Children's Home run by Aston Children’s Care Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC453726 1 SC453726 Registered provider: Aston Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people, aged between eight and 18, who have complex behaviours due to childhood trauma. The home is privately owned. The manager has applied to Ofsted to become the registered manager.

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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 good

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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: 12 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC453726 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC453726 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 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 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 23/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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. (Regulation 35(3)(c)) 23/07/2018

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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. (Regulation 46(1)) 23/07/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and each other. Staff are patient, caring and understanding of young people’s individual needs. As a result, young people experience positive and healthy relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has good links with young people’s schools. This support means that all young people access appropriate education. Staff are proactive in helping young people to address any issues that arise in school. This approach supports young people to overcome barriers to their learning so that academic success can be achieved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged and supported to try new things. For example, young people make the most of their local community and often attend ‘flip out’ which is a local club. Two young people attend football clubs. Inspection report children’s home: SC453726 4 Staff complete key-work sessions to help review young people’s needs and areas of risk. These sessions give young people the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour and to have a chance to discuss any worries. However, these sessions are not always well recorded. The absence of detailed recording means that the opportunity for the manager and staff to review the effectiveness of these sessions is lost.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to contribute their thoughts and ideas to young people’s meetings. For example, discussing new activities and meal choices. This inclusion means that young people feel that they are valued members of the household.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff facilitate family contact. Staff will often supervised contact to further enable young people to spend time with their family. This support has helped strengthen relationships with family members.

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

Safeguarding concerns are well managed by the registered manager, with prompt monitoring of incidents and quick referral to safeguarding agencies. The manager works in partnership with safeguarding agencies. Concerns about young people’s welfare are notified to Ofsted and show that appropriate safeguarding action is taken as concerns arise.

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

Young people are safe at the home. Risk assessments are clear and updated after incidents. On the occasions when physical restraint is necessary to prevent serious harm, the records made by staff receive management oversight. However, the recordings do not always reflect young people’s views and feelings about the physical restraint. This hinders the opportunity of effective monitoring and review.

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

Safe recruitment practice ensures that anyone employed in the home is safe to work with young people.

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

The current group of young people have not been missing from the home. However, when these incidents have occurred in the past, staff have talked to the young people to try and understand the reasons behind their change in behaviour. This positive work means that young people receive the help that they need to stay safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff are committed to helping young people to make progress in all areas of their lives. The recent stability of the team has increased staff morale and desire to improve outcomes for young people. Staff feel supported by the manager. The team has worked hard to meet the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff consistently have good-quality supervision which focuses on the needs of young people. This means that there are opportunities to reflect and learn from staff members’ current practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC453726 5 The manager has ensured that all staff are qualified to level 3 in residential childcare within the required period. This qualification enables staff the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills required when working with young people in a residential childcare setting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive the necessary training to enable them to meet the young people’s individual day-to-day needs. There is a detailed training plan in place to enhance specialist training for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed an assessment to consider the suitability of the location of the premises in accordance to each young person’s presenting need. However, the manager has failed to ensure that the assessment is specific to the home’s locality. This leaves staff ill-prepared in managing risk within the wider community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with families and professionals. This approach is central to practice in the home and ensures that the service meets the aims and objectives contained in the statement of purpose.

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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: SC453726 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aston Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 73 Dudley Road, Dudley, West Midlands DY3 1TF

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Inspector

Lisa Walsh: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC453726 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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