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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 1 SC472102 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

The home is owned and operated by a national private provider. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 10 children and young people who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is currently on maternity leave and staff are being supported by the manager of another children‟s home run by this provider on the same site.

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Information about this children’s home

The home also shares the site with two schools, also owned and run by the same organisation, which children and young people from this home may attend.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2017 Full Good 09/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 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

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must ensure: that staff 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. (Regulation 11 (2)(a)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, give newly appointed staff formal supervision frequently enough to ensure that they are supported during their probationary period. 03/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure: that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health. (Regulation 12 (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children do not have access to building and maintenance equipment and materials in the vicinity. 03/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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 the name of the child; details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. The registered person must ensure that 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”) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has 03/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 4

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Requirement Due date

signed the record to confirm it is accurate. 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)(a–c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records of sanctions comply with this regulation.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the process followed and how it has led to the outcome is clear. 03/09/2018

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Recommendations

 For children‟s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children‟s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than „institutional‟ impression. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15 paragraph 3.9)  The children‟s guide should to help children to understand: – how to contact the Office of the Children‟s Commissioner. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 24 paragraph 4.22)  All staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, must have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). The registered person may extend the time period if the member of staff

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Recommendations

hasn‟t worked in the role for a prolonged period, such as sick leave or maternity leave, or if it is not reasonable to expect the member of staff to complete in this timescale due to the nature of the hours they work. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53 paragraph 10.12) In particular, if the registered person believes staff are not maintaining sufficient progress, a plan should be drawn up to ensure that staff complete the qualification within the relevant timescale.  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child‟s assessed needs as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56,

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Recommendations

paragraph 11.4) The impact risk assessment should consider and record the Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 5 potential effect on children and young people who already use the service and actions or decisions that arise from this.  The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child‟s transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 57, paragraph 11.9) In particular, ensure that transition plans and their implementation are well documented.  Case records must be kept up to date, signed, and dated by the author of each entry. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make varying degrees of progress, but staff have been particularly successful at helping them to improve social interactions, to attend school and increase their self-care. One young person, who recognised these as areas he had made significant progress in, said, „I‟ve gone from where I was to a “social entity”‟. He added that he had seen other children make similar improvements and commented, „It is 100% down to the staff. They are here because they care for us.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers are able to recount examples of progress, some of it significant, and „where I am at now‟ summaries track progress in a narrative form from the point of admission. All children have targets that focus them on achievable goals. Rewards motivate them to work towards these targets, but occasionally they become part of the child‟s normal routine and lose impact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are helped to find ways of dealing with difficult emotions and some have been able to talk about things they have not raised elsewhere. This has helped reduce untoward incidents. Handovers between school and home normally ensure that both teams are aware of events that could affect children, but on at least one occasion information was not passed to home staff that could have helped them avoid an incident.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people individualise their bedrooms and, whenever possible, staff personalise rooms to reflect a new child‟s tastes before they arrive. This helps children to see that staff take an interest in them and what they enjoy, and to therefore settle in more smoothly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help young people to move on from the home, advocating for them to achieve the best outcomes possible. However, this work is not recorded well enough to demonstrate whether planning and practice are strong.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children voice a dislike of the interior and furnishings of the home. The fact that chairs are arranged around the walls in communal rooms contributed to one describing it as being „like an old people‟s home‟. Staff have found it hard to get agreement about Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 6 what changes to make and some children are especially averse to any alterations. The manager‟s plan is to freshen up the decor when some children are away in the holidays, but this has left rooms looking worn, especially one of the kitchens that needs significant repairs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people have been reluctant to join in house meetings and staff find they are more likely to elicit their views if approached informally over an activity, written up as key-work sessions. The format for recording sessions includes a section for actions, and handwritten notes made against these show that they are actively followed up. Questionnaires give a further opportunity to gain children‟s and young people‟s opinions. Through this, children are imaginatively involved in having a voice.

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

Managers and staff have resolutely dealt with safeguarding issues, with sensitivity and without unnecessary confrontation. This has meant that placing authorities have taken action when they may not otherwise have done.

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

Managers have effectively addressed instances of staff not using restraint in the safest way for them or young people. Staff are more competent and feel more confident when implementing holds and recording them. The practice of having another staff member present to observe physical interventions helps everyone learn from each incident. Staff change behaviour support plans in the light of experience and are aware of the different approaches that are suited to individual children.

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

One young person often makes allegations against staff, when in a heightened state, which witnesses can see are not related to what is happening. These are recorded but only followed up if he repeats concerns afterwards. A protocol agreed with the young person‟s social worker and the designated officer of the local authority ensures that this practice is proportionate and has a degree of oversight.

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

The young person‟s guide does not contain any information about the children‟s commissioner and no children asked knew what the commissioner‟s role is. However, children said they can talk to staff about anything, and one commented, „Any staff member would be an advocate for me.‟

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

Plans to help children move into the home are thorough, and parents, if they have been involved, reported how they and their children have been made very welcome. However, risk assessments have not always identified the potential impact that the child referred may have on existing residents, or vice versa. These have been written after the decision has been made to admit, so have not been used as a tool to assist the assessment.

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

A young person was able to gain access to a building store on more than one occasion during recent construction work. The provider has been slow to respond and, although the store has now gone, the campus maintenance yard is not sufficiently secure either. Nevertheless, plans are in place to improve the yard‟s perimeter fencing and gates over the forthcoming holidays.

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

There have been two separate incidents of staff use of vehicles being unsafe for children Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 7 and young people. However, this does not reflect the culture of the home; on both occasions other staff raised the initial concerns and managers took action to avoid a recurrence. Criteria have been set as to who can drive and assessments of competence undertaken. Current staff are clear about, and are committed to, maintaining the duty of care they have to children when driving.

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

The registered manager is currently on maternity leave but makes weekly visits to keep in touch. The manager of another home on the same site oversees the running of this home, aided by team leaders who have taken on supervisory responsibilities. The change, combined with carrying staff vacancies, has had an impact on the staff, especially when the assistant manager left. However, morale has improved and the team feels more stable.

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

Staff reported that they are now supported and have supervision at the required frequency. However, one worker did not have formal supervision during the first three months of his employment. Although significant conversations were held and recorded, managers did not therefore have a comprehensive view of his performance or support needs.

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

Staff meetings have not occurred, despite being scheduled. One member of staff said, „We really do need one,‟ because otherwise it is difficult to communicate with the other teams over important issues. Managers plan to change rotas to facilitate attendance in future.

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

Not all staff have achieved the qualification required by regulation. Plans are in place to start the course or ensure that the remaining modules are completed within a reasonable period, but it is too late to do so within statutory timescales.

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

Complaints records have not captured outcomes adequately enough for a reader either to know what they were or if complainants were satisfied. It is therefore not clear if managers have diligently addressed the issues to improve practice when necessary.

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

The home has received different advice about best recording practice in relation to physical intervention, which has led to logs having such a lot of detail that it can be hard to identify the essential information to review its use.

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

Staff demonstrate a huge commitment to the welfare of children and young people, often using their own time to ensure that opportunities to promote their interests are taken. Staffing shortages, particularly for night shifts, have led to there being last-minute arrangements to ensure that there is cover. The home‟s staff always achieve this themselves, even when alternative means could be used to resolve the issue.

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

Case files are generally in good order but there are examples of documents not being where they should be, information missing or not updated, or the author not being clearly identified. Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 8

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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: SC472102 9

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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 W14 8UD

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Inspector(s)

Chris Peel, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC472102 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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