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

Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 1 SC465940 Registered provider: The Priory Group

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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 can provide care for up to seven children and young people who have a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a large private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

Children who live in this home attend a school run by the same organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned in May 2018. A new manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 30 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/10/2017 Full Good 25/07/2017 Full Inadequate 01/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 22/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 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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13: The leadership and management standard

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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13: The leadership and management standard

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Fire precautions

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Fire precautions

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention.

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Staffing of children’s homes

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification.

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 4  The registered person must ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to: respond to the health needs of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12). In particular, improve the emergency health care plans for children.  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2). In particular, ensure that bank staff and staff from the children’s school who are used to support in the home, have supervision that focuses on the care provided

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress because staff provide them with good support to enable them to achieve well. Good links with the children’s school and effective implementation of education, health and care plans (EHCP) and personal education plans (PEP) further supports children’s progress. Examples of progress include:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

 development of self-care skills  increase in communication skills  development of positive behaviour  following good routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive relationships develop between children and staff. This is a consistent strength of this home. Staff are caring and attentive to the needs of children. They understand children and their needs well. Effective day-to-day routines and clear boundaries are implemented well. Children respond well to these boundaries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A good variety of opportunities are available to children, which enhance their experiences. One child has joined local clubs, and other children enjoy spending time outdoors, going out for meals and baking at home. Children go on holiday with the staff and enjoy regular days out. Children benefit from these positive experiences that enhance their independence skills and their opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with excellent opportunities to spend good-quality time with their families. One child went on holiday with their brother; another child spent time at their favourite beach with their family. This has a positive impact on children and their relationships with their families. Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 5 Since the previous inspection, one child has moved into the home successfully. Thoughtful and comprehensive planning contributed to this success. Leaders and managers carefully considered the impact that all children may have on one another when the child moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of the physical environment continues to improve. As children progress, physical restrictions are reduced. The new manager has further plans to improve the quality of the home. In particular, the rear garden is in need of improvement.

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

Leaders and managers implement the child protection policy effectively. Child protection referrals are appropriately made to safeguarding professionals. Good joint working with these professionals takes place to safeguard children.

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

The high-quality care and positive relationships contribute to children behaving positively. Staff provide children with good structure and routine. Staff use social stories to help children to understand their routines and cope with new opportunities. This is one of many strategies that support children effectively. As a result, behavioural incidents continue to decrease.

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

Since the previous inspection, eight restraints have occurred appropriately. These restraints are low-level guides to reduce the risk of children potential harming other people. Leaders and managers monitor the use of restraint effectively. The manager reflects well on these incidents and identifies where improvements can be made to help children more effectively.

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

Regular fire evacuation drills take place with children and staff. The manager reviews the effectiveness of these, and this information informs children’s personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPS). One child, who previously did not want to leave the building during fire drills, now evacuates from the home successfully.

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

Leaders and managers understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The new manager is effectively implementing the development plan to address the weaknesses. The manager appropriately prioritises actions which have the most impact on children. For example, improving the quality of the physical environment, training staff and quality assuring the provision take precedence over improving the children’s guide.

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

Not all staff have received mandatory training such as first aid and fire awareness. As a result, on occasions and particularly during the night, staff on duty may not have been trained as required. The workforce plan identifies this as an area of priority.

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

Currently, monitoring by the manager is not identifying some isolated practice concerns identified during this inspection. For example, on one occasion staff stopped one child going to their evening club because of their negative behaviour at school. The manager Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 6 is clear that this is not an appropriate strategy. In addition, while staff implement the emergency health protocol well for one child, the emergency health care record lacks detail.

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

Leaders and managers provide children with a consistent staff team. The staff are dedicated to children and often cover shortfalls in the rota between themselves. More recently, staff from within the same organisation and who know the children from their school came to help in the home. As a result of this provision, the home does not use agency staff who do not know the children.

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

Permanent staff receive regular and effective supervision from leaders and managers. Staff have personal development plans with clear developmental targets. Currently, not all bank staff and staff from the children’s school who are helping in the home have supervision relating to care and their work with children.

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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: SC465940 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Priory Education Services Limited, 80 Hammersmith Road, London, Middlesex W14 8UD

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Inspector

Nicola Lownds, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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