Children's home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 1 SC476990 Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately operated children’s home offers accommodation for up to seven young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 18 October 2016

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people, some of whom have had a highly disadvantaged start to life, thrive in this family-feel environment.  Most young people have lived in the home for a long time. They are settled and benefit from secure placements. They receive support from a stable, experienced team of staff.  Young people and staff have very positive relationships. They respect each other. This foundation helps to ensure that young people hear, and act on, the advice and guidance that they are given.  Young people who come to the home with high levels of risk-taking behaviour, such as going missing, usually decrease this behaviour significantly. This makes young people safer.  There is a strong emphasis on community involvement. Young people have opportunities to raise money for charity and become integrated into the local community.  Comprehensive and well-implemented risk assessments and behaviour management plans contribute to young people becoming safer. Working with

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

partner agencies is effective in ensuring that young people are safeguarded.  A strong, child-centred management team leads the home. The manager is determined to provide the best possible care for young people.  Leaders and managers do not stand still. They are ambitious for the home and want it to continue to develop. They regularly consider new and interesting ways to improve the functioning of the home.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/05/2016 Full Outstanding 15/10/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/06/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from stable and secure placements. The majority of young people have lived at the home for over a year. Staff support young people to build positive and trusting relationships. From this foundation, young people make very good progress, particularly considering their starting points.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

When asked what they liked about living at this children’s home, young people told the inspector that the manager and staff are ‘fair’. Young people feel that they are listened to. They told the inspector that they understand that, if they are fair to staff, staff will be fair to them, and that is what makes it a great home to live in. When young people are at home, the atmosphere is busy, warm, welcoming and friendly. Staff provide nurturing care. There is structure, routine and clear and consistent boundaries in an atmosphere of praise and encouragement. For example, young people follow good routines involving cleaning their teeth before school and changing out of their school uniform after school with little prompting.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All young people are engaged in education and there is close monitoring of their academic progress by both education and care staff. Staff ensure that young people are making their expected progress and gaining qualifications. If young people struggle with their education, staff work with education providers to find a solution. This helps to ensure that young people continue to achieve their goals. Young people’s health needs are met. They benefit from specialist therapeutic support. When they require specialist support, such as with substance misuse, staff access this. Contact between young people and their families is highly valued. In agreement with the placing authority, staff play a key role in facilitating contact plans. This has included young people meeting close relatives again or having trips back to their family home. This is incredibly significant for young people who are trying to rebuild links with loved ones.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A strength of the home is how the views and opinions of young people are heard and responded to. Young people are purposefully involved in the development of the home, and have their own development plan. The manager consults with them regularly about the functioning of the home and the developments that the young people would like to see. The manager provides feedback to young people about how he has taken their views forward, such as providing a coffee machine or looking at new holiday destinations. This shows young people that staff respect their views and opinions, because young people directly influence the home’s development. There is also a strong sense of community involvement. Young people and staff take part in raising money for a local hospice, and their fundraising certificates are proudly displayed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people chair their own house meetings. At every meeting, each young person saves a small amount of their allocated money. A treasurer is appointed to look after this. When the pot of money has built up, young people choose, as a group, what to put their money towards. They have recently saved for a television and for skateboarding equipment for outside. This simple system is an example of the innovative and Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 4 imaginative practice at the home. It teaches young people about the value of money, democracy, responsibility and negotiation. Young people enjoy hanging out together and playing computer games on their newly purchased television.

p.3

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

Young people say that they feel safe. They have often come to live at the home from starting points of high risk-taking behaviour. The majority of young people become increasingly safe as a result of living at this home. Due to their strong relationships, young people feel increasingly able to speak to staff and express their feelings. Staff are skilled and have a comprehensive understanding of the young people’s individual needs and how to meet them. Episodes of negative behaviour decrease, as do episodes of young people going missing from the home.

p.4

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

Staff know young people very well and they are able to turn most situations around quickly using de-escalation and diversion techniques. There is close monitoring by the management team of the use of physical intervention to manage behaviour. As young people become more settled and their placements stabilise, the need to use physical intervention decreases. When physical intervention is used, record keeping and debriefing are detailed and of a high standard. Young people are involved in debriefing to ensure that they are safe and to help them, and staff, to learn from the incident.

p.4

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

Missing from care incidents have decreased. When incidents occur they are managed appropriately. Staff understand how to implement each young person’s individual risk assessment and protocol, should they go missing from the home. In conjunction with the young person’s placing authority, the manager and staff manage a difficult balance when allowing young people time away from the home. Young people may have more opportunity to engage in risk-taking behaviour when out unsupervised in the community, and staff work closely with them to ensure that they understand how to keep themselves safe. The home uses a trust principle, which is clearly understood by the young people. When young people can demonstrate that they can be trusted, they are allowed unsupervised time away from the home. When they still have some work to do to achieve that trust, they work up a ‘ladder of trust’. This consists of having short amounts

p.4

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

of unsupervised time in the grounds of the home or in the community until they achieve their goal of longer periods of unsupervised free time. This system offers young people consistency and they can clearly see how their own behaviour makes an impact on their social time away from the home. The system is usually successful and, if it is not, young people are encouraged to learn from their mistakes. It is effective in helping young people to understand how to keep themselves safe.

p.4

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

Safeguarding incidents, allegations of harm or allegations against staff members are managed appropriately using multi-agency partners, such as the local authority’s designated officer for safeguarding. All safeguarding procedures are followed quickly and efficiently to ensure that young people are safe. Following any incident, there is a thorough debriefing of both young people and staff. On occasions when the manager identifies care practice which has fallen below the required standard, he works closely with staff, through team meetings or workshops, to make improvements. Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led and managed by an effective, knowledgeable, experienced and appropriately qualified manager. He is extremely child focused, and he displays passion for providing the best service possible. The manager is always looking for ways to improve and develop the service further. This year, a dedicated homework room has been created to provide another place for young people to engage in private study. The manager provides highly effective and supportive leadership to an experienced, well- qualified and competent staff team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff take a strong, consistent but caring approach towards young people. Staff are highly motivated and enthusiastic about providing an outstanding service for young people and continually strive to improve the service that they offer. Robust, detailed monitoring tools are used to ensure that managers have an in-depth understanding of care practice. Such tools enable the management team to challenge and extend staff practice. The ethos of this home is inclusive and child centred.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

For some young people, despite the considerable efforts of staff, their placement has not been successful and managers have reluctantly agreed with the placing authority to end the placement. This decision is not made easily, but only when it is clear that young people’s needs can no longer be met, they cannot be kept safe or their behaviour is having an impact on the other young people at the home. Staff then work hard to ensure that the young person’s transition is as positive as possible and they leave with good memories. The level of commitment that staff show to young people, including when placements have broken down, demonstrates their child-centred approach.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Protected handover time, for staff coming on to shift, is highly detailed and child centred. Each young person is discussed in depth, and a comprehensive and thorough ‘shift plan’ is devised to ensure that staff are appropriately allocated and young people have a goal for the day or evening. During the inspection, young people enjoyed playing a computer game, hunting for ghosts on a long walk, going to the cinema, spending their pocket money at the local shop and attending a drama group. Having a purpose and goal for the evening helps young people to remain engaged and maintain their positive mood.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel very well supported. They have regular, good-quality supervision. This gives them the opportunity to reflect on and improve their practice. Staff receive regular feedback on their performance, and the culture of the home is one of openness. This facilitates safe and professional practice. Staff also have access to a wide range of training to enhance their knowledge and competence. Recruitment is managed safely to ensure that only suitable people work with young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership working is strong. A social worker said: ‘In a nutshell, it’s brilliant. I know the support they offer, the way they support my young person in independence and in making good choices… I can’t fault it.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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: SC476990 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th floor, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Katherine Bridon

p.7

Inspector(s)

Catherine Honey, Social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 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.

p.7

Inspector(s)

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector(s)

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector(s)

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8