Children's home run by Aspris Children’s Service in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report children’s home: SC393567 1 SC393567 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

This home is owned by a private company. Its statement of purpose specifies that it provides care and accommodation for up to five young people, aged between nine and 18.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 24 January 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC393567 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2018 Full Good 05/07/2017 Full Good 17/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 14/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC393567 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people live in a home where the staff are fully committed to supporting them to develop and successfully manage the challenges they face. For the vast majority, this is moving into semi-independence and adult life. The young people have excellent experiences at the home and make significant progress. They are proud of their achievements and speak very positively about the home and the staff. They have a real connection to the home and refer to the service as ‘outstanding’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff say that they are extremely proud of the young people. This can be seen in the way the young people respond to staff’s presence, praise and encouragement. Professionals and families speak positively about the staff and of the progress that the young people make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is a very calm and positive environment where young people feel safe, have fun and make progress. Young people have a very positive view of education and their attendance levels are excellent. One young person came back from school on the first day of term and said, ‘I love my school.’ Education, health, and care plan targets are implemented and monitored through trackers and presented in a graph format for instant visual evaluation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The practice around young people moving in and moving on to semi or independent living accommodation is outstanding. Carefully considered moving-in arrangements are undertaken over a period of time when young people can experience different lengths of stays at the home. This enables all the young people to get to know each other, the home and its location prior to moving in permanently. Each young person contributes fully to their moving in and moving on plans, which include their views and feelings. The staff work hard to give young people the range of skills they will require in adult life; for example, showing and giving them cooking skills (such as how to get three meals out of one chicken), writing a curriculum vitae, learning gardening skills so they can use them to earn extra money, and managing a pay packet and a bank account. The staff use their individual skills to provide an outstanding level of support and guidance. Great success is

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

seen as a result, with young people moving on and having success living independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff also give the young people skills such as recycling furniture. Together, the staff and young people have upcycled a unit, rescued from a local tip, that is proudly on display in the home. The young people can use this skill in their adult lives. In addition, the young people are actively encouraged to be environmentally aware and they carry out audits of the home’s environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The tremendous work undertaken by the staff in reintegrating young people back into having positive relationships with their families is worthy of sharing. The staff work closely with all professionals and successfully re-engage young people in having positive contact time. This work entails the staff working consistently and closely with both the Inspection report children’s home: SC393567 4 families and the young people and thinking out side of the box to get the best outcome.

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

The staff work tirelessly to make sure that the young people feel safe and are as safe as they can possibly be, both in the home and out in the community. The staff help young people to understand risk and how to stay safe, while being aware of the need to assist the young people to become more independent and to take appropriate risks. This helps young people to improve their behaviour and reflect thoughtfully on their own decision- making.

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

The staff are trained to keep young people safe. Safeguarding training is targeted and meaningful. The interim manager responded to a safeguarding concern that arose during the inspection quickly and efficiently. He was extremely well informed of the safeguarding policy and made the referral in a timely manner, correctly prioritising the safeguarding concern over the inspection, ensuring that the young person was safe.

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

A strength of the service is the trusting relationships formed between young people and staff. This is a key protective factor because staff are able to consistently provide sensible support to the young people, especially at times when they have put themselves at risk. However, current levels of risk are very low with no incidents of going missing, only one physical intervention since the last inspection and low exploitation risks. The young people have the trust and confidence in staff to discuss sensitive issues with ease.

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

The one area that presents as a risk is the use of social media. The staff understand the risk that the use of the internet and social media may pose to young people. The staff use key-worker sessions effectively to help young people understand how to keep themselves safe. The young people speak about how to keep safe with knowledge and good risk awareness.

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

Robust health and safety checks ensure that the physical environment for young people is safe and secure. Recruitment procedures and regular monitoring of the staff help to prevent unsuitable people being employed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager commenced a period of extended leave from July 2019. An interim manager has taken charge in her absence. The interim manager received a good handover from the registered manager and is supported by two assistant managers who know the home well. He leads a team of enthusiastic and dynamic staff. He is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Over the last two years, the registered manager has been successful in recruiting and identifying a staff team with individual strengths and utilising these strengths to develop practices in the home. Their development has been masterful and skilful. The members of the staff team have grown in confidence and work with a real sense of dedication. They work very well together, and they are consistently creative in their practice. They Inspection report children’s home: SC393567 5 enjoy their roles and the time spent with the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The members of the staff team complete mandatory and additional training so that they can practise safely. There is a push to make sure that all the staff obtain the level 3 diploma qualification in the required time frame. Not all of the staff have achieved this yet. Training ensures that the staff team can meet the needs of future young people and the different challenges they may pose. The staff are very well supported through supervision; they are well informed and focused on their roles. They practise without fear or prejudice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and the staff team are confident and ambitious for the young people. They are highly influential in changing their lives. This can be seen in the outstanding progress made by the young people, the relationships they form, the stability of their placements and the outstanding outcomes they achieve. The staff speak very proudly about the progress young people make, and of their contribution to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring, reviewing and auditing systems are extremely detailed and highly organised. They are effective in ensuring that the home operates safely and develops its practices. Prior to her extended leave, and over the last year, the registered manager has further developed the highly impressive reviewing, monitoring and evaluation systems. She has used this to ensure that all aspects of the service are frequently monitored.

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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: SC393567 6

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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

Liz Driver, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC393567 7 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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