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

Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 1 SC476990 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 registered to provide care for up to seven children and young people. This home is owned and operated by a private provider. Children attend the provider’s registered school and other education provision. The registered manager is suitably qualified. He registered with Ofsted for this home in March 2015.

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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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/04/2019 Full Outstanding 09/05/2018 Full Outstanding 10/10/2017 Full Outstanding 18/10/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 3

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outstanding

Children like where they live and they like the staff who care for them. There is a strong emphasis on nurture, play, fun and communication in the home. Children and staff do planned activities together after school and staff are creative in how they engage children. Children enjoy spending time with each other. However, when conflict happens, children are taught how to repair relationships and regulate their emotions.

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outstanding

Children take pride in doing ‘key-work sessions’ which involve animals that live at the home, in their outdoor area, which is known as ‘The Ark’. Children learn to be kind, gentle and sensible when handling the guinea pigs and reptiles. During the COVID- 19 pandemic, the manager turned one of the downstairs rooms into a cinema and disco area for the children to enjoy. Children are encouraged to play and to revisit developmental milestones that they may have missed out on. Children have been encouraged to join a house ‘wolf pack’ where they spend time doing activities together. They have also competed in a world’s strongest man tournament. Staff provide exceptional care and stimulation to children.

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outstanding

Most children are making good progress educationally and, for those children who are not, there is ongoing communication with wider professionals to address this. Children have completed a project about VE Day and have been incentivised to take part in quizzes about online safety.

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outstanding

The children’s parents say that staff work in partnership with them. Parents have a say in terms of the boundaries set. Decisions made about children are collaborative and, when children go home to see their family, support is always available. When children have needed to leave the home, the management decision-making has been clear, and every effort has been made to ensure meaningful transitions for children.

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outstanding

Overall, stakeholder feedback is overwhelmingly positive about the care provided to children, and there is evidence of children making marked progress. Children’s wishes and feelings are interwoven into how the home operates.

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

Children are taught that it is important to have a voice about the care provided and that their safety is important. Children are listened to and their views are valued and taken seriously by staff. Children know how to complain and, when they do, children trust that staff will take effective action to address any concerns raised. After any complaint, children are spoken to in a meaningful way about the outcome and each child gives a view as to whether they were satisfied with the process. Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 4 When children are involved in incidents, meaningful debriefs take place. Children engage in discussions and they are reflective about their behaviours. Staff recognise when children are feeling unsettled and they plan 1-1 chats to offer support. This helps children to manage conflict and to process their feelings.

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

All children have access to and engage with therapists who visit children regularly. Progress for children is sustained because children are supported to improve their decision-making and to recognise their emotional and behavioural triggers. Children respect staff and want to make them proud. They also see other children getting incentives for good behaviour and this motivates them to also behave well.

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

Risks for children are well understood and children’s documents are regularly updated and reviewed. Where children have been subject to allegations, they have been supported and children have reported feeling safe and cared for by staff. Where children have made allegations against staff, proportionate responses have been put in place to safeguard both children and staff.

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

Some stakeholder feedback has questioned whether the use of restraint in the home for one child is high, in line with their age and stage of development. Restraint practice is reviewed by managers. Where sanctions are not deemed appropriate, these have been challenged and, where appropriate, overturned. Managers recognise that more could be done to enhance therapeutic training in the home and steps are being made to address this. Equally, where children have additional needs, managers have recognised that training could be improved to support staff understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a strong, established management team in place that has a good understanding of safeguarding and the children’s needs. Managers have high expectations of staff and are ambitious for children. The registered manager is actively involved in the children’s lives, and he has an excellent relationship with every child. There are clear boundaries in place for children and they know what is expected of them. In reward for positive behaviour, there are incentives and activities in place which the children respond well to. Children are actively involved in their community and have raised significant sums of money for charity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a committed core staff team, and staff have established relationships with children. Newer staff feel well supported and welcomed into the team. Supervisions are regular and staff can receive additional supervisions when needed. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about their direct management. Overall, the staff team remains strong and the manager is working hard to retain and develop staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers make efforts to learn from children. Where managers do not have the initial expertise to meet a child’s needs, they are quick to outsource support and training for the staff team. Managers will encourage children to express themselves and to make decisions about their lives. The home’s improvement plan is reviewed regularly and given to the children for their feedback. When children make Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 5 suggestions, these are acted on and each child receives personalised written feedback from managers detailing outcomes and timescales. Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, in a restraint situation, staff use their professional judgement, supported by their knowledge of each child’s risk assessment, an understanding of the needs of the child (as set out in their relevant plans) and an understanding of the risks the child faces. Professional judgements may need to be taken quickly, and staff training and supervision of practice should support this. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 48, 9.53)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, 10.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able understand and, where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, 10.19)

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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: SC476990 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: Priory Group, Fifth Floor, 80 Hammersmith Road, London, Middlesex W14 8UD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Katherine Bridon

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Inspector

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476990 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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