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

Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 1 SC481209 Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to seven young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is run by a private company. The home’s statement of purpose indicates that the age range will be between 11 and 18 years.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 12 September 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make good progress from their starting points. Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 2  Placements are well planned from the beginning.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people receive good care that is consistent. Staff have a ‘never give up’ attitude to young people’s care and well-being.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The care is personalised and reflective of young people’s individual needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff proactively support young people to engage in education.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have a clear understanding of the complex needs of the young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff ensure that clear risk assessments help to keep young people safe.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are involved in every aspect of the home, from menu planning to contributing to their behaviour management plans.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager and staff work effectively with a range of professionals and family members in order to ensure that the young people receive the care and support that they need.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff feel supported by the management team.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff do not ensure that young people’s care plans hold all of the required documentation about the care of medication.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people have restricted access to the kitchen.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Not all staff have obtained their level 3 qualification in residential childcare in the required time.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager supervision is not sufficiently reflective on practice and professional development.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2016 Full Requires improvement 21/06/2016 Full Inadequate 16/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 02/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet 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

The registered person must ensure that in relation to locking of the downstairs doors at night – any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(c) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)) 30/06/2017

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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 if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the level 3 diploma for residential childcare. (Regulation 32(4)(a)) 29/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child that include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3. The records must be kept up to date, and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (a)) 30/06/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, for example teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 4 The home has undergone a significant number of improvements since being judged as requires improvement in September 2016. Young people are now living in a stable environment that enables them to develop a sense of belonging and permanence. Behaviour management is now constant and incidents are managed effectively by staff. Staff are aware of young people’s needs and young people feel safe in the home. Young people are now able to make progress in all areas of their development. A social worker was able to tell the inspector about her experiences of the home, stating: ‘There is definitely a better system in place, reports are good and processes are being followed. The foundations are there. There is now stability with the manager and staff team. They have shown a commitment to [the young person]. He’s not as aggressive and he is more reflective.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s placements are well planned from the beginning. Young people are able to come and visit the home and meet the staff before they decide to move in. This has helped to minimise young people’s anxiety people about what to expect. The registered manager ensures that he has enough information about young people and their needs prior to their admission.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take time to get to know young people. They provide good-quality, individualised care. Plans are purposeful, and have clear aims and goals. Young people have good relationships with staff. Staff understand the needs of the young people and want the very best for young people. Staff speak warmly about the young people and recognise their strengths. They also assess times of difficulty for the young people and celebrate the smallest of achievements. One of the ways they do this is by hanging notes of the young people’s achievements from the branches of a tree as a visual reminder of the progress made. This increases the self-confidence and self-esteem of the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the young people have placements at the organisation’s school. School and home staff have regular communication regarding the young people. When young people’s education attendance declines, there is good joined-up working between the home, school, local authority and in-house therapy team. Staff work hard to engage young people in education, and use individual incentives to support this. Staff have a ‘never give up’ attitude and this helps young people to reach their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to attend health appointments. One young person has recently been able to attend a dentist appointment after having refused for some time. When concerns arise and young people refuse to attend appointments, other resources are sought, such as the advice of the therapy team. These coordinated measures improve the young people’s health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to the home. Young people are engaged with and encouraged to express their views and opinions to staff and the manager. Young people share their views through their key-worker sessions and have a direct influence on their own care, activities, meal choices and house rules. Advocates are also used by staff at the home. These measures mean that young people are able to participate in key decisions that influence their life. Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 5 When it is appropriate, young people are encouraged to develop their level of responsibility in preparation for their transition to adulthood. This is reflected in the key skills that they have developed. For example, some young people are supported in developing self-care skills and in learning new cookery skills. This ensures that they are able to advance their resilience and develop life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have an opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities, from gardening to paintballing. One young person told the inspector that he had enjoyed going for walks since being at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff assess contact arrangements in the best interests of young people. This gives young people a sense of identity and helps them maintain links with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, clean, homely and inviting. Young people have personalised their bedrooms. However, at night young people have restricted access to the kitchen. This has not been thoroughly risk assessed and detracts from a homely environment.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There have been no reported incidents of young people going missing from the home since the last inspection. The manager has ensured that the home has a clear protocol for responding to and managing any incidents in order to secure the safe return of young people if they go missing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager and staff have worked with the police and developed their knowledge with regards to internet access. This was following a young person being able to make their own internet hotspot, and then accessing the internet, bypassing the home’s safety features. The manager and staff worked with the police and now have a safer system in place. Staff receive up-to-date training to enhance their knowledge of the potential risks of child sexual exploitation, abuse, self-harm, bullying and radicalisation. This knowledge helps to protect young people.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies, including the police, the local designated officer and the placing authorities. The local police community support officer visits the home on a regular basis to meet the young people. These arrangements ensure that clear lines of communication are maintained so that young people’s safety is at the heart of staff members’ everyday practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people live in a home that provides a safe and secure environment. Staff complete regular health and safety checks and follow a range of safety procedures to protect young people from potential hazards. These include fire drills to ensure that young people know what to do in case of an emergency.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager ensures that young people are protected by the organisation's recruitment practice. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment can be Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 6 confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of young people by precluding inappropriate adults from working with them.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Although current staff are fully aware of the young people’s health needs, they are not detailed in the young people’s care plans and this means that new staff coming into the home may not be fully informed of the young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has managed the home since April 2016. She holds her level 5 qualification in leadership and management. The manager is supported by a deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made sure that the statement of purpose clearly demonstrates the aims and objectives of the home. This helps parents or placing authorities to have a clear understanding of the service’s aims. The young person's guide is written in a format that is appropriate for the young people who live in the home. It contains information relating to how they will be cared and how they can make a complaint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor provides an oversight of the running of the home and makes clear reference to areas of practice that require improve for the benefit and safety of the young people. Consultations with young people and other professionals are undertaken and influence the progress of the home and the quality of care provided. This has shown an improvement in the running of the home and the experiences of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings ensure that good communication and consistency of practice is achieved. The in-house therapist attends some of these meeting to offer guidance and training to support the staff team’s ongoing personal development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people’s views are sought through key-working sessions and young people’s meetings. Discussions have taken place around equality and diversity. A young person told the inspector that they had recently had an Italian-themed night, which he enjoyed. There are displays of the themed country, which help to increase young people’s understanding and curiosity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have completed their mandatory training, and have completed additional training to develop their skills. However, not all staff have obtained their level 3 qualification in residential childcare within the necessary period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive good quality regular supervision. The registered manager receives regular supervision from the head of care. However, this supervision has not been sufficiently reflective on practice and professional development.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 7 people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Priory Group, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC481209 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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