Children's home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1278017 1 Registered provider: Priory Education Service 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

This privately run home offers care, support and on-site education for up to eight children who have a learning disability and who may have experienced neglect, abuse and/or trauma that has left them vulnerable. The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2018 when the home opened.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers 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: This is the home’s first inspection

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1278017 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of children’s education. They take the children to and from school, communicate effectively with professionals and help the children with their homework.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The organisation employs therapists to work with traumatised children. The therapists give advice and guidance to the staff to support them with some of the children’s complex behaviours. This guidance enables the staff to tailor their approaches to meet the children’s presenting needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet the children’s health needs and support them to attend health appointments. The children benefit from seeing their families, if it is appropriate for them to do so. The staff take the children to see their families and offer support when it is needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide an extensive selection of activities, both in-house and in the community. The children benefit from on-site resources such as a sports court and land to grow vegetables and plants.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At times, the children can become angry or distressed. This can result in difficult and destructive behaviours. When these occur, the staff ensure that any damage at the home is repaired quickly and that the home is maintained to a high standard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff communicate with the children in an open and honest way. They forge strong relationships with the children. Staff gain children’s views and opinions through regular conversation as well as structured individual and group sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children tell the staff if there is an issue or if they wish to make a complaint. However, the complaint and advocacy procedures have not been explained fully and are not covered in the children’s guide. This limits the children’s options if they wish to speak with someone outside the home to make a complaint.

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improvement to be good

The children sometimes display challenging behaviours. De-escalation techniques are used effectively, and physical interventions are used as a last resort. The use of physical interventions is proportionate, but the recording of these interventions is poor. A mismatch of the log numbers and the corresponding dates make reviewing the intervention records difficult. Essential information is missing, including records of staff debriefings. Inaccurate or incomplete records do not enable effective oversight of practice to ensure that children are managed safely.

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improvement to be good

The home is set in extensive and well-maintained grounds. Recent landscaping work has Inspection report children’s home: 1278017 3 exposed a gap in the perimeter fence. This gap, which leads to a field, compromises the security of the property.

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improvement to be good

The home is well appointed with furniture, pictures and ornaments. This provides a nurturing and homely environment. However, three internal fire doors failed to close properly, and several other fire doors were propped open. The manager made immediate plans to have all door stops removed and the fire doors repaired. Fire doors that do not close when needed pose a risk to the children and the staff in the event of a fire.

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improvement to be good

The children do not go missing from this home. If a child leaves the home without permission, the staff follow the child, encourage them to return and give them appropriate space. The rural location of the home reduces risks from traffic. However, the location risk assessment does not adequately assess risks posed by local waterways and rivers, radicalisation and gangs. The manager has not assessed effectively the risks to the children posed by the local area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in November 2018. She is experienced in residential childcare and has a relevant level 5 qualification. She is supported by a deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff feel supported by the home’s management team. They receive regular supervisions in line with the organisation’s policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children’s files are updated regularly and are of a good standard. Other records are overseen by the manager. However, monitoring systems are not comprehensive as the management oversight of the physical intervention records was absent. Failure to review records to ensure that they are consistent with the regulations compromises the safety and well-being of the children and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are provided with training to support them in their roles. However, the staff do not receive specific training in relation to the safeguarding and mental health of disabled children. This does not support the staff to develop their skills and knowledge in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home every month. Their visit reports provide challenge and actions to improve the quality of care. The manager is in the process of undertaking the home’s first internal review of care.

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

Inspection report children’s home: 1278017 4

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 07/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, make immediate arrangements to ensure that all of the fire doors close fully and that fire doors are not propped open. 18/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

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— 07/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1278017 5 the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

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 (1)(a)(b)(3)(a)(iii)(iv)(vii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The children’s guide should help children to understand how they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy if eligible. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  Homes should encourage children to understand that they can speak to an independent advocate, Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs), Ofsted inspectors or other relevant persons if they have concerns about their safety. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness

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Recommendations

and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) In particular, ensure that the fence at the rear of the property is secured and that the location area risk assessment is updated.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1278017 6 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: 1278017 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Service Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Ricky D’Arcy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1278017 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 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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