Children's Home run by Aspris New Education Services Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC443959 1 SC443959 Registered provider: Priory New Education Services Limited 07221650 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by an independent company. The home is registered for up to eight young people who have learning disabilities, three of whom can be accommodated on a short-break basis. The experienced manager took up this post in 2012. She holds an appropriate childcare qualification and recently completed a masters in autism.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC443959 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/06/2017 Full Good 30/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Good 29/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC443959 3

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Recommendations

 Managers through their auditing duties should ensure that all records linked to behaviour management are fully completed before signing them off. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All young people are making outstanding progress in all areas of their lives. Placements are long term for both full-time and respite placements. Young people who have been admitted to the home since the last inspection have settled well and are making significant progress, based on their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people receive excellent levels of care from an attentive and highly motivated staff team. A small, dedicated staff group works directly with each young person, providing them with high-quality, consistent care. This allows strong and trusting relationships to develop. Staff and young people get to know each other well. This helps to establish routines that meet the particular needs of each young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Care plans are just one of the areas recently revised and updated. Plans, risk assessments and coping strategies reflect the individuality of care for young people. They are revised and updated regularly to keep them current. The manager has the knowledge and skills to ensure that plans are underpinned by current evidence-based practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All young people are in full-time education and attend a school that is operated by the organisation that runs the home. Attendance levels are high, and this contributes to significantly improving young people’s educational progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The complex health needs of young people are well managed. There are strong and well-established links with services that deliver healthcare in the community and also those providing more specialist care. This ensures that the health needs of young people are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

High staffing ratios and excellent transport arrangements enable young people to engage in inclusive activities in the local and surrounding communities. Young people make genuine choices about what they want to do, which allows them to develop their own interests and hobbies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A programme of ongoing internal and external refurbishment is improving the comfort Inspection report children’s home: SC443959 4 and the facilities in the home. Staff are deployed to safely manage both the inside and outside space, and this gives young people a sense of freedom where they can relax, play and feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The management, organisation and daily functioning of the home are totally child- focused. Young people’s social mobility improves significantly as they develop greater independence. They are encouraged to take some responsibility for themselves, which aids their personal and social development. Disability is not seen as a barrier to a young person experiencing an exciting and fulfilling lifestyle.

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

Risk assessment and risk management processes are of the highest quality. Staff have the training, experience and confidence to work with a group of highly vulnerable, complex and potentially high-risk young people. Staff are prepared to take planned and calculated risks to ensure that young people remain socially mobile but at the same time remain safe.

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

Staff implement excellent behaviour management and safeguarding plans consistently. Clear safeguarding arrangements are underpinned with training that is refreshed regularly and protects young people.

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

High staffing ratios, coupled with the young person’s special needs, mean that bullying is rare at this setting. Despite this, young people’s meetings are used to remind them about their rights and responsibilities on this subject.

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

Due to the diligence, planning and implementation of strategies to keep young people safe, young people do not go missing from the home. Behaviour management is generally well managed without fuss or confrontation.

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

Although the quality of behaviour management records has improved, on occasions, minor discrepancies still appear. This is an area identified for continued improvement.

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

Recruitment and staff clearance processes are of the highest standard. Visitors to the home are vetted appropriately. This ensures that young people are cared for by people who do not pose them any risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has high aspirations for young people and her staff team. She is well- supported by a deputy. Both share a passion and aim to help young people to maximise their full potential and have a clear vision in developing the home further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Detailed evaluation of the service provides the platform for further development and improvements. Staff feel well supported by senior staff and they share their passion and enthusiasm to improve outcomes for young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC443959 5 The management team has devised and implemented a number of changes within the home linked to the staffing structure and working practices. This has generated a culture of high expectation and positive energy in the staff group, which then transcends around the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision, appraisal and training programmes are ongoing. These give staff the skills, confidence and ability to manage the ever-changing and complex needs of the young people in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No breaches of regulation have been identified. The three recommendations raised at the last inspection have been positively addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Effective partnership working with other professionals ensures that young people receive the services that they need. Positive responses received from family members and other professionals evidence the working partnerships in place. A social worker said, ‘The staff are great at getting him into the community. They don’t give up, even after the challenges posed at times. This is making a massive difference to him as he was socially isolated before he came here.’

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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: SC443959 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory New Education Services Limited 07221650

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Graham Robinson: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC443959 7 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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