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

Inspection report children’s home: SC473631 1 SC473631 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

This is a privately run children’s home that is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are making good progress as a result of the individualised care and support that they receive.  Any risks to young people are well known and understood by the adults who Inspection report children’s home: SC473631 2 look after them. Assessments address young people’s vulnerabilities effectively and reduce the risk of harm.  Staff are ambitious for young people and support them to do well in their education.

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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 would benefit from developing a greater understanding of the restorative approach to behaviour management.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/06/2016 Full Good 17/05/2016 Full Inadequate 11/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC473631 3

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Recommendations

 Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour, and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who are new to the home are integrated into it with careful planning. Their needs and vulnerabilities are thoroughly assessed and plans are put in place to meet those needs. For one young person, this has resulted in a bespoke package of support to help him return to formal education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Other young people are making good progress with their education, because staff are ambitious for them. One young person who is preparing for independence is making significant progress in a skills-based placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are in good physical health. Arrangements for managing medication are safe and promote independence where possible. Staff support young people to be healthy in areas such as nutrition and reducing substance misuse. For example, some young people have personal folders where they collect recipes, research food groups and complete quiz sheets in support of their efforts to lose weight. Young people access psychological support according to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive help to explore their identity in terms of their faith, ethnicity or sexuality. The support that they receive from staff helps them to develop a greater understanding and tolerance of other people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy positive and consistent relationships with the staff team. The security stemming from these relationships helps young people to develop the skills to manage conflicts and difficult feelings. A member of staff said: ‘It’s amazing to watch them change from the lowest point in their lives.’ Criminal behaviour has ceased altogether for some young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have contact with those who are important to them. The manager is proactive in challenging other professionals where this does not happen. As a result, young people are able to sustain relationships with their families. One parent thinks that Inspection report children’s home: SC473631 4 the home is ‘brilliant’ and can really see a difference in her child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s talents and interests are nurtured, and they take part in cycling, supporting football teams and computer coding. Achievements are celebrated and recorded for young people through photographs and books detailing their everyday lives at the home.

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

Young people are well protected by the vigilance shown by staff, supported by detailed and up-to-date risk assessments which clearly address their vulnerabilities. Where young people go missing, staff act upon very thorough and comprehensive procedures. As a result, the incidence of missing from home episodes is low.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted by an incentive scheme where young people can earn extra pocket money. Staff take time to understand each young person’s triggers for poor behaviour and how to manage them. This good practice could be further enhanced by staff achieving a greater understanding of restorative practice.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with the use of the internet. Young people are supported to keep themselves safe online, and the posters displayed around the home remind young people how to use the internet safely. The manager is particularly well versed on the issue of radicalisation, which further protects children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the young people. A recommendation to ensure that there are sufficiently qualified staff working at any one time is met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that plans for individual young people comprehensively identify their needs. He works in partnership with placing and host authorities to ensure that young people’s needs are met, and effectively challenges other professionals when they are not.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring arrangements effectively inform the quality of care provided, and the manager has a clear development plan in place to continually improve young people’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager actively drives the achievement of goals for young people. Regular and effective supervision, focused on young people’s experiences, ensures that the staff team also maintains its focus on young people’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is operated in line with its stated objective, to provide ‘respect and dignity for each and every individual, regardless of their race, gender, cultural background or ability’. Inspection report children’s home: SC473631 5

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young 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 whom 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: SC473631 6

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Katherine Bridon

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Inspector

Janet Black, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC473631 7 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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