Children's home run by Aspirations Care Limited

Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 1 SC471725 Registered provider: Aspirations Care 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

This children‟s home is operated by a national provider of services for children and adults. It provides care and accommodation for up to two children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2016.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected Inadequate

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Inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Inadequate

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Inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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Inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2017 Full Good 25/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 31/05/2016 Full Good 01/12/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child‟s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child‟s needs, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans, taking account of the child‟s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; 08/06/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 4 provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)(viii) and (ix))

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Requirement Due date

9: The enjoyment and achievement standard

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

develop the child‟s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child‟s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child‟s interests and hobbies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 9 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii) and (b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that the child is provided with well-planned and purposeful activities after school. 06/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and 06/07/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 5 positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child‟s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child‟s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children‟s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii) (ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard*

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered 08/06/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 6 person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the homes statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relations to the ways in which the needs of the children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the 08/06/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 7 revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children‟s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character;

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the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 08/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 08/06/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 8 the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) and (c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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the quality of care provided for children;

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the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a 08/06/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 9 result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b) and (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children‟s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders, managers and staff are failing to maintain a home that provides the child living here with continuity of care. Some of the child‟s day-to-day experiences are of poor quality, limiting his progress. The manager and staff do not have a thorough understanding of the child‟s social and emotional needs. Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 10 Basic holistic needs are not always met and plans to help the child to develop are not specific. There are few age-appropriate toys and sensory items to help him explore his behavioural and emotional development. Activities and opportunities to help the child to play after school lack purpose. This is in contrast to the activities that take place during holiday times that are well planned and provide the child with positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The homes‟ environment is not welcoming. Essential maintenance work has not been completed promptly. Despite the child saying that he chooses his bedroom to be his „safe space‟, this room is poorly maintained and contains furniture that has not been repaired. Leaders and managers have failed to quickly repair the damage caused to the two bathrooms provided specifically for the child to use. As a result, the only washing and toileting facilities available for him are through the staff‟s en-suite accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to provide staff with important and accurate information about the child‟s life prior to living at this home. Placement plans and risk assessments do not align with the placing authority‟s aims and objectives for the child. These documents do not provide staff with clear guidance and instructions about how to meet the child‟s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Some staff have established a positive relationship with the child, and interactions seen were caring and affectionate. Nevertheless, too many staff fail to understand the child‟s emotional and developmental needs accurately. This restricts them from always being able to provide him with the support he needs. Leaders‟ and managers‟ oversight and management of the quality of care are inadequate. Staffing shortages and poor practices by some staff have not been identified or rectified.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to safeguard the child in their care because they have not verified the suitability of all temporary and agency staff who regularly work at the home. The registered manager was unable to confirm that all staff have undergone safer recruitment checks or if individuals appointed to work in the home have the required experience, training and skills to meet the child‟s needs. The storage and retention of files is not always secure; the registered manager confirmed that the recruitment and selection records for one recently recruited employee had been lost.

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

Risk assessments, care plans and behaviour management plans do not align with the local authority care plan or the current needs of the child. Strategies for staff to manage high-risk behaviours are not clear and therefore not effective. As a result, staff are not providing the child with clear and consistent boundaries, neither are they always supporting him effectively to manage and regulate his emotions and feelings.

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

Incident reports show that, at times when the child is experiencing a heightened level of anxiety, some staff have held him for prolonged periods of time. Leaders and managers have failed to monitor these records effectively and they have not considered if the actions taken by staff to respond to the child‟s behaviour are appropriate, proportionate Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 11 or effective. In addition, the registered manager has not ensured that the child is always able to talk with staff, after he has been held, about what happened and how he feels. The registered manager has delayed sharing staff practice concerns with safeguarding agencies once these have been brought to his attention by the independent visitor.

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

The location assessment has not been reviewed and requires improvement to identify and address any known risks. The registered manager has failed to consider the response times of emergency services to the home‟s rural location, and failed to gain intelligence from a range of agencies, including the police.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

This home lacks good and effective leadership and management. The inspection history of this home is mixed. Failings found at this inspection have been raised at annual inspections dating back to 2015. Requirements made at this inspection have been issued before and the same weaknesses remain. The inability to sustain improvements has contributed to the judgement of inadequate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The aims and objectives described in the statement of purpose are not met. For example, the provider states that its vision is to „provide a range of person centred practices and services that will enable the children to fulfil their individual potential‟. The poor quality of care seen at this inspection contradicts this vision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager‟s monitoring of the home is ineffectual, and he has failed to produce a report in relation to a review of the quality of care provided in the home. Records relating to the care of the child, his day-to-day activities and the general running of the home are not well maintained. Additional records, including the staff handover book, physical intervention records, incidents reports and the child‟s daily diary, lack critical information and on occasions are illegible, not dated or signed by the author. The registered manager‟s lack of monitoring and oversight of these records means he is unable to identify possible trends and patterns in the staff‟s practice and therefore unable to make changes to respond to the child‟s behaviour and to meet his needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Independent monitoring of the home takes place regularly. The reports from these visits are informative and evaluative. The majority of findings from this inspection had also been identified by the independent visitor, but insufficient action had been taken by leaders and managers in response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to rectify ongoing staff shortages. There are insufficient permanent staff to meet the needs of the one child living at the home. As a result, the members of the small permanent staff team are regularly working overtime alongside agency and temporary staff. Because the home is reliant on agency and temporary staff, the opportunities for the child to develop secure attachments are restricted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Care staff are not provided with the support and training that they require to fulfil their Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 12 role and responsibilities effectively. Leaders and managers have not provided care staff with specialist training that will enable them to understand and meet the needs of the child. For example, staff have not received training in understanding childhood trauma and attachments, and sensory awareness. Team meetings do not take place regularly and not all staff, including the registered manager, receive regular practice-related supervision, or the opportunity to reflect on their practice.

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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 observed 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 evaluated 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: SC471725 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspirations Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5a Hare Lane, Gloucester GL1 2BA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christine Cameron

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Inspector

Sharron Escott, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC471725 14 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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