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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1236387 1 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 and run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to four children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2023.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1236387 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/07/2021 Full Outstanding 14/08/2019 Full Outstanding 15/10/2018 Full Good 22/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1236387 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at this home. They have opportunities to learn skills that will help them live more independently in the future and to take part in other activities that they enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to build and maintain positive relationships with each other and with children from outside the home. Staff support children to live together harmoniously and mediate when disagreements occur between them. The children enjoy a range of community-based clubs and activities, including Guides, swimming lessons and volunteering at a local animal sanctuary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to access education. When children experience difficulties with staying in school full time, staff are proactive and creative in their approach to engaging children in educational activities. Managers meet regularly with school leaders and advocate for additional support to enable children to return to school. A headteacher spoken to during the inspection was positive about the role staff play in supporting children to succeed educationally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to supporting children who are preparing to leave the home. There is a comprehensive plan in place for a child who is due to leave the home in the summer. This approach creates the best opportunity for the move to go smoothly and ensures that the child can access the further education placement that gives them the greatest chance of success.

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

Staff support children to manage their emotions and talk to adults about how they are feeling. Since the last inspection, there has been a period of time when children became unsettled due to the registered manager leaving and some changes to the group of children. During this time, the frequency of the use of physical restraint increased. Staff consulted with children after each hold and, with support from the organisation’s therapy team, they were able to identify triggers for incidents. They have used this information to good effect, and the frequency of the use of physical restraint has now significantly reduced.

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

On the occasions when physical restraint is necessary, managers are proactive and immediately inform children’s parents and relevant external professionals. On one occasion, an email sent to a child’s parents contained technical language that stigmatised the child. This had the potential to have a negative impact on partnership working with the child’s family.

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

Staff understand and implement children’s care and support plans. Children enjoy being at the home, and they feel secure and cared for. As a result, children do not go missing from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236387 4 Children are involved in the risk assessment of hazards that exist in the home environment. This approach teaches children how to keep themselves safe. Empowering children to have a view about how risks are managed in their home contributes to their protection and sense of security.

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

Children feel listened to. Staff use mealtimes for informal meetings. They seek children’s views about the way the home is run and speak to them about current affairs. Regular key-work sessions give children opportunities to talk about the way they are looked after. As a result, there have been no complaints from children since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new registered manager has been appointed since the last inspection. However, children have benefited from consistency in the management team because the registered manager was previously the deputy manager, and a team leader has been promoted to the deputy manager position.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are missed opportunities for working in partnership with people who are important to children. On one occasion, the parent of a child expressed concerns about the level of staff support their child was receiving. This may have been avoided if the child’s parents had been involved in care planning decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, meaningful supervision. Managers use these sessions to assess staff performance and ensure that staff know how to safely meet children’s needs in line with their care plans and risk assessments. Managers offer staff who are ready for career progression supported development opportunities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the support they receive from managers. Retention rates are high. Feeling valued and respected enable staff to give good-quality care to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236387 5

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

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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Recommendations

◼ The registered manager should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to their behaviour. Specifically, when informing parents and professionals of children’s behaviour, information should be shared in a manner which is not stigmatising to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) ◼ The registered manager should ensure the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 1236387 6

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Garstang

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Inspector

Matt Nicholls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1236387 7 inspects 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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Inspector

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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