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

Inspection report children’s home: SC476486 1 SC476486 Registered provider: The Priory Group Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered for up to seven children aged 11 to 19 who have complex needs, which may include autistic spectrum disorders and complex associated difficulties. The registered manager has managed the home since January 2014 and is appropriately experienced and qualified.

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Judgement at last inspection: good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children have not always been safeguarded by staff while in the home. Some children have engaged in dangerous behaviour within the home, resulting in criminal activity. This has included placing wheelie bins in the middle of a main road and breaking into the staff office, stealing car keys and driving the house car. Following these incidents, managers have been swift to tighten security procedures to ensure that children are now adequately safeguarded. These include employing temporary waking night staff and installing a new alarm system in the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirement made at the last inspection has not been met. The home’s environmental risk assessment and children’s individual risk assessments are not adequately updated to reflect current safeguarding concerns or children’s needs. These Inspection report children’s home: SC476486 2 do not clearly inform staff of the measures that they need to take to keep children safe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home environment continues to require attention. External bars remain to children’s bedroom windows on the first floor and children’s bedrooms are not in a good decorative state. In one child’s bedroom, part of the architrave around the door is also missing. The games room is bare and does not have any pictures on the walls, books or games in the room. These compromise the otherwise homely feel of the house.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is monitoring the activities of the home. However, this does not support continuous improvement in the quality of care to children. It lacks analysis and scrutiny into the areas for improvement identified in independent monitoring reports.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

On a more positive stance, children do not go missing from the home and many are making steady progress at school and in their self-confidence. Children attend school regularly and enjoy various activities in the local community. For example, they enjoy going to the gym and some have joined local football teams. Children generally say that they are happy living in the home. One child said that he felt that staff had supported him well. Another child stated that he thought the home was ‘amazing’.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/04/2018 Full Good 03/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/07/2016 Full Good

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular the registered person must ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans and if necessary make 29/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC476486 3 arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. This refers to individual children’s risk assessments and to the overall home’s risk assessment. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(c)) In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must ensure the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i)) 30/04/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: SC476486 4

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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

Sue Young, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476486 5 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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