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

Inspection report children’s home: SC441514 1 SC441514 Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited Full 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 three young people aged 11 to 19 who have complex needs, which may include autism spectrum disorder and/or complex associated difficulties. The registered manager has managed the home since March 2019. He is in the process of completing his level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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

Date of last inspection: 23 January 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC441514 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/01/2018 Interim Not judged 04/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC441514 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 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to any individual employed to work in the children’s home in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 30/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC441514 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good individual care from staff, who spend time with and listen to them. Staff know children’s needs well and build positive relationships with them. This supports children to develop their self-esteem and has resulted in a reduction of children displaying self-injurious behaviour. Children are supported by staff to be healthy. The organisation has a specialist therapy team that works well with both children and staff to support children’s emotional and behavioural needs. This helps to develop resilience. Staff successfully promote children’s education. They recognise children’s achievements and use rewards to good effect. As a result, children have made significant improvements in their attendance at school. The home is a warm and welcoming home for children to live in. It is decorated and maintained well. Children are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities, such as going to the gym, ice skating and the cinema. This helps to improve children’s

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

confidence and self-worth. Children are encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings through individual discussions with staff. This ensures that children can reflect and be included in the decisions that are made about their care. Staff support children to move in and leave the home in a planned way. Children and parents can meet the manager and visit the home before they move in. When the children leave, the manager and staff organise celebratory meals and ensure that their move is a positive experience for them. This helps children to feel cared for by the staff and helps them to settle into their new home.

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

Staff work hard to maintain children’s safety. The manager ensures that staff reflect on incidents that occur. This increases their understanding of children’s needs and enables them to make improvements in their practice, which promotes children’s welfare.

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

There is good management oversight and challenge of physical interventions. This ensures that staff are consistent in their management of children’s challenging behaviour and that physical interventions are proportionate and safe.

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

Staff understand and manage children’s risks well. Children’s risk assessments are clear and regularly updated. This ensures that staff are clear about the measures that they need to adopt to safeguard children. Staff implement these measures effectively.

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

Children do not regularly go missing. When children do go missing, staff act swiftly to ensure that they are found and returned safe and well to the home.

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

The recruitment of permanent staff is strong. However, gaps remain in recruitment Inspection report children’s home: SC441514 5 practice for those staff employed through an agency. These gaps relate to training and the verification of references. The manager has recently reviewed the recruitment records and has made the decision to discontinue the use of agency staff to ensure that children’s safety is not compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a new registered manager has been employed. He has made several improvements and has good oversight of the running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the home’s strengths and weaknesses. He takes decisive and effective actions when these are needed to improve the quality of care in the home. For example, the manager revisited staff inductions when he felt that these had not been conducted adequately. This ensures that all staff are fully aware of the home’s procedures and practices and what is expected of them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are motivated and feel supported. They receive a good level of supervision and training. The manager also uses team meeting and quizzes to develop staff knowledge and practice effectively. This ensures that staff have the skills to meet the needs of the children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have a clear understanding of the progress that children make and the challenges that they face. They work effectively with a range of professionals to ensure that children receive the support that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals are positive about the level of care that the children receive. One social worker stated that his child is ‘settled’ in the home and is now ‘much more confident’. Inspection report children’s home: SC441514 6

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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 difference 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: SC441514 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

Sue Young, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC441514 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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