Children's Home run by Aspiration House Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2555505 1 Registered provider: Aspiration House Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home is registered to provide care for up to six children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and/or atypical autism, learning disabilities, global development disorder and associated difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2022.

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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: 3 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2555505 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2555505 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress in all areas of their lives. Feedback from family members and professionals includes the following comments:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

 ‘We feel very confident in the placement and that with the support of the staff, he continues to grow and develop.’  ‘The boys are very well supported, and I am impressed with the interaction and rapport that has been built between carers and children.’  ‘The placement is exceptionally suited to my child’s needs and staff excel at dealing with his challenging behaviour.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is close partnership working evident in this home. A range of professionals work with the staff team to ensure that the needs of each child are known and met. Staff also work very closely with parents and other family members of children. This promotes a positive sense of engagement and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have their physical and emotional health needs well met. One child had a tooth removed recently. This was achieved by very careful planning between staff and relevant health providers. The child was treated with respect and dignity throughout. Children receive support from mental health support services. Their specific and complex health needs receive good support, through excellent partnership working with health agencies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel able to express their wishes, views and feelings with staff. They influence the care and support they receive. For those children with limited or non- verbal communication skills, staff demonstrate a commendable understanding of non-verbal cues and respond to these well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children get to visit or speak with family members and significant others in their lives. Staff have taken children, often long distances, to visit family members. Children are able to take part in a wide range of social activities in the local area. This not only increases their confidence but helps them with independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn new skills living in this home, including being supported to prepare basic meals, assisting with domestic tasks and personal care. This prepares them well for their eventual move to adult life.

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

Staff understand the risks posed to and by children in their care. They ensure that children are kept safe from harm. This is achieved through robust risk assessments and plans being put in place. Over time, children’s concerning behaviours have reduced. This reflects the hard work by staff in supporting them to learn safer ways of managing their emotions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2555505 4 There have been no incidents of children going missing from this home. Managers and staff work closely with the police and community support officers. They understand the need to always ensure close supervision of children, both within the home and in the community.

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

The use of physical restraint is seen as a last resort. When it is used, staff record in detail the antecedents, behaviours and outcomes. Children are asked to provide their own feedback on the use of restraint. Staff are offered debriefs, to reflect on any incidents. Management oversight of all such incidents is robust and reflects a learning culture in the home.

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

Positive behaviours by children are rewarded and celebrated. Children clearly feel safe in the home and in the support provided to them by staff and managers. Feedback from a placing social worker reflects the progress made by children: ‘They are thriving and have made remarkable progress.’

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

Staff recruitment procedures are robust and detailed. Such procedures are led by a human resources officer. They provide detailed oversight of all new staff and support the registered manager to address any concerns or issues which may arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is held in high regard by her staff and involved agencies and family members. She provides strong leadership and management oversight of the quality of care provided. She is supported by a dedicated staff team whose members know the children well and meet their needs to a very good standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The progress made by children is clear. Staff adapt their practices to ensure that children grow in confidence and ability. Staff speak with pride of the achievements of the children and understand their complex needs well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A key strength of the home is in how well it has considered referrals and matches children to the home. Recent admissions reflect very careful planning and consideration of children’s needs. Staff have visited children and observed them over a lengthy period before they move to this home. Their current carers have been fully involved in the transition of their children to this home. This has enabled a smooth move and helped children to settle in more easily.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and training opportunities. This enables them to develop the necessary skills to support children with often very complex learning and physical needs. Staff supervision records are not consistently clear. They do not reflect if all staff have received supervision. There is also a need to provide reflective practice/supervision sessions for staff. This would assist them emotionally when they have sustained injuries from children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is sufficiency of staff for the number of children living in the home. Due to current unsettled behaviours of some children during the night, staff report often Inspection report for children’s home: 2555505 5 feeling tired the following day. The addition of a waking night member of staff would assist sleep-in staff to feel less tired. The registered manager has already taken steps to address this by contacting an agency and with an increased use of agency staff during the day. A requirement has been set to ensure that this additional support for permanent staff is put in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirement made at the last interim inspection has been met. Damage to a window in one child’s bedroom has been repaired and is now safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2555505 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 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 the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring adequate sleep/waking night staff, and staff during the day. 30 June 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that supervision takes place regularly and is clearly recorded. The registered person should also ensure that staff are offered reflective practice supervision sessions, to consider the impact on them of injuries sustained during the course of their work. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2555505 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspiration House Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, 9 Portland Street, Manchester M1 3BE

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Inspector

Tracy Murty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2555505 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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