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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC062223 1 SC062223 Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited 06244880 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children‟s home can provide care and accommodation for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is situated on the same site as an independent school run by the provider, and offers 38-week placements. The home is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 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 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: 7 September 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report children‟s home: SC062223 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people really like living here during the week, and want to stay here until they are 19 years old.  Young people‟s family relationships have improved.  Young people‟s engagement in education and therapy has improved.  Young people feel secure and receive good help with understanding and coping with change.  Young people are gaining good life and independence skills, ready for adult life.  Young people rarely show risky behaviour.  Young people receive all-round help that significantly reduces the impact of their emotional and behavioural difficulties.  Young people are learning to make and sustain positive relationships with their peers.  The manager is a dynamic, engaging and highly effective role model for young people.  Staff and the manager are innovative and proactive in their care practice. This means that young people make good progress and experience a wide range of healthy, interesting and challenging opportunities.

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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

 The staff‟s and the manager‟s practice can sometimes be slightly risk averse.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/09/2016 Full Good 07/01/2016 Interim Not judged 01/07/2015 Interim Not judged 24/03/2015 Interim Not judged Inspection report children‟s home: SC062223 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15 paragraph 3.10). This refers to ensuring that young people‟s individual risk assessments are accurate, useful and forward-looking.  Ensure that just as in a family home, children are able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child‟s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child‟s access to any area of the home, and any modifications to the environment of the home,

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Recommendations

must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child‟s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child‟s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.10). This is with reference to ensuring that bedroom door alarms are used only on the basis of individual safeguarding need and that young people receive help and support that aim to reduce the need to rely on institutional limits.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the same four young people have lived here on weekdays during term time. All of the young people are doing well. They look forward to coming back here from their homes on Mondays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive consistently well-planned care that helps them sustain positive relationships with staff and friends. Young people have made displays of „friendship pies‟ and „compliment butterflies‟ to remind themselves about seeing the good in one another. One young person said, „I used to fight the other kids, but everything has changed. I know we have competition like sisters, but I know [other young person] finds it hard and she‟s not a nasty person.‟ She wrote on her compliment butterfly: „I like you because you are intelligent and unique.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff look for ways to help young people develop self-confidence and friendships in the community. The manager and staff have recently helped one young Inspection report children‟s home: SC062223 4 person to join a club for young people in a large local town. The club is particularly for young people who struggle with resilience. Staff also support young people to have purposeful free time, for example at a library after college, or at cadets. One young person is about to start work experience at a local leisure club. This young person is eager to prove himself and hopes that the work experience will develop into part-time work. Staff and the manager have high yet realistic aspirations for what each young person can achieve. They seek out and successfully help young people to take progressive steps towards greater confidence and independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people‟s relationships with their parents and families have improved markedly. This is because staff and the manager listen sensitively to young people and give them practical advice and emotional support with their difficulties. For example, staff and the manager help young people to take more responsibility for keeping their rooms tidy and looking after their personal hygiene. Staff also help young people realise the importance of helping out with making meals, tidying up and taking turns to talk and listen. One young person‟s social worker said, „[Young person] admits he is happy and it makes home life much better – he has been no trouble at home over the last year. The point of placement was to support the family. Most of all he is achieving and aspiring.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are better engaged in education and therapy since living here. This is because staff and the manager „go the extra mile‟ for each one of them. They demonstrate their care and concern for each young person, and give them the reassurance and stability that enable them to focus on learning and progressing. One young person‟s social worker said that his level of engagement has „massively improved‟. Staff do practical things like transporting young people and helping them prepare for interviews.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff undertake relevant and helpful individual work with young people. The staff place emphasis on active, healthy lifestyles, and on enjoyment and personal development. They encourage and support young people to pursue hobbies such as horse riding, trampolining, countryside walks and preparing healthy meals. They patiently help young people to express their feelings, as well as showing them how to do practical things, such as shaving. Staff put positive messages under young people‟s bedroom doors to boost their self-esteem. Staff also help young people to collect memorabilia of their time here and they print off information for them so that they can refer back to it.

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

Young people receive practical and sensitive help with their emotional and behavioural problems. This means that serious incidents are kept to a minimum. For example, young people have punch bags in their rooms if this helps them to physically vent their anger without hurting themselves or others. The manager has created a „mood board‟ at the top of the landing, where some young people like to display a written sign describing how they are feeling without having to say it out loud. Staff and the manager are alert to young people going to use the board, and to other signals that they know individual young people use. They give young people just the right amount of time before offering Inspection report children‟s home: SC062223 5 to listen and talk.

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

Staff and the manager place a strong emphasis on young people helping with household chores, and on rewarding good behaviour. All young people respond well to this and enjoy both the extra activities and the money that they earn. For example, young people can earn a pound per day for doing chores like helping to wash up or hoovering. They also earn points up to a maximum of five pounds per week for achievements like not swearing, following staff instructions and getting along well with one another. Overall, a warm, positive atmosphere is created and supported through these positive approaches and young people are developing an understanding of the benefits of positive social behaviour.

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

Young people very rarely experience sanctions or physical intervention. None of them have gone missing. Staff use restorative approaches to help young people. For example, when young people have thrown the fruit around and spoilt it, they have gone with staff to buy replacement fruit and put a small contribution of their own money towards it. Similarly, young people are helped to apologise or write letters of apology if they have been verbally abusive or have damaged property.

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

If young people display threatening or damaging behaviour, staff respond sensitively and empathically. Staff create opportunities for the young person to calm and they look to identify what is troubling the young person. The manager is particularly skilled at finding out what the underlying issue is and helping to sort it out. For example, one young person was lashing out violently and was refusing to go to his education provision. The manager successfully helped him to calm down and spent a long time carefully supporting him to express his feelings. She devised with him a plan to help him achieve what he wanted while also cooperating with his education provision. She persuaded the school and his parents to try this plan and it was successful.

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

Young people get good help with managing the potential dangers and harmful behaviour that can come with internet use and social media. The manager and staff give young people sensible advice about how to conduct themselves without misusing or abusing others. They have asked local police to deliver a session on „sexting‟ and being safe online. They make good use of quizzes, group discussions and suitable websites to help young people understand how to be safe.

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

Despite all the good practice, staff and the manager have not recognised when some of their practice can be risk averse. Their risk assessment documents suggest strategies that were devised when young people‟s risks were much higher. Consequently, staff still rate some young people‟s risks as „high‟ even though young people have progressed significantly and those risks have reduced. This means that staff are not being as proactive as they should be about moving young people away from reliance on constant monitoring and restricted access. Staff are also setting bedroom door alarms at a certain time each night for every young person. The rationale for doing this is not explained on an individualised basis or kept under review. Inspection report children‟s home: SC062223 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager came into post less than six months ago, but she has proved herself confident and influential in improving young people‟s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All meals are taken as a group. Evenings „in‟, when everyone plays games or cooks a special meal, are organised for the whole group each week. Group outings take place at least monthly. Doing things as a group has worked for each young person. They have all progressed well because they feel more secure. For example, one group outing involved the group having to work together to „escape‟ from a locked room. One young person was scared of handcuffs because he had been arrested in the past. His memories book shows photos of the outing with the caption: „He managed to be handcuffed to staff and “escaped the prison” with his team. This was a huge achievement!‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works very creatively with staff to provide young people with good help and protection. For example, she sources materials to help teach young people about radicalisation risks and grooming behaviour. She uses research-based psychological models to help staff and young people understand relationships and group dynamics in the home. She uses visual cues and tools to help young people remember the things that they are learning and adapts these when they stop working. Most of all, she makes herself available to young people, staying on into the evenings and spending quality time with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is an excellent advocate for each young person. The manager uses her confident communication skills and as a result has gained the respect of parents, social workers and teachers. She works from a position of knowing young people‟s needs well and being in tune with what they are saying. A parent said, „[manager] listens and is really making a difference.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager devises plans with young people and convincingly presents them to stakeholders. For example, one young person was disengaging from school, and was facing exclusion. The manager found the underlying cause of the young person‟s difficulty, and together they formulated a plan of action. With the young person‟s agreement, the manager convinced his teachers, parents and social worker to try it. It worked.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is skilled in and careful about matching the right young people to vacancies in the home. She said, „I do not bow down to pressure about filling this fifth bed!‟ She meets prospective new young people. She makes sure that the existing group are kept up to date about, and are well prepared for, any changes that are coming. For example, she has got a replacement deputy coming two months early, so that young people can get used to her before the existing deputy goes on maternity leave. Similarly, the manager ensures that there is a well-planned farewell when staff leave. She encourages former staff to visit young people from time to time. These practices ensure that young people feel valued and know how positive relationships are sustained. Inspection report children‟s home: SC062223 7

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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: SC062223 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited 06244880

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachel Britten: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC062223 9 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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