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

Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 1 SC467155 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 is privately owned and run by an education specialist service provider.

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Information about this children’s home

It is registered to care for up to four children who have learning disabilities, and focuses on caring for young people who have complex needs that may include autistic spectrum disorder and associated difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is located on the edge of the provider’s school campus, which both the current residents attend.

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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: 15 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers have worked hard to address issues arising from the absence of a registered manager and a high turnover of staff so that there is no Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 2 measurable impact on young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are very positive relationships between young people, staff and managers. Young people are able to use these relationships to address concerns and anxieties and enjoy their leisure time with staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The majority of key-worker sessions are purposeful and well recorded, with issues raised by young people and outcomes and actions all included.

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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

 Team meetings are often postponed for various reasons, meaning that the staff do not meet frequently enough.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Work on young people’s targets and its recording is not consistent. It is also not possible to evidence easily their progress over time.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Records of restraint do not include information that demonstrates that staff have addressed safeguarding measures when undertaking holds that may have a significant impact on a young person, specifically front ground recovery holds.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good 25/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person is required to:

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Requirement Due date

enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that ensures that staff work as a team. (Regulation 13 (2)) In particular, ensure that there is sufficient opportunity to meet as a team to make decisions, lead activities and learn about the children and families they work with. 05/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

If a home has a website, the registered person must ensure that a copy of the statement of purpose is published on that website unless the registered person considers that such publication would prejudice the welfare of children in the home. (Regulation 16 (4)) 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33(1)(a)) In particular, new employees should not be given responsibilities for which they are not yet prepared. 05/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Homes should ensure that outcomes identified and progress made by children in building relationships and achieving socially acceptable behaviours can be recorded and measured. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.4) In particular, ensure that the setting of targets and the recording of progress towards them is clear.

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Recommendations

 Records of restraint should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

 Case records must be kept up to date, signed, and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 4 page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Recommendations

 The responsible person must take such general fire precautions as will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of any employees; and in relation to relevant persons who are not employees, take such general fire precautions as may reasonably be required in the circumstances of the case to ensure that the premises are safe. (The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 8(1) and (2)) In particular, ensure that records are made of all emergency evacuations of the home, including the initials of young people who take part.

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Recommendations

 Commissioners and providers of health or social care services should ensure that a robust process is in place for identifying, reporting, reviewing and learning from medicines errors involving residents. (‘Managing medicines in care homes’, page 14, paragraph 1.5.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers have used a high number of bank and agency workers, together with staff from other of the provider’s homes, to ensure that sufficient staff are available to meet the needs of young people. This is due to the level of staff turnover and the home’s inability to attract a sufficient number of new recruits of the required calibre. 27 people in total were on the rota for January but this had reduced to 17 for June, demonstrating increasing success in creating better continuity for young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Observations made during the inspection were that relationships between young people, managers and staff were very positive. At the end of the school day, young people sought out the interim manager, one talked to her about his worries – to which he was given sound advice – and another greeted her with considerable affection which was reciprocated appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people expressed their satisfaction with living in the home. One said how much he liked his new bed and the colour of paint in his room and another stated, ‘This is the best home ever.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Interactions with staff were characterised by fun, for example splashing one another with water from a new paddling pool. They also helped reduced anxieties, such as when a young person was becoming frustrated and staff encouraged him to play football as a way of redirecting him, both physically and emotionally. These examples demonstrate the progress young people are making, with the one playing in the pool realising there was a limit to how wet he could get others. Previously he would not have understood these boundaries. The young person who was becoming anxious calmed sooner than would have been the case prior to his move to this home. His mother said that staff ‘need to make sure he doesn’t run off, but I don’t think he would as he is happier there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Other areas of progress include improving self-care skills, social interactions and a reduction in aggressive behaviour. However, work to attain targets set for each young Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 5 person and its recording is not consistent. It is not clear from documentation which aims are current nor how staff are working with young people on them. The recording of outcomes is sporadic. Reports do indicate how young people are progressing but currently there is no easy way of demonstrating improvement over the longer term. Managers have plans to introduce a more structured approach to assessing ‘baseline’ skills and abilities but the work is yet to begin.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed a consistent approach in which expectations are always reinforced and desirable behaviour is praised. Rewards are given and sanctions are used sparingly but effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement plans do not explicitly state what the contribution of young people has been; however, managers and staff seek young people’s views through key-work sessions, house meetings and consultation forms. The majority of key-worker session recordings demonstrate that young people express their wishes and feelings; actions arising from the sessions are noted but subsequent progress is only occasionally referred to. Pressure of work means that some sessions are not written up promptly, which means that sharing them with young people is not always done before the next occurs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key workers have used creative tools, such as social stories and charts, to aid communication. These have had a discernible impact, with one young person using the traffic light system devised for desirable and undesirable conduct, saying he wanted to show ‘green light behaviour’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained, with ongoing repairs being completed in a timely fashion. New furniture in most rooms has enhanced the homely feel and accentuates the belief of young people that they are worth investing in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into the home have been well planned and carried out; both of those since the last inspection have been from local sister homes in the organisation. Plans drawn up are flexible. Outcomes from meetings and other events are used to update them whenever needed. Young people have quickly settled as a result and progress was seen within a short space of time. One had to move on due to events at the school, but there is no indication that the admission to the home had been anything other than appropriate.

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

An independent advocate visits the home on a regular basis and young people speak to her on these occasions, but have not contacted her in between times. One young person could tell me who the advocate was and her role from her photograph displayed on noticeboards. The young person’s guide did not have details of how they can contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, but this was rectified during the inspection.

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

The provider’s employment practice accords with safer recruitment protocols.

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

Medication is stored satisfactorily but there have been two occasions in which the administration of tablets was missed within a matter of weeks and another in which medication was not given but the reason for it is not recorded. Managers had not Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 6 identified this through monitoring.

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

Staff usually record incidents such as physical interventions well, with a clear description of antecedents and of how staff intervened. Young people are given the opportunity to comment on what happened and/or staff will include their observations of a young person’s reaction, which is helpful in understanding the impact of interventions. Staff debriefs are now included on the same form and provide an opportunity to consider any lessons to be learned. The exceptions to this high standard were those that relate to ‘front ground recovery’ holds. Details about how a young person’s welfare was being monitored and safeguarded during and after the restraint were not included in the account. This oversight means that it is not possible to demonstrate that staff carried out the restraint in accordance with best professional practice. In addition, wrong information in the notification to the social worker meant that the manager did not

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

accurately relay the nature of the hold.

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

The use of front ground recovery was not identified as a suitable hold to use with the young person in his positive handling plan (rectified during the inspection) and the home only seeks formal approval for it after the third occasion it has been used. These anomalies mean that it is not possible to evidence that the hold was considered an effective and proportionate response prior to the events that led to its use.

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

Staff support young people’s contact with family members, where this is included in placement plans. Liaison with parents has led to an improved experience for those young people and to lessening the impact on them when expected visits have not taken place. All young people have benefited from the help of staff to manage the frustration and anxieties created when things do not go as planned, as noted by professionals. One commented that ‘Staff know how to observe and react when the young person is anxious.’

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

Staff undertake and record emergency evacuations of the home, both planned and any that occur as a false alarm. However, the only one to have included young people did not note who had taken part. In addition, the home is evacuated when the fire alarm is sounded elsewhere on the school campus, but these incidents are only recorded if there is an issue arising from them. It is therefore not possible to identify when any particular young person last participated in such an exercise.

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

There have not been any complaints since the last inspection but a parent did raise concerns through the independent person who conducts Regulation 44 visits. These were then addressed directly with the family and resolved promptly.

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

The interim manager referred a potential historical safeguarding concern to the local authority who decided it did not warrant an investigation but did not communicate this to the home. Managers could have chased the outcome sooner but the young person was not at any imminent risk and the matter was resolved within 72 hours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim and deputy managers of the home, supported by a manager from another of Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 7 the provider’s homes, have worked well together in the absence of a registered manager to prevent the number of staff vacancies having a significant impact on young people. A healthy balance has been kept between ongoing recruitment to fill vacancies while not appointing people who do not have the necessary skills, aptitude and/or employment record that shows they are suitable for the work. There is little evidence of turnover or, indeed, the temporary lack of a registered manager, being detrimental to young people’s general welfare, other than the patchy recording of their achievements against targets.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team morale dipped when several members of staff left but all those spoken to during the inspection were very positive about working at the home. One commented, ‘There is a family atmosphere in the home. Staff come in and leave with a smile.’ Another said, ‘Everyone talks to each other and will help each other out. I would recommend the provider as an employer; it is by far the best place I have worked.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff have found induction a useful process; they have had sufficient time to read case files and to be supernumerary on shifts in order to get to know the young people and understand how things are done. Part of the induction has been to shadow staff at the provider’s school. However, one member of staff was left alone with a young person he did not know, with no guidance as to how to work with him. When the student then exhibited challenging behaviour, the worker was not equipped to manage the situation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision has been maintained for all staff, the frequency of which is now included in the statement of purpose. Staff members report that supervision meets their needs, although records do not include any reflection on practice. Debriefs include reflection following incidents but this is only one part of the work. Team meetings are not held during holidays and have been postponed for training to be undertaken. Although staff were engaged in worthwhile activities, this meant there were no meetings throughout May. This meant that there were only ad hoc occasions for decisions to be made or disseminated, activities organised and developments in the lives of young people to be shared.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider is appointing a member of staff to be a mental health first aider to provide a response when young people’s emotional and mental well-being shows signs of being impaired. Part of the role will be to cascade training and advise regarding young people who have a diagnosed illness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Files are generally well organised, with sufficient information for staff to understand young people’s backgrounds and the strategies employed to support them. Not all paperwork identifies the author or when the records were written. Children looked after did not have all the statutory documentation on file. Although managers reported that paperwork had been chased, this was not recorded and had not been escalated when a satisfactory response had not been elicited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have addressed the requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection with the exception of publishing the home’s statement of purpose on the provider’s website. This is not within the authority of line managers of the home to effect and senior managers have not taken action to ensure that the regulatory requirement is met. Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 8

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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: SC467155 9

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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

Chris Peel, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC467155 10 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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