Children's home run by Aspris Care Central Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 1 SC476570 Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private specialist education service. It provides care for up to five children aged eight to 18. The home seeks to provide a safe and understanding ethos in which children can be assisted to address their abusive behaviour and to take responsibility for their own actions. The emphasis of the work is by way of intervention and to challenge the inappropriate behaviour.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2016 .

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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: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2017 Full Outstanding 28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/08/2016 Full Good 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff use innovative and creative ways to ensure that children have the best possible experiences. Staff have high aspirations for children. This leads to the children having high expectations of themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have developed excellent, trusting relationships with staff. The dynamic and motivated staff team understands children’s behaviours and risks. Children said that they like living at the home because the staff care about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The highly effective staff work cohesively to help children to confront uncomfortable past traumas. Children make exceptional progress in taking responsibility for their own actions and behaviours, and understanding the impact that their actions have on others. Because the children trust the staff, they are able to open up about their own experiences, both as victims and perpetrators, which enables them to move on with their lives positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children all engage in therapy. There is excellent communication between the staff and the therapist, who produces a report after each session. This means that staff are aware of the content of each session should children wish to speak to them about their therapy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff understand the importance of children being able to learn new skills to prepare them for adulthood and employment. Four of the five children are in education and have 100% attendance. The fact that staff seek to meet the children’s emotional and mental health needs means that children are receptive to learning and education. The other child has achieved a level 3 qualification in catering and is now working full time at a restaurant. The influence of the home on the children is significant and means that children benefit from increased opportunities and can access their rights to services despite their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Professionals and parents spoke highly of the support that the manager and staff continue to give children. They said that this support is the reason that children have progressed so well.

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

Staff have well-developed knowledge about the risks that children pose and face, and their vulnerabilities. Risk assessments and behaviour management processes are of the highest quality. Staff regularly review and update these. The staff undertake focused key-work sessions with children to enable them to understand risks and what they need to do to reduce them.

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

Due to the exceptional diligence of staff, children do not go missing. The manager sends individual missing from care protocols to the local police. This ensures that the police Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 4 understand the children’s vulnerabilities.

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

Staff are highly skilled at helping children to talk honestly about their thoughts and feelings. This is particularly helpful for children who are vulnerable when in the community. When appropriate, children can work towards having free time. Staff evaluate each free-time period with the child to enable the child to reflect on their experience and to express their thoughts, feelings and concerns.

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

Staff are firm in their approach and do not allow children to manipulate situations or to shy away from taking responsibility for their actions. This provides the children with an absolute sense of security. The children respond very well to the trust that staff give them. The children understand the consequences of breaking trust; this motivates them to behave positively and to earn rewards and free time. Consequently, some children who started at a point of no trust because of their past actions have been able to have time in the community and to work in the community. This is a significant achievement that was not a likely outcome for some children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and deputy manager are passionate about their work and inspirational. They clearly want the best possible outcomes for children. This enthusiasm is mirrored by the staff team and is evident throughout the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is creative in her approach. She is currently embedding a new programme into the care delivery. This entails looking at the training needs of staff and identifying relevant courses and opportunities for staff to develop their knowledge, based on current research. The approach is based around the needs of the children. There are excellent examples of staff undertaking level 2 qualifications in managing mental health and managing autism spectrum disorder. The quality of training is high and means that staff are well equipped to meet children’s highly complex needs. The impact of the training is borne out in children’s outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that the home has a very positive ethos and culture. The manager and her deputy work very well as a team. Together they support staff to speak openly and honestly with children. The managers and staff teach children about safe behaviour very well. This enables children to lead happy and fulfilled lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are firmly at the centre of all practice at the home. Excellent multi-agency working means that children benefit from holistic support. Staff understand that children need to have good emotional and mental health in order to develop the resilience that they need to address past traumas and overcome them. The manager looks at each child’s needs individually, to ensure that their care gives them the best possible opportunity to move into adulthood successfully. The manager recognised that the location of the home was an obstacle for one child in becoming fully independent. She discussed the care plan with the child and his social worker and identified that a placement at a sister home would be most beneficial, due to the location nearer to services and amenities. The child moved on in a planned way so that he could develop Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 5 the skills that he needed in a supportive environment before moving to independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular and effective supervision. They said that this supports them to develop their own practice. Regular staff meetings are used to embed best practice. For new staff, a mentor is assigned to support them through their probationary period.

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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: SC476570 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Trish Palmer: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476570 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 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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