Children's Home, Residential special school run by Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report children's home: 1229766 1 Registered provider: Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation runs this home. Most of the placements are for up to 52 weeks and are long term. The organisation has a school, and accommodation for adults who have learning disabilities and complex needs, in the grounds. The home provides care for up to 29 children who have complex support and health needs including autism spectrum conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, profound learning difficulties and/or sensory and/or physical impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in December 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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: 19 November 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1229766 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/12/2018 Full Good 23/05/2017 Full Good 26/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 1229766 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are currently 27 children living at the home. Three children have moved into the home and one child has moved out of the home since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s multi-disciplinary staff team provides a coordinated approach to the children’s care. The children benefit from the support of a range of professionals who meet the children’s health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have positive and meaningful relationships with the children. Children were observed being supported by staff to engage with their chosen activities. Staff really care about the children and are passionate about and invested in their progress. The staff provide personalised care to meet the children’s diverse needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are progressing well in education and have many resources available to promote their learning experiences. Outside learning spaces include a forestry area that the children enjoy using and a place that they can access a range of musical instruments. The resources are accessible and therefore children benefit from a highly inclusive environment. Children have good opportunities and a variety of positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff actively support children to embrace their culture and religion. During the inspection, one child was celebrating Ramadan and there were pictures that he had drawn on display in his bedroom and in communal areas. Another child had been supported by staff to visit a local temple and to join an online group to support him with his religion safely during COVID-19 restrictions. Because of the staff’s support, children have a sense of belonging and maintain links with their cultural identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff find creative ways to ensure that all children can take part in activities that they enjoy. The school’s sports day was a good example of this. The level of participation means that children feel included and have their wishes and feelings heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff capture children’s memories in photo albums. The staff use an online portal that captures children’s achievements and progress in education. This portal can be accessed by external professionals, parents and staff. Children and their parents therefore have a good record of the children’s time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage and support children to stay in touch with their families and the people who are important to them. Consequently, the children enjoy quality time with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s bedrooms are personalised and decorated to a good standard. The home is warm and welcoming and there are specialised facilities for the children, including a hydro pool and sensory room. However, there is some litter and Inspection report children's home: 1229766 4 rubbish in the grounds, the ceiling paint is flaking and a window blind needs replacing in one of the children’s bathrooms.

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

The manager deals with allegations promptly and effectively. The staff are confident in following safeguarding procedures and understand the home’s whistle-blowing policy. This approach helps to keep children safe and ensures that safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility.

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

The staff follow clear and effective medication administration routines. The manager provides comprehensive oversight and auditing of medication. This level of oversight has ensured that there are minimal medication errors. When errors have occurred, they have been dealt with efficiently and effectively, reducing the risk of further occurrence.

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

Physical intervention is used rarely and is necessary and proportionate. The staff discuss incidents with the children following any interventions. This safeguards the children and gives them the opportunity to discuss their feelings and views.

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

Impact risk assessments are not effective in ensuring that the staff can meet all the children’s needs. Consequently, a child whose needs could not be met by the staff moved into the home. The staff have not been able to manage the complexity of the child’s needs and there have been a high number of related incidents at the home. This does not support the child to feel understood or safe.

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

One of the children’s risk assessments does not provide clear guidance on how to manage the child’s behaviours. There is a lack of clarity for staff on how best to engage with the child during periods of crisis and what harm reduction strategies to use. Consequently, staff do not fully understand how to keep the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, there have been significant resource challenges leading to a high staff turnover and continued reliance on agency staff. This has had an impact on the consistency of care that children experience. However, the senior management team is actively addressing recruitment and retention. Managers monitor and review the patterns and trends of staff turnover. They have identified negative trends and made improvements, such as nominating specific staff to provide the inductions for new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home and effective monitoring and reviewing systems are in place. This level of oversight means that the manager is able to implement changes and take action to make improvements. The manager has a system that enables her to reflect and take action on any lessons learned, which drives continuous improvements for the home. Inspection report children's home: 1229766 5 The manager ensures that permanent staff have regular, thorough and good-quality supervision. However, supervisions for agency staff who work at the home regularly are not frequent enough. This means that agency staff do not receive the same level of support or guidance on caring for the children as the permanent staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has acknowledged the challenges that the staff face in managing one child’s complex needs and the impact that this is having on the child. In response to the challenges, the management team set up a forum for discussion with staff in order to support them. However, this action was not enough, and the staff still do not feel adequately trained or equipped to provide effective care for the child. This has led to an inconsistent approach to care. The manager has implemented external specialist assessments and specialist guidance for the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some documents have not been completed, signed or dated. Inconsistent recording does not help children to understand their records if they wish to view them. The manager has updated the home’s statement of purpose but has not submitted the revised copy to Ofsted. This shortfall means that Ofsted does not have a current view of the home. Inspection report children's home: 1229766 6

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)((iii))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that matching assessments are thorough and explore staff's skills and abilities to manage all of the children's risks and vulnerabilities before a child is admitted to the home;

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the combined risk assessments and behavioural support plans contain clear guidance on how to address and mitigate risky situations;

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff understand and implement each child's behavioural support plan. 31 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions [to the statement of purpose] and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 31 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that— 31 May 2021 Inspection report children's home: 1229766 7 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the necessary training and skills to care effectively for children with pathological avoidance disorder.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that senior managers consider the impact of behavioural incidents on the staff and all the children at the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that the home is a supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. Specifically, repair flaking paintwork on the ceilings, replace damaged blinds and dispose of excess furniture and rubbish safely. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. Supervisions should enable staff to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children they care for. Specifically, provide regular agency staff with regular, effective supervision. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective,

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Recommendations

and clear recording. Specifically, ensure that all staff and managers sign and date records. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children's home: 1229766 8

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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: 1229766 9

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 13, Twigworth Court Business Centre, Tewkesbury Road, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL2 9PG

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Inspectors

Leemya McKeown, Social Care Inspector Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1229766 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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