Children's Home run by Aspireone Care Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: SC472325 1 SC472325 Registered provider: Aspireone Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides emergency, medium and long-term placements for up to two children who have come from a variety of situations and backgrounds and have a range of complex needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2020

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC472325 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Full Outstanding 20/08/2018 Full Outstanding 06/06/2017 Full Good 22/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC472325 3

p.2

outstanding

Children have trusted and secure relationships with the staff who look after them. The quality of these relationships is central to the progress children make. One child told the inspector, ‘Staff are always around when I need them. I know I can talk to them about anything.’

p.3

outstanding

The development of positive relationships has led to stability for children placed over several years. Both of the children living in the home currently have been there for some time, with one of the children having lived there for over three years.

p.3

outstanding

This home provides children with a warm and nurturing environment in which they thrive. The home is tastefully decorated and provides children with a comfortable living space where they feel settled. During the inspection, one child told the inspector that the home was, ‘super excellent’, with another child saying that everything at the home was good.

p.3

outstanding

Children receive extensive support with their social and emotional health needs. They engage in setting their own goals, with their achievements constantly being recognised. The therapeutic programme empowers staff to help children to build self-esteem, confidence, resilience and empathy. For example, staff have created positivity boards and sensory boxes to support children to regulate their feelings. This is exceptional given some of the children’s starting points when they first arrive at the home.

p.3

outstanding

Children have made great progress with their education. Highly effective links with school mean that children benefit from consistent support from teaching and care staff to help them to overcome barriers to learning. A teacher told the inspector that the support from the home has been excellent and because of this the child is on target to achieve qualifications at the end of the school year.

p.3

outstanding

Staff work sensitively to support children to understand their own and others’ identities and behaviours. This is because staff are creative when exploring important topics, such as bullying, sexuality and racism. Children use a diversity calendar to plan activities to celebrate different cultures and diversity.

p.3

outstanding

Staff are committed to providing children with new experiences and activities outside of the home. For example, one child has recently joined the army cadets. A member of staff also joined the cadets at the same time in order to support the child to access this activity. Children also benefit from other enjoyable experiences, such as holidays to Wales, and zookeeper and driving experience days. The registered manager is motivated to provide children with activities that are not only enjoyable but provide them with a sense of enrichment. Inspection report children's home: SC472325 4

p.3

outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of the risks associated with each child. The risk assessments are of a high quality and provide staff with clear direction and strategies to reduce the risk of harm for children. Risk assessments are updated in response to any incident that occurs. The oversight of managers ensures that staff always have up-to-date plans in place. This reduces the risk of harm to children.

p.4

outstanding

Children feel safe in this home. A wide range of other professionals and staff are unanimous in saying children are safe and protected. Staff are well trained in how to safeguard children. They know their responsibilities and what they need to do to keep children safe.

p.4

outstanding

Staff are successful at managing children’s behaviours and as a result do not need to use physical interventions. This is because staff promote and reward positive behaviour. They are intuitive and use a calm approach to de-escalating challenging situations. All aspects of behaviour management are well monitored by managers.

p.4

outstanding

Staff are forward thinking in supporting children to develop alternative strategies to manage risk. For example, staff have sensitively supported one child to manage his behaviours in a safe way. The use of restorative practice supports children to reflect on their behaviour. Children are not made to feel ashamed about their actions but supported to talk things through.

p.4

outstanding

Staff act to reduce the risk to children when they are online, for example, having internet restrictions in place. Staff are creative in educating children to keep themselves safe when online, for example, using story boards and quizzes to highlight internet safety. Children have also completed additional internet safety training.

p.4

outstanding

Children do not go missing from the home. However, staff understand the protocols and have the relevant training to ensure that they know how to respond if a child does go missing from the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since August 2014. She is dynamic and committed to providing outstanding care and support to children. She is supported by an equally experienced and dedicated deputy manager.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has an in-depth knowledge of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and uses this to continually improve the home. This means that children always receive the best possible care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has a stable and dedicated staff team. Staff have high levels of support and they thoroughly enjoy coming to work. Staff are confident to approach managers at any time. They say that they are always available, even when not in Inspection report children's home: SC472325 5 the home. Staff feel extremely well supported. Another member of staff told the inspector that the managers are ‘amazing’.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are cared for by a skilled and confident staff team. The registered manager ensures that all staff receive regular supervision sessions and appraisals. This supports staff to discuss children and also to reflect on their own personal development. New staff are provided with a comprehensive induction which equips them for their role. For example, a member of staff told the inspector that the induction process had been great, and they felt that they had ‘learned so much’.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff learn through an extensive and varied training programme that is pertinent to the needs of the children in the home. Staff have regular dialogue with a specialised therapeutic consultant. In addition, one member of staff has completed her mental health first-aid training and is now the home’s mental health practitioner. This provides staff with the skills and knowledge that they need to care effectively for the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals speak highly of the staff. One social worker told the inspector that she was pleased with the progress that her child had made. Another social worker said the home has an excellent understanding of her child’s needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has developed positive relationships with the local community. Staff and children have taken part in creating food parcels and raising money for different charities. Children receive thank you letters for their efforts. This gives them a sense of purpose and belonging. Inspection report children's home: SC472325 6

p.5

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: SC472325 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspireone Care Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC472325 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8