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

Inspection report children’s home: SC402426 1 SC402426 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 accommodates up to five young people between the ages of nine and 18 years who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private company manages the home. Inspection dates: 7 to 8 September 2017

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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: 2 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people enjoy long-term, stable placements at this home. This enables them to make good progress in all aspects of their lives.  Young people are well supported to access health care services. Staff quickly form positive working relationships with other professionals and parents. Inspection report children’s home: SC402426 2  Young people are helped to understand the world around them through a diverse selection of themed ‘young people’s meetings’.  Young people are supported to develop their independence skills at a pace that suits their needs and abilities.  Staff identify risks and they carefully consider what action is required to keep young people safe.  Staff make use of their positive relationships with young people to de-escalate incidents. Physical restraint is only used as a last resort to safeguard young people.  The registered manager ensures that the home is maintained and is homely.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager constantly strives to improve practice to achieve the best possible outcomes for young people.

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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

 One member of staff has not obtained their level 3 diploma in residential childcare within the required timescale.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Good 24/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC402426 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

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification. This is met if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the level 3 diploma for residential childcare. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)) 05/01/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy long-term, stable placements at this home. This enables them to make good progress in all aspects of their lives .

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people are helped to attend school and to make good educational progress. For example, one young person had been out of education for 12 months. Staff have supported the young person to overcome historic barriers to learning and the young person now attends and engages in a full-time education. Another young person is now attending college. The staff have ensured that he receives an individual package to support his learning . This tailored support enhances the opportunities for young people to reach their full academic potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to overcome personal barriers and, as a result, they achieve better outcomes. For example, one young person was afraid of the dentist. Positive and nurturing support by the staff through individualised support has enabled the young person to accept the required treatment. This has improved his overall dental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff quickly form positive working relationships with other professionals. As a result, young people are supported to access their hobbies and interests. Staff are ambitious for the young people, and staff advocate for them when this is appropriate. For example, one young person wants to work towards unsupervised contact with their family. The registered manager is working with other professionals to help to achieve this .

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager ensures that the young people are supported to see their family and friends through safe contact arrangements. This means that young people are able to maintain relationships with those who are significant to them. Inspection report children’s home: SC402426 4 Parents speak positively about the progress their children make. For example, one parent told the inspector, ‘My son has come on well, he is going school, he gets the right support, and he has come on leaps and bounds.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A diverse selection of themed ‘young people’s meetings’ help to gain young people’s views about the running of the home. These meetings also help the young people to understand the world around them. There are open discussions and debates. Topics include discussions about the use of traffic cones in the shape of children, the recent terror attacks, and the 18 weirdest best paid jobs in Britain. These open discussions enable young people to develop their thoughts about the world around them, and give them confidence in expressing their opinions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are involved in a range of activities, such as playing football for the local team, walking and playing pool. The young people have recently enjoyed a holiday to London where they visited a theme park and a museum. One young person was able to reflect on this memory with pleasure and laughter. These opportunities help to create positive childhood memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home ensures that the diverse needs of the young people are met. The registered manager ensures that care plans clearly address the young person’s needs. As a result, the individual needs of the young people are understood and met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to develop their independence skills at a pace that suits their needs and abilities. Staff have a ‘never give up’ attitude and have used a number of techniques to support young people. As a result, young people have developed skills such as cooking basic meals, hoovering and keeping their bedrooms tidy. These new skills support young people into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is homely. It has recently benefited from being repainted both inside and out the house. Superficial damage caused to the premises is quickly repaired. Young people have the opportunity to decorate their own rooms and to personalise them. There are pictures of the young people around the home. This all helps to create an environment that young people feel proud of and have a sense of belonging.

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

Staff identify risks and they carefully consider what action is required to keep young people safe. Understanding risks and responding appropriately helps to keep young people safe from harm.

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

Young people are supported to improve aspects of their behaviour through personalised behaviour management plans. Physical restraint is only used as a last resort to safeguard young people. Staff use their positive relationships with young people to de-escalate incidents. All incidents are recorded, with evidence of good management oversight and monitoring. The registered manager has used this monitoring to support staff to improve their practice. This has helped to keep the young people safe and to improve practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC402426 5 No young people in the home are at risk of child sexual exploration, radicalisation or self- harming. However, staff remain vigilant to the potential risks. Staff receive training that helps them to recognise any early triggers that could indicate an emerging risk. Staff are trained in understanding the risks associated with social media and use this knowledge

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

There has been one occasion when a young person went missing from the home. Staff followed the local missing from care protocol. This included staff taking every effort possible to locate the young person. Staff spend time with the young person when they returned in an effort to understand their reasons.

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

The registered manager ensures that the home is maintained. This includes completing regular electrical and fire safety checks. Fire drills take place, and the young people know how to respond in an emergency. Staff have a good knowledge of fire safety. This helps to keep young people safe from harm.

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

Safe recruitment ensures that anyone employed in the home can work with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager holds a diploma in social work and a level 4 in management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She constantly strives to improve practice in the home in an effort to achieve the best possible outcomes for young people. Improvements have been made since the last inspection. For example, staff now use evidence-based research to inform their practice. The registered manager has ensured that the home has an up-to-date development plan that is regularly reviewed. As a result, young people benefit from a good standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff has not obtained their level 3 in residential childcare within the required timescale. However, there is an action plan in place to address this. The home has a stable staff team, with many of the staff having worked in the home for a number of years. The home currently has two vacancies. However, permanent staff are working overtime and regular bank staff are used to ensure that young people continue to experience continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the manager and say that they enjoy working at the home. One worker told the inspector that ‘The manager is always willing to offer ideas on how to do things and to support us. Her door is always open.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child-focused. She understands the young people’s individual needs, and ensures that staff have the necessary skills to meet them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive good-quality and regular supervision. Any performance issues are clearly addressed and young people are at the heart of all discussions and decisions . Inspection report children’s home: SC402426 6 The registered manager has made sure that the statement of purpose clearly demonstrates the aims and objectives of the home. This helps parents or placing authorities to have a clear understanding of the service’s aims and objectives.

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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: SC402426 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

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC402426 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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