Children's home run by Aspireone Care Ltd in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Inspection report children’s home: SC439116 1 SC439116 Registered provider: Aspireone Care 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 children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted in July 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 25 to 26 November 2019

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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 outstanding

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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

Date of last inspection: 17 October 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC439116 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2018 Full Outstanding 19/09/2017 Full Outstanding 15/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC439116 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care. A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is delivered in line with regulation. It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraphs 13.2 to 13.4). This is with particular reference to the consistent recording of group clinical supervision  Ensure that where a placing authority does not provide the input and services

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Recommendations

needed to meet a child’s needs, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs. Staff should act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8). This is with particular reference to escalating concerns to senior managers within the local authority at an earlier stage.  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). This is with particular reference to painting the exterior of the home, adequate window coverings for the front bedroom and heating in the upstairs games room.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people who have experienced significant instability in previous care settings make exceptional progress at this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from a highly effective pre-admission assessment and matching process. The young people who have moved to the home since the last inspection were able to meet and socialise before living together. As a result of this excellent transitional planning, young people experience a positive introduction to their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person has left the home since the last inspection. This was an unplanned move. In difficult circumstances, staff supported the young person and kept her welfare at the centre of decision-making. As a result, the risks to the young person were reduced Inspection report children’s home: SC439116 4 and she was effectively safeguarded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people participate in a range of activities in the community. These build on their existing interests. Young people are also encouraged to try new activities. As a result, young people quickly develop a sense of identity with the local community. This in turn promotes their sense of permanence in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make outstanding progress in education from their starting points. One young person now attends full-time education in a school setting, having been out of formal education for over a year. Young people are supported by staff who are tenacious in their attempts to secure appropriate education provision for young people. As a result of these efforts, both young people are accessing education which meets their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are cared for by adults who are ambitious for them. Staff believe young people can make great progress in all areas of their lives. This in turn encourages young people to have self-belief and high aspirations for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are supported to develop and maintain relationships with family members. Staff understand the importance of these relationships. This has had a profound impact on the young people. It provides them with a sense of identity and belonging and greatly enhances their lives.

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

Young people who have experienced trauma in their early lives are supported to understand these experiences and build resilience for their future.

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

Young people benefit from weekly input from the organisation’s art psychotherapist. In addition, staff are supported to understand how best to help each young person through the provision of monthly group clinical supervision with the organisation’s psychologist. As a result of this additional support, young people are enabled to develop good emotional health and well-being.

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

Young people living at the home at the time of inspection have not experienced any physical intervention from staff in response to their behaviour. Staff promote positive behaviours and effectively de-escalate potential conflict. As a result, young people experience positive care from the staff, which builds trust and strengthens relationships between staff and young people.

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

Since the last inspection, staff have cared for a young person who faced significant risk of exploitation. The home quickly recognised these risks, and risk management plans were put in place. There was excellent information sharing between the home, the local authority and the police in order to safeguard the young person.

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

Young people with additional learning needs are well supported. Staff proactively seek to Inspection report children’s home: SC439116 5 improve their knowledge and understanding of each young person’s needs in order to find the best way to help them. One young person has recently had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. As a result, the team has reflected on the way it communicates with the young person. New ways of working are being implemented, which will support the young person to makes sense of their world and help them to progress. The registered manager has discussed with the young person’s paediatrician a briefing for all the staff team. This will ensure that all staff have a thorough understanding of his needs and can provide personalised care. This demonstrates creative practice and staff’s effective use of professional relationships to inform the care of young people.

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

The staff team works very well with local authorities to progress young people’s care plans. When local authorities do not provide services in reasonable timescales, the team provides appropriate challenge. These concerns are not always escalated to senior managers in the local authority. As a result, isolated opportunities may be missed to resolve problems more quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Since the last inspection, the home has undergone a period of change. There is a new registered manager in place. The registered manager brings with her a wealth of experience. The manager is supported by a new deputy manager who has been promoted from a previous role of team leader in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and her deputy are highly thought of by the staff. The staff are extremely positive about the new management team. Young people have not been affected by these changes, as they took place prior to their admission to the home. The manager and deputy work very well together to provide highly effective leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has further strengthened management oversight of the home by undertaking monthly quality of care reviews. These provide a detailed assessment of all aspects of practice in the home. These are complemented by the deputy manager’s monthly case records audit. These two methods of quality assurance ensure that the leadership team has mechanisms in place to identify the strengths and areas for development in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A recommendation from the last inspection referred to young people being encouraged to read and contribute to their case records. This recommendation has been met. Young people read and sign their daily log sheets. They contribute to their plans. Young people told the inspector that they know they can look at their records whenever they want to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is maintained to a high standard and mirrors what would be expected in a family home. The home is personalised with photographs of young people and staff. Young people’s bedrooms are well furnished and reflect the personalities of each young person. One young person has removed privacy tape from his windows. Staff have Inspection report children’s home: SC439116 6 bought new tape and are encouraging him to use this. A new room upstairs has been designated as a ‘chill out’ room for young people. This provides them with an additional space in which to relax. However, this room does not currently have any heating, which is a barrier to young people using the room. The exterior of the home needs repainting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular, high-quality supervision. Staff told the inspector how much they value supervision as an opportunity to reflect on their practice and the progress of young people. Supervision is comprehensively recorded. However, the group clinical supervision is not consistently recorded. This means that staff do not have a record of discussions to assist their learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager promotes a culture of learning within the home. Staff are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning. Staff have ‘research in practice’ logs to record any areas of learning. These are then shared in team meetings. In addition, staff are allocated areas of the quality standards to research. This learning is also shared throughout the team. This is excellent practice, which promotes learning across the staff team.

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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: SC439116 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspireone Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Lyme Drive, Lyme Vale Court, Parklands, Stoke-on- Trent, Staffordshire ST4 6NW

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC439116 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 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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