Children's home run by Aspire Residential Care Home Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 1 SC441591 Registered provider: Aspire Residential Care Home 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 is owned by a private company. It is registered for up to three young people aged 10 to 17, who have social and emotional difficulties. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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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 inadequate

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

There is a compliance notice in place in respect of ensuring that staff are safely recruited. This expires on 22 June 2018. Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 29/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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 express views, wishes and feelings and help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7(1)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)) 27/07/2018

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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 that staff 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. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) 27/07/2018

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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 that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(v)) 27/07/2018

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, 28/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 4 qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child and that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(c)(d))

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to understand the impact that the quality of care is having on the progress and experiences of each child, use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(2)(f)(h)) 27/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. This is with particular reference to ensuring the staff structure and staff details are current. (Regulation 16(1)) 27/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d))* 22/06/18

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

The relevant date is in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)) 27/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 5 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular provide for liaison and co- operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home; provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located; provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response; describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34(1)(b)(d)(e)) 27/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 27/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 27/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the registered person notifies HMCI and each other relevant person without delay when a serious event occurs. (Regulation 40(4)(a)–(e)) 27/07/2018

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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. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children; 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. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report 27/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 6 about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’). The registered

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Requirement Due date

person must 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 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. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(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). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)(2)) 27/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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improvement to be good

Young people do not feel listened to or that their opinions are valued. For example, when young people raise grumbles during young people’s meetings, any action taken is not shared with them. When a young person has used the complaints procedure, the outcome of investigation has taken two months to be fed back to the young person. One young person told the inspector ‘I know how to make a complaint but it’s pointless. I didn’t get a response for months.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 7 Staff fail to record details in a child-friendly or detailed way. For example, many recordings made by staff refer to young people ‘agitating staff’. It is unclear what this means and how the young people are helped to reflect on their behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Despite the shortfalls found, young people are making progress. For example, young people have made friendships outside the home and have developed their independence skills. Young people are supported to attend education. This regular attendance enables them to make good academic progress.

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improvement to be good

The house is maintained to a good standard. This helps to create a pleasant domestic environment for young people to live in.

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improvement to be good

Young people take part in a range of activities. They enjoy going to the cinema, going out with friends and watching live concerts . This helps young people create some positive memories of their time in the home.

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improvement to be good

One young person has been living at the home for three weeks. The manager has failed to use this time to ensure that the young person has a care plan in place to help the staff keep him safe. Furthermore, care plans for other young people are conflicting and do not contain up-to-date information.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not have a coordinated response to ensure that there is a clear system in place when young people go missing from the home. Furthermore, managers do not implement safeguarding procedures when young people make allegations concerning staff. This means that safeguarding concerns are not shared with other professionals and the regulator.

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improvement to be good

Staff work closely with the local police to help improve young people’s understanding about staying safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has plans to improve the quality of care for young people. However, progress to date has been slow. Many of the shortfalls seen at the last inspection remain and new shortfalls have been identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s oversight of safeguarding is weak. For example, during the inspection the inspector needed to instruct the manager to trigger the home’s safeguarding procedures to escalate concerns about a young person who had gone missing from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Young people are better support by a stable staff team. However, the confidence and competence of the workforce are variable. This is particularly influenced by the gaps in training. For example, staff have not received training in how to manage complaints or in understanding conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) . Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 8 Furthermore, the manager has not completed the organisation’s mandatory training. One member of staff has not obtained their level 3 in residential childcare within the necessary timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not ensured that he has sufficient monitoring systems in place. For example, the statement of purpose is not up to date, nor has this been sent to the regulator as required by regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not ensured that safeguarding notifications are sent to the regulator when required. This means that the regulator is not informed about serious incidents that occur at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The lack of management oversight has hindered the manager’s ability to write and submit his evaluation of the quality of care, in line with regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The locality risk assessment and the children’s guide are not accessible on request. This limited access means that it is not possible to know whether these documents are up to date and relevant to the needs of young people in placement.

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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: SC441591 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspire Residential Care Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 311f The Big Peg, 120 Vyse Street, Hockley B18 6NF

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC441591 10 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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