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

Inspection report for children's home: SC441514 1 SC441514 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

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2022. She is in the process of completing her level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC441514 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/04/2021 Full Good 18/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/08/2019 Full Good 23/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC441514 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in this home. One child has done so for nearly two years, another child has done so for seven months. One child has moved out since the previous inspection. This was a planned move, in line with his wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are making progress. For example, one child has developed his communication skills. The other child is now able to manage going to busy places. As a result, he has been able to enjoy days out at a theme park.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children attend school or college. Staff send clear messages about the importance of attending education. Staff work with children and school should any concerns arise. An education worker said that staff at the home ‘communicate well with school staff to ensure they are well informed of any concerns, which enables school and home to work collaboratively to keep the young people in their care safe’. They added, ‘The young person in their care has made significant progress since being there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager advocates for children to spend time with people who are important to them. As a result, one child has now re-established contact with significant people in their lives. A grandparent told the inspector that staff are patient and kind and provide her grandson with good care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities such as being part of football and hockey teams. They also enjoy attending the local gym, going bowling and other activities such as pumpkin- picking in the dark.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children told the inspector that they like living at the home. They feel safe and have trusted members of staff they can talk to and have fun with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has benefited from the lounge being refurbished. A range of pictures of children having fun fill the home. However, there was a large lock on a cupboard door and some redecoration was required. Quick action was taken during the inspection to put this right.

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

Overall, staff understand how to keep children safe. Local police speak positively about the communication with staff. A police officer said staff share and seek information appropriately.

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

Children do not go missing from this home. There have been times when children have walked out of the home in an unplanned way. However, staff are quick to follow them, and the children return quickly and safely. Inspection report for children's home: SC441514 4 Staff understand children’s behaviours and how to help children to calm. As a result, children rarely need to be held to keep them safe. When this does happen, staff and the child are spoken to. Managers carefully monitor incidents and actively look at what changes can be made to continue to develop practice.

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

Staff take time to talk to children and to help them understand how to stay safe. A number of health and safety checks take place regularly and computer software is used to help children make safer choices when being online.

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good

The registered manager has worked hard and has high expectations for what children can achieve. She and the responsible individual are not afraid to challenge others to ensure children get the best possible care. Together, they are motivated to continue to develop the service. Despite this, shortfalls have been identified during this inspection.

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good

Children benefit from a stable staff team. Staff have worked hard to cover any gaps in the rota to ensure that there is consistent care for the children. On one occasion, an agency staff member was used. However, the registered manager had not ensured that all the necessary checks were completed. The impact of this was minimised as the agency worker was working alongside another member of staff and was not left alone with the child.

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good

Staff are knowledgeable about children’s needs and how to care for them. However, staff have not fully understood a child’s assessment and are unclear about a child’s diagnosis. As a result, there has been a delay in sourcing training to support staff’s understanding. On another occasion, the registered manager was not clear about staff’s level of understanding of how to carry out safety checks on children’s electronic devices. This led to a slight delay in a concern being identified. This has now been put right.

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good

The home’s location risk assessment has been updated and shared with other professionals. However, it does not consider all the known risks. For example, it does not highlight any risks associated with a large pond nearby.

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good

Staff feel supported by each other and by the management team. Staff benefit from reflective supervision and training during team meetings.

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good

The requirement and recommendation made at the last inspection have been met. The shower has been replaced and children are now being supported to develop their independence skills. Inspection report for children's home: SC441514 5

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered manager ensuring that staff have the right skills to understand children’s needs and that staff understand how to carry out checks on electronic devices. It also relates to ensuring that all checks for agency staff are held or checked by the registered manager. 7 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide children with a home that is homely and take quick action to ensure repairs are carried out when required. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure they review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year, taking into account all known potential risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children's home: SC441514 6

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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: SC441514 7

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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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Inspector

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC441514 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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