Children's home run by Aspris Care Central Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 1 SC476570 Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Ltd

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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 children’s home is part of a large organisation operated by a private company. The children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected Outstanding

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Outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Outstanding

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Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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Outstanding

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2017

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Outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The dynamic manager and staff team have high aspirations for all of the children.  Strong leadership and management, coupled with comprehensive training, enable staff to understand and meet the needs of each child.  Children have developed strong, secure relationships with a dynamic and highly motivated staff team that knows and understands the children’s individual needs.  The children make exceptional progress living in the home.  Children have memory boxes, photo albums and positive recording books which provide them with a record of positive memories of their time in the home.  Children have progressed exceptionally well in education. Communication between schools and colleges is excellent.  Children have been fully involved in the redecoration of the home and take pride in their environment.  Children attend therapy sessions and progress well. They are taught the skills they need to develop as well as coping strategies to manage their behaviours.

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Key findings from this inspection

There is excellent communication between the therapist and the home.  Staff are resourceful in making key-work sessions fun and meaningful for children to participate in.  Staff continually monitor and review children’s progress. The children are fully involved in all aspects of their care.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/08/2016 Full Good 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children have excellent, trusting relationships with a knowledgeable and dynamic staff team. The staff know and understand the children’s individual needs, any risks, and want the children to progress. A child commented that, ‘The staff here just get me.’ Another said, ‘The staff are great. They have helped me so much. I wouldn’t have come as far as I have without them.’ A parent commented, ‘The staff really understand him, and this has helped him come to terms with his past and move forward.’ The children have made substantial progress since living in the home. A social worker commented, ‘Staff are brilliant and engaging, and because of this he has made substantial progress.’ A child commented, ‘I think I have come a long way, I’m more aware of the social environment, and my therapy is going well’. Another said, ‘I’m doing really well here. I have matured, and I’m not getting myself into trouble. Staff support

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

me in looking at my negative behaviours and how I can get myself out of situations.’ This support enables the children to recognise their achievements and progression. The staff understand the importance of education. Children are supported by staff to attend both school and college. All the children have excellent attendance. One child, who has progressed with his education, is sitting his GCSEs a year early. A social worker commented, ‘He’s starting college in September. This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the staff’s support.’ Due to the risks that the children pose to others, the staff support them while they are in college. A child explained that he spent time with his key worker, looking at what he can say to his peers about having staff with him. He added, ‘We came up with a story to tell the others in my class, but because staff don’t make it obvious they are with me, no one’s asked.’ The staff think about the impact that having

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

to monitor the children can have, and therefore do this sensitively. The staff and the organisation’s school work closely together; one child, who was struggling in a small setting, was moved to the larger school. His social worker commented, ‘This has been the best move for him, he is so much more sociable now and is flying educationally.’ The staff have extensive knowledge of the children, why they are in care and their current needs. The staff have a clear understanding that it can be difficult for the children when they leave the home, and of the risks that they pose. The staff work closely with social workers, parents and the children to plan transitions; in some cases, this can start before the child is due to move. The children are fully involved in any plans, which means that they understand what work needs to be undertaken to enable them to move successfully. One child commented, ‘I had my post-18 meeting today. I

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

am looking at increasing my free time, having a phone and internet access. I will also start unsupervised contact. Staff said in the meeting that I have progressed really well. I’m really pleased.’ The staff actively recognise and celebrate the children’s achievements. The staff discuss the children’s achievements in key-work sessions, house meetings and in staff meetings. All achievements are recorded and children and the manager comment and sign these Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 4 documents. This recognition helps to focus and motivate the children to achieve, and reinforces in the children the idea that staff are proud of them and value their achievements. The children’s health needs are promoted. The children are all registered with the local doctor, dentist and opticians, and all health checks are up to date. The staff record each visit with outcomes and any further actions needed. The children are in excellent health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children attend weekly therapy sessions. The therapist and staff work closely together to support the children. The therapist completes a comprehensive report after each session that supports the staff with ongoing work and can be incorporated into key-work sessions with the children. Since the last inspection, the children have progressed with therapy and can talk about past traumas. The manager is proactive in ensuring that therapy is integrated into the children’s daily lives. The children are involved in setting their incentives and targets to ensure that they are purposeful. Parents and social workers are also involved. The staff complete a check sheet daily to record progress. These are then evaluated by the manager to demonstrate the exceptional progress that the children made. The children are actively encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle. Meal times are a sociable occasion, and staff and children eat together. During the inspection, there was a lot of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

chatter and appropriate banter between the staff and children. The housekeeper encourages the children to help to cook healthy meals. She discusses the menu with the children and encourages them to try new foods. The children see her as an important part of the team. A child commented, ‘She cooks really nice dinners and we are always in the kitchen having a chat with her and she helps us make cakes.’ The housekeeper is due to leave this week; a new housekeeper has been employed and has worked alongside her for the past five weeks. The new housekeeper commented, ‘I have had a really good induction and have had time to build relationships with the children.’ A child said that he was sad that the housekeeper was leaving, but a BBQ was arranged on her last day and they have got her a card and gift, along with some flowers. The staff understand the importance for children to have positive goodbyes with staff who have

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

been an important part of their stay in the home. The staff actively encourage the children to participate in a wide variety of activities, both in the home and the community. Due to the children’s high risks that they pose to others, they are staffed on a ratio of one to one. This gives the children the opportunity to attend activities or take part in individual hobbies in a safe environment, and also gives them the opportunities to develop social skills and self-esteem. A social worker commented about one child, ‘He has a brilliant relationship with staff and is always out doing something and having a good time. This has really helped build his confidence.’ A child commented, ‘Although I have high supervision when I’m out, the staff don’t act like staff, so people would just think I’m out with a friend, which is good.’ The children are going on holiday for the first time this summer. The children have been

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

fully involved in planning the holiday and the activities that they are going to take part in. A child commented, ‘I am so excited. We have three caravans on a holiday park. It’s going to be awesome.’ The staff are committed to the children being able to have the same opportunities as their peers. Permissions from social workers and parents are Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 5 obtained and risk assessments completed. There is a contingency plan in place should any of the children want to return to the home. Some children are permitted to have half an hour of free time a couple of times a week in the community because the risks that they pose to others have been reduced. The staff stay in the vicinity should the child feel they are unable to cope. The children complete a debrief form after each session of free time, which enables them to raise any concerns or worries they may have had. Children can work towards having their time

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

increased to an hour after a period of time. One child commented, ‘I started having half an hour free time, and I did really well, so now my social worker and the manager are looking at whether I can have an hour. Staff talk to me about how I think it went and I fill out a form about how I think it went.’ The staff understand the importance of promoting and maintaining contact with children’s families and facilitate this. A parent commented, ‘I have phone contact with my son, and have supervised contact. The staff will bring him home, and they are always very friendly when they come here.’ The children have regular house meetings, which they all attend. The children and staff complete an agenda, which ensures that everyone can raise anything they think is important. The meetings are used to discuss activities, menus or purchases for the home, as well as current topics. The staff also use these meetings to consult with the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

children to see whether they are worried or concerned about anything. The manager reads the minutes and makes comments, which are fed back to the children. The children feel that their views, wishes and feelings are heard. The staff are proactive in ensuring that the children keep up with, and understand, what is happening in the news. The manager was surprised that the children had little or no understanding of the recent general election. The staff were creative and compiled a book outlining each political party, their manifestos and list of past prime ministers in a way that the children could understand. The staff and the children debated this over several evenings and had a mock general election. On the day of the election, a ballot box was set up so that the staff, children and any visitor could cast their votes. At the end of the day, these were counted. The staff are imaginative in looking at how children

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

can be involved and understand what is current in the news. The children have regular key-work sessions, which are evaluated. Each child comments and signs the records after the meeting to show their involvement and that they have understood the session. Key workers evaluate these monthly, and the manager will read and make comments. The staff have been imaginative in looking at how children can better engage and get the most out of these sessions. Staff have devised 84 things to do as a teenager, both in and outside of the home or in an activity, to be incorporated into key-work sessions. This support shows that the staff are continually looking at ways in which children can interact and have fun during these sessions. Alongside key-work sessions, the children complete workshops that cover a wide variety of topics. These are individualised to each child. The children have comprehensive, purposeful, individualised placement plans that

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

support the staff in working with the children in all aspects of their lives. The key workers and children go through the plans together and these are reviewed monthly. Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 6 The children sign and comment on the plans, which shows that they are in control of their plans. The children are supported to develop their independence skills in line with their age, understanding and level of risk, and with consultation with social workers. The children are encouraged to keep their rooms tidy, do their laundry and help prepare meals and snacks. The children are proud of their home and are involved in keeping it clean and tidy. The staff understand the importance of the children building memories of their time at the home. Each child has a memory box containing things that are important to them. One child showed that he had Harry Potter tickets, and cinema ticket stubs, as well as

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

other things that were important to him. The children have photo albums with photographs of activities, both in the home and the community and special occasions such as their birthdays. Using bright pens and cartoon drawings, the staff write positive comments every day in individual books for each child. These are personalised and individualised, which help to build positive memories of each child’s time in the home. The home is large, bright and spacious, and set in a rural location with well-maintained grounds. The home is decorated to a high standard and is a welcoming and nurturing environment. The children were fully involved in the redecoration programme, which includes a small room being turned into a games room, with a large television and games consuls. A child commented, ‘The staff are always saying this is our home and we are always asked about what we want.’ This involvement shows that the children are at

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

The staff actively challenge unwanted behaviours and reinforce boundaries and discuss these in key-work sessions. The staff discuss all forms of bullying and discrimination in house meetings and as part of the key-working workshops. There have been no incidents of bullying behaviours since the last full inspection. All the staff have completed training in recognising and dealing with bullying. The home has a member of staff who is a ‘bully buster’ and children can go to her with any concerns. There is information on the children’s board that gives the children advice on how to recognise and report bullying. The children say that they feel safe living in the home and can talk to staff if they are worried or upset. The staff have a genuine understanding that the children need to feel safe and secure to progress. A social worker commented, ‘Without a doubt, he is safe in the home. Staff have a really good understanding of what they need to do to keep him

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

safe.’ The staff have completed safeguarding training, and those spoken to had a good understanding of the home’s safeguarding policy. Staff have completed training in relation to child sexual exploitation and radicalisation to support them in recognising concerns and to keep the children safe. The staff understand the children’s vulnerabilities and potential risks. Highly effective, comprehensive risk assessments are in place, and these are regularly reviewed by the manager. The children review these with their key worker and sign and Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 7 comment to say that they understand their current risks. The children are aware of and understand their risks and how they can learn to manage and reduce these. The manager completes regular safety plans with the social worker. The plans are incorporated into the risk assessments. A social worker commented, ‘We complete regular safety plans, which the staff then use as part of keeping the children safe. The

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

manager is very good at chasing these if I have not completed them on time.’ The manager and staff take safeguarding seriously and ensure that risk assessments are constantly being reviewed. Health and safety checks are robust and up to date. Any concerns are quickly identified and actioned to keep the environment safe to safeguard the children. An area risk assessment has been completed and reviewed, which outlines any potential risk and actions needed to reduce these. There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home since the last inspection. Each child has an individual plan, outlining the risks and actions should they go missing. The staff spoken to were aware of each child’s protocol. Although the children do not go missing, the staff ensure that they are up to date with each child’s current needs should it happen. The staff have successfully worked with the children so that they are able to learn and

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

understand how to manage any risks that they pose when appropriate. The staff work with social workers, and are conscious that, as children progress towards moving from the home, they need to learn to understand and manage these risks. Staff work with and prepare children before they can have free time. One child has recently been given access to a mobile phone and unsupervised internet access. The staff are not risk averse, but they do ensure that the children can keep themselves and others safe. The staff report any concerns to the designated officer and follow any advice given. The children say that they know how to complain, but if they were unhappy about something they would just talk to staff. A child commented, ‘I know how to make a complaint, but I just talk to staff, and it’s sorted out straight away. I have never had to make a complaint since I have been here.’ There is a robust medication policy in place. All the staff have received medication and

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

first aid training. Medication is stored and recorded appropriately, regular audits are completed, and there is consent from parents and social workers on file.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A dynamic manager has been in post since October 2015 and has relevant experience and qualifications to manage the home. She is committed to the work of the home and children. Staff are inspired and motivated by her dedication for the best outcomes for children. The manager and staff have high aspirations for the children, which have led to the children having high aspirations for themselves. A child commented, ‘Since being here, I believe more in myself because the staff believe in me. I am now hoping that one day I will get into University.’ A social worker commented, ‘He’s doing exceptionally well, and Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 8 that’s because of the staff’s input.’ The quality of professional relationships is strong, and links are firmly established. A social worker commented that they are kept up to date with information regarding their child. A youth offending officer commented, ‘The staff are very knowledgeable about the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

children in the home.’ Relationships with parents are good. A parent commented, ‘I can call any time to have a catch-up about what he’s been doing, and staff will update me regularly. They really know my son well, and that’s important to me.’ The staff have completed all mandatory training, along with specific training for sexually harmful behaviours. To support some of the children in the home, the manager sourced training for autistic spectrum disorder. Staff completed an eight-week course through workbooks, which were assessed by the training company. All staff completed level two. This shows that the manager is passionate about staff having the right training, and to a high standard, to support the children. The staff have, or are currently undertaking, the national vocational qualification and are scheduled to complete this within the required timescale. The manager drives the home forward by sharing and implementing research-based

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

practice to enhance the experiences and progress of children. The manager ensures that she is abreast of developments in research for children with highly sexualised behaviours. Staff are kept updated through staff meetings and supervision. A supportive and forward-thinking manager ensures that staff are fully informed, and the good practice continues. Recruitment is robust. All checks are completed and verified before staff can begin to work in the home. There are several stages to the interview process to ensure that the home employs good-quality staff, who have the necessary skills and attitude to work with the children. The children are involved in stage two of the process, and interview prospective staff and spend time with them. They then feed this back to the manager, who evaluates their responses. This shows that the staff are proactive in ensuring that the children have a say in who looks after them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a new, comprehensive induction programme in place. This ensures that the staff have the appropriate training and knowledge before they can work alone with the children. This programme is regularly reviewed by the manager during the staff’s six- month probation. Staff meetings are held monthly, and these support the staff in working with the children and further developing care practice. The manager is confident in raising issues with professionals if she feels that plans in place are not in the best interest of the child. A social worker commented, ‘The manager will ensure that the children’s views are taken into account and that anything I need to do as a social worker is completed on time. She will chase me if things are late, which shows that she has the interests of the children at the forefront.’ There are robust monitoring checks in place, and these support the manager in being able to evaluate and plot children’s progression. Key workers are given the responsibility

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 9 of auditing their children’s files on a monthly basis. These are audited by a senior member of staff. Any gaps or uncompleted checks are raised in the staff supervisions. The manager trusts and wants her staff to have responsibility for monitoring their key children. The manager uses the independent visitor’s reports as part of her monitoring and to improve practice. These are of high quality and support the continuing development of the home.

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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 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: SC476570 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patricia Gregory

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 11 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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