Children's Home run by Keys Specialist Residential Children's Services Ltd in Worcestershire

Inspection report children’s home: SC481312 1 SC481312 Registered provider: Aspirations Specialist Residential Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private children’s home is registered to provide care for two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties .

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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 outstanding

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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: not judged

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC481312 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff help young people to have the skills for adulthood at a pace that matches young people’s needs and abilities.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people feel safe, protected and valued by staff who they trust and respect.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people thrive physically, emotionally and educationally.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are alert to young people’s vulnerabilities and any potential risks.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people experience a wide range of opportunities to develop their social skills, talents and abilities.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The recruitment of staff is comprehensive.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager applied research to underpin staff practice.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager ensures that staff gain the skills necessary to meet young people’s individual needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager ensures that there is a quality assurance process that is centred on the experience of young people and whether the staff are meeting their needs.

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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 always use their positive relationships with young people to help them talk about staying healthy.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2017 Interim Not judged 02/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 01/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 13/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC481312 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being to enhance and supplement that provided by their school through Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work to change, negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being such as, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet, exercise, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception and use of legal highs, drugs, alcohol and tobacco. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress in all areas of their development because of the care that they receive. A key strength of the home is the nurturing, caring relationships that young people enjoy with staff. Staff practice is especially warm and young people flourish because of their positive attachments to staff. Staff make sure that young people’s experiences are full of laughter, fun and opportunities to create positive childhood memories. Staff ensure that young people are consulted about everyday decisions. This includes talking to them about how the home is run and helping young people to make decisions on matters that affect them. Staff are very positive in their approach to education and its value for young people’s futures. Staff make sure that daily school attendance is well established and part of the daily life at the home. Young people’s self-esteem and confidence are promoted through a wide range of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

varied, focused activities in and outside of the home. Young people take part in activities such as pamper evenings, going for walks, playing hide and seek and going to the gym. Young people have friends to visit and enjoy planned free time in the community. Staff ensure that young people receive all the practical support that they need to help them keep in contact with family and friends. This includes staff driving long distances and staying nearby to offer support if needed. This ensures that young people continue to build relationships and attachments with those who are significant to them. Young people are being supported to develop their independence skills at a pace that Inspection report children’s home: SC481312 4 suits their needs and abilities. Young people have developed skills such as cooking basic meals, cleaning the windows and keeping their bedrooms tidy. These opportunities enable young people to take on appropriate levels of responsibility to develop life skills

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

for the future. Parents speak positively about the progress that their child is making because of living in the home. One parent told the inspector, ‘The staff have engaged really well with [my daughter]. She is a hard nut to crack but she engages with everyone here. She has come on so much. She is now not as anxious. She is happy and this is due to the staff. I am happy with the progress.’ Although young people take part in a range of key-worker sessions that address relationships, the staff have missed an opportunity to enable young people to benefit from learning about sexual health. Consequently, young people are less informed about health related matters and the links to social issues.

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

Comprehensive care planning means that staff have an in-depth understanding of the behaviour management techniques required to keep young people safe. Staff focus on redirection and see restraint as a last resort. Staff encourage young people to set their own behaviour targets and rewards. This means that young people are fully invested in the process and have good outcomes as a result. All staff are trained in understanding the indicators of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. Staff are alert to any changes and know how to respond if concerns emerge. Staff engage the local police to help young people to understand dangers, including staying safe online. This partnership enables young people to learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff follow the missing from care protocols whenever young people go missing from home. This includes staff taking every effort possible to locate the young person. Young

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

people are debriefed after they return home. This helps staff to understand the reasons why a young person chose to go missing. Managers ensure that the home is maintained. This includes completing regular checks of electric, gas and fire safety. Fire drills take place and help young people to have the knowledge of how to respond in an emergency. Staff have a good knowledge of fire safety. Staff are safely recruited, to ensure that anyone employed is safe to work with young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC481312 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is new in post. She has substantial experience in working with young people. She is currently working towards her level 5 diploma in leadership and management in residential childcare. She is extremely passionate and committed to providing high-quality care for young people. She ensures that young people continue to make progress in line with their plans across all areas of their development. One staff member told the inspector, ‘The manager is great. She is really clued up as a manager. She is always around to update us. She is always available.’ Four staff members have the level 3 diploma in residential childcare. The remaining three members of staff are currently working towards the qualification. Staff benefit from a range of specialised training to include working with young people that have experienced trauma and child development. The manager uses research to underpin staff practice. Through using research, staff

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

have become more aware of the risks that young people face and have used this acquired knowledge to improve safeguarding practice. The registered manager escalates concerns about young people. She will challenge any professional if she feels that the young people in her care are not receiving the best possible service. For example, she has challenged the local authority to ensure that they completed return to care interviews. Professionals speak highly of the manager. A commissioner for a local authority told the inspector, ‘I was very reassured by what I saw when I visited. The manager’s presentation was very good. She had a clear idea of how things would progress. She understood the young person’s needs and has lots of foresight.’ A social worker stated, ‘They have put in some really good boundaries and have kept her busy. There has been no [going] missing since she joined the home.’ Team meetings and supervision sessions are forums where young people’s achievements

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

and difficulties are identified. They consist of quizzes to aid the registered manager to understand her staff team’s knowledge base and if further work is required to help the staff develop their skills. Staff are well supported. Staff have regular supervision and the records of these meetings are detailed and show how staff are helped to achieve their personal best. The statement of purpose is kept under review and amendments are made when changes occur. The registered manager uses a well-established self-evaluation system that has the explicit purpose of improving the quality of provision. The registered manager ensures that young people’s participation is central to the process so that their views and opinions stay central to everyday practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC481312 6

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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 differences 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: SC481312 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspirations Specialist Residential Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit B/2, Elmbridge Court, Cheltenham Road East, Gloucester GL3 1JZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christine Cameron

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Inspector

Louise Battersby: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC481312 8 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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