Children's Home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1211772 1 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 provides accommodation for up to six children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

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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: 8 December 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people receive high quality, nurturing care from staff.  Young people make progress in life skills. Their social skills improve and they make relationships with adults and peers. Inspection report children’s home: 1211772 2  There is a strong safeguarding culture in the home and young people are kept safe.  An excellent incentive and rewards scheme has resulted in an improvement in young people’s negative behaviours.  Young people’s missing episodes have decreased, reducing the risk of exploitation, offending behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse.  An excellent admission process ensures that staff have a complete picture of a young person’s needs and vulnerabilities.  Good collaborative working takes place with agencies such as the police and the home’s multi-disciplinary team.  The manager has introduced new systems, procedures and policies to improve staff practice.  Excellent monitoring and auditing provides effective oversight of the quality of

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Key findings from this inspection

care.  Young people are fully involved in the running of the home and there are many forums for them to express their views.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/12/2016 Full Good 16/06/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 1211772 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are carefully prepared for moving to the home. They get an excellent child friendly guide and colourful leaflets about the running of the home, such as information about the incentive and rewards scheme. Young people’s anxieties decrease and their minds are put at ease as they quickly get to know about the home. This, together with the nurturing care provided by staff, helps young people relax and settle. A social worker said: ‘[Name of young person] had a very good introduction. I am really impressed with the home. It is a good, comfortable environment.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Shortly after moving in, young people begin to make progress in different areas of their lives. This includes improvements in life and independence skills. A professional said: ‘I was very impressed at how much progression [name of young person] had made. I saw a different young person to the one I had previously seen.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from going to the company’s school and make educational progress. School staff come to the home to get to know new residents. This is particularly important for previous non-school attenders who are anxious about returning to school. Staff develop excellent links, with school staff providing good information- sharing. Monitoring takes place across both settings, which allows staff to identify changes in behaviour and emotional well-being. Young people benefit from a joined-up approach and consistency of practice. Staff identify and can provide young people with additional support before issues escalate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive high-quality care. They begin to trust and form good relationships with staff. Young people are more talkative and confident around adults and their peers. Consequently, young people’s social skills improve and they make friends in the community. Additionally, they become more open and engage with the company psychologist who visits the home weekly to provide age-appropriate play therapy. As a result, young people begin to talk about their emotions. This has led to one young person asking for external help for his emotional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and young people benefit from direct access to the company’s multi-disciplinary team, which provides specialist help. This includes a psychologist, a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist. Staff receive a clinical opinion and comprehensive assessment of young people. This holistic picture and collaborative approach provides young people with the best care, in line with their specific needs. A professional said: ‘Staff are good at adapting to the needs of the young people. Staff are really switched on and know their needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place advocacy and consultation at the heart of their practice. Young people have a voice within the home that is evident throughout documentation and processes. One of the young people gave feedback about the introduction pack to improve it for future admissions. Young people are involved in the recruitment of staff. The clear, detailed and child-friendly placement plan outlines their needs and targets in a format that is Inspection report children’s home: 1211772 4 easily accessible for young people. One young person has been empowered to meet with professionals involved in his care planning. Consequently, young people express their views when important decisions are being made about their future.

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

The manager goes the extra mile to get information about young people referred to the home. This comes from a range of agencies, including input from the police. His pre- admission checks provide a full picture of young people to ensure that staff can meet their needs and keep them safe. Using good-quality risk assessments, the manager looks at the impact that a young person’s admission will have on existing residents. This helps avoid any unnecessary disruption to young people.

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

The manager is knowledgeable about safeguarding, and the new processes promote a strong safeguarding culture within the home. Young people are involved in their risk assessments and behaviour support plans. These are easy-to-read documents that provide information to staff about how to manage young people’s risky and negative behaviours.

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

Other procedures, such as for when a young person goes missing from home, have the involvement of the police and placing authority. This ensures an individualised, multi- agency agreement and response for each young person. The clarity of the guidance ensures that staff know what actions they need to take to prevent each young person going missing and to protect them if they abscond. As a result, missing episodes have reduced in frequency and duration. Young people are at a reduced risk of exploitation, involvement with crime, or drug and alcohol misuse. A professional reported: ‘[Name of young person] is a vulnerable young person but his vulnerabilities have decreased. I have been impressed with the reduction in cannabis use.’

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

There has been a significant decrease in the number of physical interventions. Restraints are occasionally used and only needed to keep young people safe. More detailed recording of incidents and a proper debriefing with staff and young people identify patterns to young people’s negative behaviour. The involvement of the psychologist also offers a clinical perspective. Staff change their strategies and use their positive relationships with young people to defuse situations. Young people learn to regulate their behaviours and seek support for their angry outbursts.

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

The introduction of a new incentive scheme is working well for most young people. They are rewarded for positive behaviour and work towards short- and long-term goals. Young people are fully involved and sanction themselves for their negative behaviour. This makes them take responsibility. Staff are more consistent in their approach and boundaries are now clearer for young people. The incentive scheme also provides a useful monitoring tool for managers. Staff support a positive behaviour culture and sanctions have significantly reduced.

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

Some of the young people’s behaviour has recently spilled out into the community, causing neighbourhood complaints to the police, parish council and Ofsted. The manager Inspection report children’s home: 1211772 5 and leaders have developed strategies to minimise the antisocial behaviour. This includes increased therapeutic intervention and joint working with the police. Young people participate in fundraising activities and staff use key-working sessions to encourage positive behaviour and involvement in the community.

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

The manager recognises when a young person’s placement needs to end because of the impact on their own safety, the safety of their peers and staff. A carefully planned transition reduces the risk of criminalisation for young people and leads to a successful ending to their time living at the home. Young people move to appropriate alternative placements that meet their developing needs. A stabilisation programme ensures that the remaining young people are not affected by the move and have time to settle and adjust to the change of dynamics.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is still to be registered. He holds a social work degree and has significant experience in residential care, including working in secure children’s homes. He has worked previously in managerial positions. He is described by several people as being ‘very child-focused’. This is evident with the implementation of the young person’s development plan with a longer-term ‘Investors in Young People’ initiative.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since working at the home, the manager has made many positive improvements to the systems, policies, procedures and paperwork. This has extended to developing staff, with many examples of outstanding practice, particularly in safeguarding. As a result, the requirements from the last inspection are met. He has also addressed the issues raised as recommendations, including compiling a home’s development plan. This, together with a detailed quality of service six-monthly report, demonstrates that the manager is forward-thinking, with a vision to continue to develop the home further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes transparency and he has improved partnership working with agencies such as the police. This provides staff with useful information about safeguarding issues in the area. This excellent relationship extends to the police providing education to young people. The manager has promoted the increased involvement of the in-house multi-disciplinary team, resulting in a collaborative approach. Young people benefit as this has a positive impact on their emotional well- being, safety and behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s meticulous and thorough regular monitoring and auditing of systems provide effective oversight of the quality of care and outcomes for young people. He said: ‘Everything is scrupulously monitored and tracked so things can be cross- referenced to look at trends in behaviour and progress being made.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has changed the staffing model. An experienced deputy manager and shift leaders now support him. Staff benefit from regular, child-focused supervision. Regular team meetings, senior meetings and multi-disciplinary team meetings also provide a reflective dimension. The manager has promoted a ‘lessons learned agenda’, instilling this in the staff team’s culture. The manager is committed to his own personal and Inspection report children’s home: 1211772 6 professional development and has introduced a workforce development plan to provide staff with ongoing training and development. Consequently, young people benefit from receiving care from an experienced and skilled staff team.

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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: 1211772 7

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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

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1211772 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 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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