Children's home run by Ashwood Children’s Care Home Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 1259184 1 Registered provider: Ashwood Children’s 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 owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a manager who is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 1 September 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1259184 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/09/2021 Full Outstanding 30/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/08/2019 Full Outstanding 12/12/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1259184 3

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outstanding

Children receive exceptional care from staff who want the very best outcomes for them. The staff are caring and nurturing in their approach with children. Equally, they work hard to get to know the children and build good relationships with them. These relationships provide the foundation from which children flourish. Additionally, this helps in creating a family environment for children to enjoy and thrive in.

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outstanding

Staff know that children have had a difficult life journey. They understand that, at times, children may exhibit some challenging behaviour that can cause harm. Staff are proactive in their approach towards the children and seek ways in which harm can be reduced. To achieve this, they know that children need to feel safe and cared for. Staff are proactive in providing children with the care and support to help them feel safe and secure. This helps the children to become very settled, content and happy.

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outstanding

All the children attend education and are making excellent progress. Staff are positive about education and they work very closely with education professionals. Staff provide additional education support and weave this throughout activities to encourage learning.

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outstanding

Children decide what activities they would like to take part in. Staff support them to try new activities so that they can enhance their life experiences. Staff capture precious moments of children doing activities in a memory book designed for each child. This allows them to keep these special memories for the future. The staff are creative and thoughtful in their approach to children’s memory books because they understand how important these are for children.

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outstanding

Staff consult with children when their bedrooms need decorating. Children can choose their own colours and themes. Their unique personalities shine through in how they decorate their rooms. The staff listen to children’s specific requests. For example, one child likes to have an enclosed area for reading, so the staff have erected a tepee in his room. However, there is a large chill-out room in the garden that has deteriorated and requires some updating.

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outstanding

Staff work in collaboration with external agencies to ensure that the children’s plans keep them on track to make progress. The level of communication and collaboration between staff and external agencies is excellent. This is achieved through regular meetings between the key agencies and very good channels of communication. This helps children to achieve very good outcomes from their respective starting points when moving to this home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259184 4

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

Staff have a calm and relaxed approach with the children. Over time, a homely family environment has been established. This is very positive for the children. It has allowed them to feel safe and protected in their home. The children know that the staff care for them and that they are trusted adults.

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

The children’s individual risk assessments are meticulous. They are reviewed and updated regularly by the manager and staff. One member of staff commented, ‘We take measured risks, so children enjoy new and enriching life experiences.’ The manager and staff know that children should have the opportunity to learn, develop and be supported and educated to keep safe.

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

The children have sessions with the in-house psychotherapist. Her work focuses on the specific needs of each child. The therapist complements the work of the staff and provides additional insight into the child’s world. She can also offer safeguarding strategies to be used by the child or staff to reduce harm. Consequently, incidents have reduced dramatically. The manager reviews all incidents in depth and consults with the team. This approach has developed a reflective team which evaluates all incidents to learn valuable lessons, to prevent future incidents. There is a strong safeguarding culture at the heart of this home and staff always want the best outcomes for the children and for them to be safe.

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

Risks are understood regarding children using the internet. Children have a ‘trust ladder’ in place and they know the expectations of keeping safe online. During one- to-one sessions this topic is explored on a regular basis. Staff continually support the children to learn how to keep themselves safe online. Staff have ad hoc chats with children about internet safety, to be confident of the children’s understanding. As a result, children can enjoy the internet and social media in a safe and fun manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is in the process of applying for registration with Ofsted. She has made a very strong start to the role. The manager leads by example and promotes a culture of calm and positivity. She is both supportive to staff and caring towards the children. The manager has high aspirations for the children, the staff team and the ongoing development of the home. She has developed a culture whereby the safety and progress of children is of fundamental importance in all that she and her staff do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. They feel very supported by the manager and staff morale is very high. Supervision allows staff the opportunity to explore their work with each child. It is also a time for them to consider any personal development. A staff member said that they felt able to raise any issues with the manager. This is testament to the approachable nature of the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A staff member commented that the manager is ‘truly invested in the outcomes for children’. For example, she regularly meets with each child. She speaks to children, Inspection report for children’s home: 1259184 5 and she documents anything that they wish to raise and acts on what they say. Furthermore, she works closely with external agencies regarding the children’s plans to ensure that children are progressing as they should be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has very good oversight of the day-to-day work of staff and is visible and always accessible to the team. She ensures that staff complete the necessary training within timescales. She also coordinates specific training relating to the needs of each child. The manager understands the benefits of investing in staff through training and development. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259184 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supporting environment that meets the needs of all the children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1259184 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ashwood Children’s Care Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ashwood Children’s Care Home Ltd, G43a Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Burton-on-Trent DE15 0YZ

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1259184 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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