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 who have learning disabilities. The home shares the site with one other children’s home and two schools, also owned and run by the same organisation. The children from this home may attend one of the schools.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 8 August 2016.

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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 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

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC472102 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2018 Full Good 23/05/2017 Full Good 09/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Good 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

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)) In particular, ensure that the process followed and how it has led to the outcome is clear, and check whether or not the complainant is satisfied with the outcome. 30/06/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

In particular, where risks are inherent to an activity, such as accessing the internet, or there are significant concerns due to circumstances such as child criminal exploitation, staff should record current control measures even if these are considered to reduce risks to a low level.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel that living in the home has been valuable for them, even if they would rather be with their families. One said, ‘I go to school now’, and recognised how beneficial this was for him. More than one child’s attendance has gone from 0% before coming to the home to 100% now. Achieving consistent attendance has proved more difficult to achieve for others, but the manager and staff work with schools to re-engage children in their education and promote learning activities during school time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are highly supportive of children’s formal and informal learning, including assisting Inspection report children’s home: SC472102 4 children in school to manage disruptive behaviour and to participate in lessons.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults help children develop skills, such as learning to ride a bike and to swim, which promote exercise and help socialisation, and give children the ability to do more for themselves to improve levels of independence. A parent commented that her son now wants to menu-plan and cook when he comes home for the holidays, which shows that new skills are being transferred to different settings. For some children, such progress has contributed to the potential for them to return to the care of a parent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children see themselves as learners and able to achieve. They develop a greater sense of identity and self-confidence. This is shown in them being able to make independent choices that broaden the range of activities they get involved in, and in their ability to make friends. This enhances their overall life chances. Children’s fitness is improving, supported by frequent discussions with staff about healthy choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities arranged by adults. One child who struggles to participate can now be persuaded to spend time cooking with staff, and another has gained the confidence to start a trial with a local football club.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff help children to prepare to move into the home, tailoring introductions as appropriate. Support includes providing a ‘peer induction’ from an existing resident child, which includes information about the home and what happens there. This is a creative approach that benefits both children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A parent was appreciative of the sensitive way staff assisted her son to move on from the placement, particularly the continued contact after he left that included an exchange of cards with the remaining children. In this way, staff addressed the impact on him and the other children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is in the process of being refurbished, starting with significant alterations to the kitchen. Although children’s ideas for the colour scheme were declined as they would have been overbearing, they like the room, which has become the ‘hub of the home’. Following their feedback, a separate dining room has been set up away from the lounge. Children’s choices of paint and accessories for their own bedrooms were followed, and they have also helped to choose several items of new furniture and fittings.

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

This is a calm home where adults have established positive relationships with children and understand their needs well. Staff help children to reflect on events in which they have struggled to manage their behaviour by using effective worksheets and key-work sessions. As a result, children become better able to manage their own emotions and not resort, for example, to aggression or running away.

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

Adults promote positive behaviour through praise and rewards. One staff member recalled telling a child it was more important to know that he, the child, had apologised after being rude to a colleague than it was to hear what he had said. This emphasises that the effort to restore the relationship is more important than the original Inspection report children’s home: SC472102 5 misdemeanour. An annual open day includes giving awards to children. A mother who attended said, ‘It was amazing to see my sons going up in front of everyone to get their rewards.’

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

Children spoken to knew how to complain and could name adults they can speak to if they have concerns. One has complained, and saw that things changed as a result of his complaint being responded to.

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

The manager monitors records, such as those relating to the giving of sanctions, and has identified practice improvements. This leads to staff developing effective responses to children. There has not been a significant incident in the home for several months.

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

Staff demonstrate a good awareness of how to manage safeguarding concerns and incidents when children go missing, even though these are rare occurrences at the home. They know who to contact and where to look for information if they should ever need to ‘whistle-blow’ poor practice.

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

Risk assessments for children are individualised and generally provide clear guidance to staff about how to manage risks. Additional controls have been introduced to limit internet access. However, risk assessments do not routinely cover safety online or potential child sexual or criminal exploitation. These, and other hazards, were either omitted from risk assessments, or there was no explanation of why such risks were regarded as low or insignificant.

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

The manager has made sound dynamic assessments and taken appropriate action to ensure that children are safe even when this action has overturned previous decisions.

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

Safer recruitment practice is meticulous. For example, a discrepancy was identified between dates of employment in information provided by an applicant and a referee, allowing this discrepancy to be scrutinised.

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

Since the last inspection, senior managers have arranged for a fence to be installed around the maintenance yard. This prevents the possibility of children gaining entry to the site and any unsafe materials that may be stored there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well managed by an experienced registered manager, who has made significant improvements since returning from maternity leave. Staff trust her organisational skills and ability to lead the team effectively; this gives them confidence to make their own contributions to the running of the home and care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has successfully addressed all but one of the requirements made at the last inspection, the exception being the records kept of complaints. Even though changes have been made, it has not been made clear if complainants are satisfied at the end of the process or, in particularly complex cases, what that process was.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has involved children in reviewing the children’s guide, which now includes Inspection report children’s home: SC472102 6 all of the elements identified in statutory guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Impact risk assessments are thorough, documenting risks, the views of the children moving in and their families, and consultation with children currently living at the home. The decision and process for admission are set out well. This has led to good matching for children and contributed to successful placements. Transition plans are equally well formulated and recorded to prepare children for the end of their stays.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Placement review documents demonstrate that the manager reflects in considerable detail on the impact of the home on the experiences and progress of children. These documents evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and how lessons can be built into future practice. The review documents provide a powerful tool for analysing the service offered in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff ensure that case records accurately describe children’s experiences and the work that is undertaken with them. Children and staff together review events and progress on a monthly basis, which helps everyone to see where improvements have been made and targets attained, and what the next steps are. This helps children see that they can achieve, and that this is recognised by adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have built positive relationships with other agencies. When necessary, the manager has challenged the actions of professionals when these have not been in children’s best interests. This has led directly to improvements in the safeguarding practice and procedures of other services, to the advantage of more children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are clear mechanisms in place to seek the views of children, parents, staff and placing social workers, which have been highly positive.

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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 7

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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: Fifth Floor, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Inspector

Chris Peel, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC472102 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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