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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 1 SC476486 Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered for up to seven children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2021. She is appropriately qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 24 October 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/10/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/07/2019 Full Good 05/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/04/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 3

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inadequate

The inadequate leadership of the home has compromised the safety of the one child living at the home. Furthermore, ongoing difficulties in the recruitment and retention of staff mean that there are too few staff to meet his needs. As a result of this, the provider has made the decision that they are no longer able to care for the child, and he is due to move out of the home soon.

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inadequate

The registered manager’s planning for the child’s move out of the home has been poor. This has created uncertainty and unnecessary worry for the child. At the time of the inspection, it was unclear how and when the child would be supported to move to his new home.

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inadequate

Staff do not keep accurate or up-to-date records of the child’s time in the home. In one instance, staff did not maintain a daily record of what was happening in the home for several days. The registered manager had not identified or addressed this issue. The poor quality of records means that the extent to which the child is safe and making progress is unclear.

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inadequate

Despite the shortfalls identified at this inspection, the child living in the home had made progress. The child attends school full-time, and feedback from education staff is that communication with the home is good. In addition, the home has supported the child to take part in a range of activities. This has supported the child to develop skills and have fun.

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inadequate

The child is registered at local health services. However, the manager has not ensured that the child’s health needs are always promoted. The child has not had a medication review in line with professional advice. This has the potential to have an impact on the child’s well-being and health.

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inadequate

During the child’s time at the home, he has been provided with the opportunity to see family members in the community and at the home. Staff support this time together with loved ones by planning activities such as baking, carving pumpkins and decorating the Christmas Tree. Following time spent with loved ones, staff have added photos to the child’s memory book. This helps the child to maintain positive relationships and build lasting memories.

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

Safeguarding arrangements in the home are inadequate. The registered manager does not ensure that allegations made by the child are thoroughly investigated. This lack of due diligence does not promote the child’s safety or well-being. Furthermore, actions agreed following investigations into the allegations were not implemented. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 4 Consequently, the child is not appropriately safeguarded by the adults who are caring for him.

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

Risk assessments do not detail the strategies staff should follow to keep the child safe or to minimise risk. Furthermore, staff are given conflicting information as to whether a child’s exhibiting behaviour is a high or low risk. This means that staff do not fully understand the child’s vulnerabilities or what they need to do to protect him.

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

Staff do not take appropriate action to safeguard the child living in the home. For example, staff do not undertake any checks on the child’s electronic devices or mobile phone. This practice leaves the child vulnerable and fails to demonstrate safe and responsible care.

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

Behaviour management strategies are ineffective. Staff do not have the knowledge, skills or confidence to de-escalate situations and manage risks. For example, there are incidents where the police have been called to support staff when a child is unable to regulate his emotions. In addition, staff are reluctant to use physical intervention when there are serious concerns about, or a risk of harm to, the child. This does not promote the safety or welfare of the child or staff.

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

Physical intervention records are poor and do not demonstrate that appropriate action has been used to safely support the child living in the home. Records do not include an appropriate debrief with staff involved or the child. Furthermore, the manager does not evaluate or challenge practice when it is identified that an unapproved intervention has been used. This practice fails to safeguard the child and staff.

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

Managers do not recruit staff safely. Recruitment records lack the required detail to ensure a person’s suitability to work with children. For example, managers had not ensured that agency staff members working in the home had had DBS checks, suitable qualifications, references or employment history. This means that managers do not know if staff are safe to work with children. This means that the staff working in the home may pose a risk to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide continuity of care, and as a result of this, the child is due to move out of the home. Five staff have left the home, and this has resulted in the regular use of agency staff and bank workers. Managers have covered shortfalls in staffing along with agency staff and bank workers. Inadequate leadership has an impact on the safety and welfare of the child living in the home and on the provision of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not ensured that the staff are adequately trained. For example, there are incidents where staff have restrained the child without appropriate training in the use of restraints. In addition, there are gaps in mandatory training and also in the training required to meet the specific needs of the child. Furthermore, on multiple occasions, there has not been a first aid trained member of staff on duty. This is not safe practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 5 Staff rotas do not record the details of the actual staff who have worked in the home. The rota indicated that a staff member had worked in the home while they had been suspended. During the inspection, the manager provided evidence that this was not the case. However, the rotas fail to demonstrate that the child has had the sufficient and appropriate staff to care for him safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Arrangements for staff supervision and induction are poor. Staff supervision is not reflective and lacks accountability. In addition, staff who have joined from within the organisation have not had the opportunity of an induction specific to the operation of this home. The lack of support and effective oversight limits the opportunity to improve practice and help staff to reflect on their practice. This inadequate leadership has an impact on the provision of care because staff are not clear about the needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of the home is inadequate. Monitoring and review systems are ineffective, and shortfalls identified at this inspection had not been identified by leaders and managers. As a result, the quality of care afforded to the child living in the home is inadequate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s medication reviews are scheduled when required. 25 April 2022

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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—

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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

This specifically relates to ensuring that risk assessments include all information about known risks to the child and set out clear guidance for staff about how to manage and reduce these risks. 25 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 7 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there are sufficient staff, that they have received mandatory training, and that they receive induction and supervision. In addition, the registered manager must ensure that investigation activity takes place when there are concerns about staff’s practice. 25 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2)(a)) 25 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which 25 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 8 the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all gaps in employment are checked and information about the worker is clear and consistent.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that recording of interventions used is clear, that children and staff receive debriefs following incidents. 25 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. 25 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 9 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the home having an up-to-date rota.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need for a child’s up-to-date care plan and education plan to be in place. 25 April 2022

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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 for children’s home: SC476486 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Forge, Church Street West, Woking, Surrey GU21 6HT

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Caroline Adams-Evans

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Inspector

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC476486 11 regulates and inspects 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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