Children's home run by Ash House Care LTD

Inspection report for children’s home: 2656689 1 Registered provider: Ash House Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to two children with learning disabilities and complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is appropriately qualified and is registered with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2656689 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2656689 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home. One child had recently moved out to live with foster carers. Both children had lived at the home for almost a year and were the first children to move in since its registration.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that staff are skilled and equipped to meet all children’s needs. This enables the staff to prepare and support children well, so that their moves into and out of the home are smooth and successful. One social worker said, ‘[X] moved to foster care, which I didn’t think was possible.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and has a family atmosphere. Children’s belongings fill the home, and achievements such as artwork and certificates are on display. Books and games are easily accessible and soft furnishings help to create a nurturing environment. Children personalise their bedrooms and this allows them to take a sense of pride in their home and promotes their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a stable and consistent staff team. Children form strong relationships built on trust and affection from staff. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the individual needs of children. Staff were observed encouraging one child to come downstairs through playful tactics that supported the child in the best possible way. This positive regard and culture help children to make good progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how children communicate their needs. Staff are creative and use a range of resources to ascertain children’s wishes and feelings. Children learn to use tools such as social stories, symbols and objects of reference. They use them to choose the activities they want to do, the food they want to eat and how they want to relax. A choice board was on display to encourage children to communicate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of education. They work in partnership with schools and the placing authority to find children a suitable provision that reflects their learning needs. This helps children to maintain a daily routine that supports their academic needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to stay in touch with family. Staff support family visits and recognise the importance of these relationships. One family member told the inspector, ‘They are so welcoming. They are attentive and significant progress has been made.’

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

Children living at the home have complex needs and require constant care and supervision. Consequently, there are no incidents of children going missing from the home and no concerns regarding exploitation. Staff receive regular training in Inspection report for children’s home: 2656689 4 safeguarding and discuss their learning and understanding of safeguarding practices in their supervision sessions. This ensures that safeguarding practice is strong and remains a priority of the home.

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

Children have individual conflict management plans. Staff use de-escalation techniques to support children. As a result, there have been no incidents of restraint. The staff work well with children so that children understand behaviour that may present a risk to them. This work has supported children to become increasingly safe.

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

Staff and children have positive and caring relationships with each other. Managers and staff listen to children’s views. Children know how to make a complaint, and any complaints are taken seriously. As a result, children feel listened to and valued.

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

Staff ensure that the home environment is safe for children to live in. A range of health and safety checks are carried out to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose a risk to children. Children take part in regular fire drills and have personal emergency evacuation plans in place to ensure they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency.

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

Managers ensure that adults who work in the home are vetted thoroughly before they work with children. Procedures for this are robust. As a result, children are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the team, supported by a deputy manager. The manager keeps children at the heart of all she does. She is passionate and ambitious for the children and ensures that this ethos spreads through the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good knowledge of children’s starting points and what they have accomplished since living at the home. She is fully involved in children’s lives. She is clear about the progress children are making and has high aspirations for what they can achieve. She is enthusiastic in her efforts to be a trusted person for children. This makes her a good role model for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The majority of the staff hold the required level 3 diploma. A small number of staff are currently working to achieve this, and plans are in place to ensure that they complete this within the required timescales. Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets children’s individual and diverse needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is good. Staff enjoy working at the home. One staff member told the inspector, ‘This is the best place I have worked; the manager is approachable and supportive. I feel valued and not just a number. I would be more than happy for the team to care for my own children.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2656689 5 The manager undertakes a detailed and objective internal review of the quality of care. The manager ensures this is sent to Ofsted within timescales. However, this does not fully consider consultations with children, the review and evaluation of staffing and complaints. This reduces the capacity of the management team to have a thorough understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2656689 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 registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that complaints, rewards and staffing are reviewed and evaluated. Also, that children are consulted as part of this review. 31 October 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: 2656689 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ash House, Park Street, Cheslyn Hay, Walsall WS6 7EF

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Inspector

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2656689 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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