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

Inspection report children’s home: 1271467 1 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

This home provides care for up to five children who have a learning disability. The home is operated by a national private organisation. The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in March 2018. She has the qualifications, skills and experience to manage the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first full inspection since the home registered with Ofsted in March 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: This is the first inspection since the home registered

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: This is the first inspection since the home registered

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: 1271467 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

N/A Inspection report children’s home: 1271467 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all risk assessments are clear and concise and clearly identify the known level of risk. 30/06/2018

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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 person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

uses monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) and (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that documents including placement plans, risk assessments, medication records, activities records and staff training records are effectively monitored, evaluated and updated. 30/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1271467 4 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

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

In particular, ensure that staff respond effectively when children say that they are hurt following the use of restraint, and record the actions taken. 30/06/2018

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improvement to be good

Monitoring of important records is weak. As a result, some records in relation to the care and support of the child do not provide staff with clear and concise information. This could compromise the care he receives. In addition, leaders and managers have not recorded the actions they have taken when a child has reported a potential medical concern following the use of restraint.

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improvement to be good

The current child has been living here since the home opened in March 2018. Despite undertaking a detailed assessment of the child’s needs prior to his moving into the home, the registered manager has recognised that the home is no longer able to meet the child’s current needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff are unsuccessful at implementing the agreed strategies to support the child in meeting his basic care and support needs. As a result, the child is not eating a healthy and balanced diet, he is refusing to take prescribed medication and he is not maintaining good personal hygiene. The child said that he does not want to live at the home. The registered manager is working with other agencies to obtain the required support for the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage and support the child to go to school. Leaders and managers liaise with education staff to provide the education that meets his needs. Despite this, the child refuses to go to school. Staff have been creative in their approach to meeting his learning needs, and have encouraged and supported him in educational activities that he enjoys, such as bug hunting and growing crystals. Inspection report children’s home: 1271467 5 Staff encourage and support the child to undertake activities both in the home and in the wider community. However, in recent weeks staff have been unsuccessful in relation to this. As a result of this, the child is not taking part in many activities. Staff maintain records to demonstrate the activities that he has undertaken. However, they have not always completed these records in full, and the registered manager has not ensured that she has maintained close monitoring and scrutiny of these records.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has been proactive in escalating her concerns in relation to his care and his emotional well-being to the child’s social worker, healthcare professionals and senior managers. Staff continue to work closely with these professionals, in an attempt to meet his current needs.

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improvement to be good

The home requires improvement in relation to the management of difficult behaviour. Staff are provided with a safety plan to support the child in managing his emotions and feelings. However, despite staff having a good understanding of this, they have been unable to support him successfully when he has become upset. As a result of this, some high-risk behaviours, including damage to the home and assault on staff, are continuing.

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improvement to be good

At times, staff have appropriately used restraint to keep the child and staff safe. The registered manager evaluates the incidents to look for triggers and trends, and to ensure that the use of restraint is proportionate and appropriate.

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improvement to be good

Discussions take place with the child and staff following an incident of restraint. However, following a discussion with the child after he had been restrained, he reported that his shoulder hurt. Leaders and managers have failed to demonstrate the action that has been taken following this potential injury.

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improvement to be good

Following the introduction of a new risk management tool, leaders and managers have failed to accurately assess some known risks. For example, a risk assessment in relation to the child going missing states that this is a medium-level risk, and another document states this is a high-level risk. This discrepancy fails to provide staff with clear guidance on how to effectively manage the risk.

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improvement to be good

Prior to, and since, moving into the home, the child has refused to take his prescribed medication. On one occasion, staff did not fully complete the medicines’ administration record. Leaders and managers have failed to closely scrutinise these records to identify such errors in recording.

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improvement to be good

All staff have undertaken training in safeguarding, and de-escalation and restraint training. Children are protected by the home’s effective recruitment and selection process. Inspection report children’s home: 1271467 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The leadership and management of this new home require improvement because the registered manager has failed to ensure that a number of documents are effectively monitored, evaluated and updated. For example, the registered manager and deputy manager have signed a risk assessment without fully confirming that the details are accurate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some documents hold conflicting information, others are duplicated and some are held in different places, making it unclear which is the most up-to-date document. Updated placement plans are not kept on children’s personal files. This can become confusing for staff and demonstrates weak monitoring by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not have a clear awareness of the training that staff have completed. This limits their ability to monitor and identify training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive effective supervision and reflect on their practice. They said that they feel very well supported by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager responds effectively to recommendations made by the independent visitor to further improve.

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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: 1271467 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, Middlesex W14 8UD

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Inspectors

David Kidner, social care inspector Clare Davies, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1271467 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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