Children's Home run by Ashwood Children‟s Care Home Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2558515 1 Registered provider: Ashwood Childrens Care Home Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home was registered in March 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: 23 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2558515 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2558515 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well cared for by a committed team who are helping them to reach their potential. Children are busy, settled and have good routines. The manager and staff provide good consistency of care for children. They do their best to support children through difficult times and celebrate their achievements. Children say that they are happy at the home. They have a sense of belonging. Consequently, children experience security and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff prioritise children’s education. They support children to attend school, at times, travelling long distances to make sure children have continuity with their education. One child has made significant progress with his learning, self-confidence and self-esteem. His social worker said that he has ‘come on in leaps and bounds’. Where children struggle with school, the manager and staff work with agencies to address barriers to education. Alternative educational options are sourced during these times to maintain children’s opportunities for learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of activities. They have pets to look after, which helps them to develop skills in responsibility taking and empathy for others. Children receive the support they need to spend time with their families, who are also made welcome at the home. Children maintain these important relationships because of regular direct contact with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend regular health appointments. One child’s physical health has improved considerably due to the diligence of the manager and staff. Children have access to an in-house psychotherapist. The ongoing support from the therapist is helping children to work through painful experiences and develop new ways to manage their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have strong relationships with external agencies. Communication and information-sharing with involved professionals and agencies are very good. Regular meetings take place and all agencies working with children are very well coordinated. This means that children receive the help and support they need to make progress.

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

The manager and staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. There has been considerable improvement in this area since the last full inspection. For example, allegations from children are fully investigated and dealt with in a timely manner. The outcomes from investigations are recorded clearly, and actions are taken to ensure that children and staff are supported throughout these processes. This means that children’s concerns are taken seriously, and steps are taken to prevent them from harm. Inspection report children’s home: 2558515 4 Staff use their skills and knowledge of children to keep incidents to a minimum. Their practice in this area is supported by the in-house therapist, which means that incidents are managed from a therapeutically informed perspective. As a result, when incidents have occurred, they are managed safely. Support is provided to children following any incident to help them recover. The details of physical

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

interventions used in incidents are generally well recorded. The manager recognises the importance of ensuring that the duration of an intervention is always included in the records. This is to ensure that physical interventions are used in proportionate and safe ways.

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

The manager and staff understand the risks posed to and from children well. There are well-considered strategies in place to keep children safe. The manager has worked hard to improve the content and format of risk assessments. A child has recently moved into the home and extensive risk assessment was required and implemented quickly in relation to specific health issues. Leaders and managers are continuing their work in this area to ensure that the good practice continues to be developed and fully embedded in the home.

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

Staff follow missing-from-care procedures when children go missing from the home. Staff understand and act on any concerns relating to child exploitation or other forms of abuse. Staff work closely with involved agencies to ensure that children are returned safely to the home as soon as possible. Staff undertake good follow-up work with children to learn any lessons from incidents of going missing from care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong and determined manager who has made improvements since the last full inspection. The manager is registered with Ofsted and this shows her ongoing commitment to the home. The manager is well supported by an equally committed deputy manager. Together, they provide solid leadership, which is the foundation from which children receive good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have recruited a suitably qualified team in line with safe recruitment protocols. Some of the staff are new to the home and receiving a robust induction. This is enabling them to settle into the home and build positive relationships with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff receive training specific to the needs of the children. They are also well supported by the in-house therapist, who provides consultation and bespoke training. This helps the staff to develop their understanding of the needs of children and maintain their levels of resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive good-quality supervision, which has a clear focus on children. The manager ensures that safeguarding responsibilities are regularly discussed. Issues regarding performance and development are also prioritised, which means that staff are clear about their roles and areas in which they need to improve. Inspection report children’s home: 2558515 5 The manager has a clear understanding of the progress that children are making. She works effectively with other agencies to ensure that children’s care plans reflect the wishes and feelings of children, where possible. The manager has a significant role in supporting children when decisions are being made about their long-term care. She helps children to process their emotions in relation to complex situations, which helps to maintain stability in times of uncertainty. As a result, children know that they can rely on the manager when they most need support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: 2558515 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page, 42 paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that records of restraint are kept, including all points under Regulation 35 of the Children’s Homes regulations. The record should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page, 49 paragraph 9.59)

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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: 2558515 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ashwood Childrens Care Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: G43a Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Burton on Trent DE15 0YZ

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Inspector

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2558515 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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