Children's home run by Achieving Aspirations Community Interest Company

Inspection report children’s home: 1258276 1 Registered provider: Achieving Aspirations Community Interest Company Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of two residential short-break services run by a small private organisation. The service provides residential short breaks to a maximum of six children between the ages of six and 18. The children may have intellectual and developmental disabilities and additional complex health needs, including autism spectrum disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant. The acting manager has been in post since November 2019. The acting manager has not yet applied for registration; therefore, Ofsted has yet to assess their suitability.

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Inspection date: 15 January 2020

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1258276 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two requirements and seven recommendations were set at the last inspection. The manager has met one requirement and has made significant progress towards meeting the second requirement. The manager has met the majority of the recommendations.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The last registered manager left the home in November 2019. The deputy manager took on the manager role, which has provided continuity of leadership. She is currently gathering the required information to enable her to apply for registration. The manager and the staff have worked well together to drive improvement in the service.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff work closely with families and partner professionals. These positive partnerships promote improved outcomes for the children. The children feel safe and trust the staff, as do the children’s parents. The staff are good at settling anxious parents’ fears.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The enthusiastic staff know the children well and provide child-focused care and support. The process for children coming to have their first short break is well planned and sensitive to both the child’s and the family’s needs. Parents and professionals spoke of the competent, cheerful and caring staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff follow the good-quality care plans effectively. Risk assessments and children’s individual risk management plans have improved. However, there is not a clear, documented system in place for establishing any changes in each child’s needs prior to each short-break stay. Therefore, potentially, changes to the child’s support needs may be missed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children stay in suitably equipped and well-maintained short-break accommodation. The home has a new hoist, which enables the staff to safely manoeuvre non-mobile children to and from the floor. This means that these children can now safely enjoy stretching out or manoeuvring around the floor. A bathroom non-slip mat has now been provided, which enables those children who stand with assistance to do so safely.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff have received suitable and relevant training. For example, some staff have undertaken intensive training in communication. All the staff are due to complete this training within the next few months. This training has given the staff more confidence in integrating a wider approach to communication at the home. However, the manager is unclear how many staff have undertaken awareness-raising training in the wider safeguarding agenda such as preventing and understanding Inspection report children’s home: 1258276 3 radicalisation. One staff member, who has worked in a children’s home for more than two years, has yet to complete a relevant level 3 diploma in residential childcare.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff receive good-quality support and guidance from the manager. They benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. Most staff have had an appraisal of their performance.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of the visits carried out by the independent visitor and the reports of these visits have improved since the last inspection. The provider continues to liaise with the independent visitor to ensure that these visits give a good sense of the quality of care and support that the children receive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One new requirement in relation to the home’s statement of purpose has been set at this inspection because the provider has not sent a copy of the new statement of purpose to Ofsted. Therefore, Ofsted does not have current information about the service. Inspection report children’s home: 1258276 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/04/2019 Full Good 04/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1258276 5

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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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, when appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 04/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)) 31/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1258276 6

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. When 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) In particular, ensure that there is a clear system to review any changes to children’s needs prior to each short-break stay.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role that they play in the training and development of staff at the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, ensure that all staff undertake training in wider safeguarding areas

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1258276 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Achieving Aspirations Community Interest Company

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suffolk House, 7 Hydra Orion Court, Addison Way, Great Blakenham, Ipswich IP6 0LW

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Inspector

Joanna Heller, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258276 8 to 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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