Children's Home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Somerset

Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 1 SC465940 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 part of a large private organisation. Children who live in this home attend a school run by the same organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The home can provide care for up to seven children and young people with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2020.

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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 provisions 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: 16 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2019 Full Good 29/10/2018 Full Good 30/10/2017 Full Good 25/07/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home had a monitoring visit by Ofsted in February 2021. The leaders and managers have effectively addressed the actions raised at this visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently only one child living at the home, and they are making good progress. They are improving their communication skills, their independence skills and are better able to manage their anxieties. Staff use a lot of positive and repetitive reinforcement, and work together with school staff to provide consistency for the child. Staff are very proud of the child’s achievement and celebrate these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Strong, positive relationships exist between the child and staff. Staff work hard to gain the child’s views and wishes and effectively support them to express these. Overall, the child’s day-to-day experiences at the home are good. However, the child has very limited opportunities to socialise with other children at the home and school. Staff are addressing this and have obtained a place for him at a local youth club.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed very good, effective relationships with the child’s family and other professionals. Feedback from the social worker is very positive. They noted that the staff are very committed to the child, understand them well and work with all involved in the child’s life to achieve the best outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child regarding their religious needs. This has included celebrating Eid, when they had a feast. Staff work well with the child’s parents in this area, which has included the parents providing a speaker to carry out some further training with the team to further enhance their knowledge.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Medication is stored appropriately, and records of administration are clear. However, staff have not obtained detailed information on the homeopathic medication the child takes. Currently, they are unclear as to why the child is taking this or what the possible side effects of the homeopathic medication could be. Staff have however, consulted with the local health centre to ensure that there is no evidence of any contra-indication regarding the combination of homeopathic and prescribed medications.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The majority of the child’s plans are current and provide clear guidance for staff to enable them to meet the child’s needs. The exception to this is the child’s education, health and care plan. This is out of date and in need of review. Leaders and managers have requested this, but it has not been received. Leaders and managers have not escalated their concerns regarding this in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During this reporting period, a child moved out of the home. Staff worked well with this child to prepare them for their move; the work included the use of social stories. Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 4 However, no work was done to prepare the child who remained at the home for the other child leaving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a comfortable well-furnished home. There are photos of the child around the home as you would find in a good family home. However, during the inspection, staff were wearing keys on a lanyard around their necks, which detracts from the homely feel the staff have created. This was addressed during the inspection, but a recommendation is made on this point. In addition, a carpet in the lounge is stained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The pandemic has had a big impact on the home, which has included staff and children contracting the virus. This led, on one occasion, to some staff moving into the home and isolating with the children. The pandemic has also had an impact on the range of activities the children have been able to take part in. However, staff have been creative in providing activities in the home.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding, placing the safety and well-being of the child at the centre. There has been one occasion when a member of staff from another home raised a concern. This was effectively reported, once known to managers, and appropriate actions were taken. Lessons learned from this event have been used to strengthen reporting procedures between the homes. Records of safeguarding events are clear and provide full information from disclosure to closure, any lessons learned and actions taken in response to these lessons.

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

Children’s behaviours are managed well. Staff analyse children’s behaviour and how staff have helped them. This information is then used to develop further the strategies staff use. Records of incidents are of a good quality. However, conversations with children after an incident do not consistently take place. This needs to be developed and to be meaningful to the child.

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

Risk is well managed. Staff understand the risks for the child and have developed appropriate plans to mitigate the level of risk.

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

Recruitment practices reflect safer recruitment guidance for substantive staff. However, for agency staff there is not a comprehensive record of their qualifications or training in place prior to them commencing work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager is appropriately qualified and experienced. Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the home, the needs of the child and the needs of the staff team. They have taken effective action to address these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers monitor and review the work undertaken at the home and they use information from this to improve practices. Currently, their monitoring lacks analysis and evaluation. Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 5 The child benefits from receiving individualised care from a stable, well-trained staff team that knows the child very well. Staffing levels are appropriate for the number of children currently living at the home. However, staff who are in their probationary period are left in sole charge of the home which could place them and the child at risk. Further recruitment is taking place in preparation for new children moving into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are very positive about the support they receive from managers and each other They feel that they are approachable and all work together as a team to achieve the best for the children. Staff supervision records are generally of a good quality and reflect the discussions held, which aids in the development of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Other professionals praised the team for their work and the progress the child is making. The independent visitor said that the manager is very responsive to any suggestion the independent visitor makes to improve the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 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

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 6 September 2021

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv) 31 August 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person must provide a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children. They will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Staff wearing keys on lanyards detracts from the homely atmosphere staff have created. In addition, the carpet in the lounge needs to be replaced as it is stained. Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 7 (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home. This includes preparing children who remain at home for the move of any child they have lived with at the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person must ensure that they obtain information on homeopathic medication, such as why the child is taking the homeopathic medication and what

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Recommendations

the possible side effects are of the homeopathic medication. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that records of incidents of control, discipline and restraint contain details of meaningful conversations with children about the incident so as to help them develop their understanding of their behaviours. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person must ensure that, when agency staff are used, a copy of their qualifications and training is obtained prior to the agency member of staff commencing work at the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)  The registered person must ensure that they increase the level of analysis and evaluation in their monitoring to enhance the effectiveness of their review.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that staff in their probationary period are not left in sole charge of the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC465940 8

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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: Michelle Garstang

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC465940 9 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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