Children's home run by Aspire Child Care Ltd

Inspection report children‟s home: SC403464 1 SC403464 Registered provider: Aspire Child Care Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children‟s home that provides care and accommodation for up to two children and young people.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has suitable experience and the required qualification for her post.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 17 to 18 September 2018

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children‟s home: SC403464 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/10/2017 Full Good 15/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/07/2016 Full Good 28/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC403464 3

p.2

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.

p.3

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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

p.3

Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that copies of any pathway plan and health assessment and care plans in relation to the child are on the file. 15/11/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home‟s care. („Guide to the children‟s home regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people have made excellent progress since their admission to the home. Living at this home has broken cycles of negative behaviour such as non-engagement in education, taking unnecessary risks and offending behaviour. Young people talked positively about their experiences of living at this home. They spoke affectionately about staff and recognise that they have helped them in many aspects of their lives. One young person said, „I can definitely say that this is an outstanding place to live. Staff have got my back. They care for me and I‟m happy here.‟

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people who have previously had very poor levels of engagement in education now Inspection report children‟s home: SC403464 4 have 100% attendance and achieve well at school or college. The importance of education is fully endorsed by staff and forms part of the home‟s daily routine. Thus, both young people are making significant progress in this area of their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Effective inter-agency working ensures that young people make excellent progress. Professionals spoke highly of the service. Comments include:

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

 „I am very happy with the level of care afforded at the home. Staff genuinely care about the young people. They have created a safe and secure environment that has helped my young person to thrive. I cannot praise them highly enough.‟  „The support offered by Aspire has played a huge role in getting [young person‟s name] to the point in his life where he is now far more settled. Staff have helped him focus on his direction in life and helped him realise his potential to achieve.‟  „I am very proud of how well [young person‟s name] has done. Staff have helped turn things around for him. He‟s come on leaps and bounds since living at this home.‟

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people‟s health is well promoted within and outside the home. They attend all of their routine medical appointments. They are encouraged to take regular exercise, and staff provide a wide variety of activities, both indoors and outdoors, which are tailored to suit their interests, such as dog walking, football and other sporting activities. Contact arrangements are clearly outlined in each young person‟s care plan and are fully supported by staff. Staff understand how to manage the complexities of family dynamics and have developed excellent relationships with those who are important to the young people. This contributes to making contact a positive experience for all those involved.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have made good progress with their independence skills. They are taking greater levels of responsibility as they move towards adulthood. However, not all young people have updated pathway plans. Because of this, staff do not have specific guidance on how to address identified needs. This hinders the manager‟s ability to measure progress in this area.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home looks and feels like a family home. It provides a lovely, warm and comfortable environment where the young people clearly feel at ease and are confident in their surroundings. Young people acknowledge that the home is a loving environment where they are encouraged to feel safe and achieve the best that they can.

p.4

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

Young people are safer because of the care and support that they receive from a dedicated staff team. In the main, young people have been admitted to the home with high levels of concerns relating to their risk-taking behaviour, such as anti-social behaviour and engaging in criminality. In all cases, these concerns have now ceased.

p.4

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

The staff take their responsibility for keeping young people safe very seriously. The safety and well-being of young people are central to their practice. Young people Inspection report children‟s home: SC403464 5 reported that they feel safe and can talk to any staff member when they have concerns.

p.4

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

All the staff are trained appropriately in physical intervention, but such methods are only used on rare occasions. The home offers a very structured environment with clear routines. Because of this, young people know what is expected of them and they are constantly guided to achieve positive behaviour.

p.5

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

R isk assessments take full account of the young person‟s triggers and clearly highlight strategies on how to manage known risks. Plans are reviewed and updated in response to incidents, and good levels of communication within the team ensure that everyone is aware of presenting issues or concerns.

p.5

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

Young people do not currently go missing. This further demonstrates that the young people are happy, settled and making positive choices.

p.5

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

Staff receive regular safeguarding training that enables them to recognise and respond to child protection concerns.

p.5

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

Young people are protected by sound recruitment processes that ensure that staff are carefully selected and checked, to prevent unsuitable people working in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is effectively led and managed by a skilled, committed and experienced registered manager. The deputy manager further strengthens the home‟s management position.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is small but stable, with little change since the last inspection. Staff said that they are very happy working at the home and enjoy working with the young people. Staff feel very well supported, and they feel that their skills and experience are valued within the service.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager routinely monitors staff performance, competency and conduct through observation of practice, regular supervision and annual appraisals. Professional development plans are completed annually. However, these do not take into account the views of young people, families or professionals. This is a missed opportunity to undertake a more holistic review of professional practice and would assist the manager in identifying development needs within the team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes suitable attempts to ensure that young people‟s case records are complete and up to date. However, young people‟s case records do not hold all the necessary statutory documentation, such as personal education plans, pathway plans and health assessments. Thus, the manager cannot be assured that she and the staff team are meeting or addressing all young people‟s identified needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training and development activities are good. Staff are given regular opportunities to develop their practice through attending training events. Inspection report children‟s home: SC403464 6 Effective internal monitoring and quality assurance systems have been developed to ensure that young people continue to enjoy high standards of care. In addition, an independent person visits the home monthly, in line with regulation. This ensures that there is impartial assessment of the home‟s safeguarding arrangements and promotes the young people‟s welfare.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals spoken with during the inspection were unanimously complimentary about the quality of their relationships with the manager and the staff team. One described them as „excellent role models for young people‟. Another said, „Managers and staff are professional, effective advocates and clearly invest in the young people they care for.‟

p.6

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.

p.6

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: SC403464 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspire Child Care Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christine MacKay

p.7

Inspector

Ceri Evans, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC403464 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8