed of the risks presented by the local area and the actions they should take to keep young people safe. The home environment is a safe one, with regular health and safety checks carried out. However, some areas of the home need addressing to ensure it remains in a good state of repair, is clean and provides an environment which young people value and feel valued in. Judgement grade

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leaders and managers

A suitably experienced registered manager, who holds qualifications relevant to the role, runs the home effectively. She is keen to improve the quality of care for young people and has high expectations of the staff team. The registered manager has an excellent knowledge and insight into the young people living at the home. She is an effective advocate on behalf of young people and challenges on their behalf to ensure that they are listened to. The registered manager has developed effective relationships with other professionals and agencies to ensure that young people receive the care, guidance and support that they require to progress. The registered manager uses monitoring systems well to identify trends in young people’s behaviours and progress. The registered manager is aware that current strategies in place to support one young person are not effective. The registered manager has taken appropriate action in notifying the young person’s placing

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leaders and managers

authority of these concerns. She is working with other professionals to ensure a collaborative approach in assessing and revising strategies to ensure that this young person receives effective support to reduce his risk-taking behaviours. The registered manager has a good oversight of the service. She regularly scrutinises documentation, which means that shortfalls in practice are soon identified and addressed. The manager has a clear plan for development to improve the experiences of young people. Monthly reports from the independent visitor have supported the manager in identifying shortfalls and contributed to the continuous improvement of the home. There has been a high turnover of staff in recent months. The registered manager has taken action to ensure that staff shortages have not affected the direct care provided to young people. However, she has acknowledged that this did impact on the quality of paperwork, but has since taken action to rectify the quality of records

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leaders and managers

and has subsequently recruited to fill staff vacancies. Staff are equipped with mandatory training in safeguarding, first aid, fire awareness, food hygiene and behaviour management. Staff either hold or are currently undertaking a suitable level 3 qualification, and are due to complete these within the timeframe stated in the regulations. This ensures staff have the basic knowledge and understanding to care for young people. The registered manager provides good-quality supervision and appraisals for staff. Supervision demonstrates staff’s development and relationship with young people, while identifying areas of improvement and how these will be achieved. The organisation’s workforce training strategy provides a good overview of the management and expectations of staff. Where there are concerns regarding staff practice, the manager responds quickly to address poor practice. Team meetings are used effectively to ensure staff receive additional training to develop their skills

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leaders and managers

and confidence. However, recently the recordings of team meetings have been poor and do not sufficiently demonstrate the topics discussed.

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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 the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 harmed or at risk of harm, or 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 who 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 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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