Children's Home run by Aspire 2 Be Ltd in Barnet

Inspection report for children's home: 2571630 1 Registered provider: Aspire 2 Be Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to three children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: 11 January 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2571630 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2571630 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making progress from their starting point. In particular, they are making measurable progress in their independence skills and communicating their views confidently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good routines, opportunities to take part in a range of activities and the unwavering support from a dedicated staff team are enhancing the child’s progress, experiences and safety. The staff work tirelessly to encourage and support the child to receive education, including accessing extra tuition to boost their learning and work towards attaining qualifications.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff are working to embed the home’s therapeutic practice model in the day-to-day care of the child. Positive and warm interactions were observed between the staff and the child. These positive relationships ensure that the child has a trusted adult who they can talk to about difficult past experiences and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in a well-maintained home. The child has personalised their bedroom, which adds to the homely and welcoming environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff advocate for the child to ensure that their needs are identified and appropriate support is in place. Effective joint working with the network of professionals ensures that the child’s needs are suitably assessed and met.

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

Managers and staff respond quickly and appropriately to safeguarding incidents and concerns. Managers and staff know the risks for the child and work closely with the professional network to create and review clear safety plans to promote the child’s safety and well-being.

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

Risk assessments are up to date and include clear actions to protect the child and reduce risks. The child receives appropriate staff supervision as well as a range of activities, which increase their safety by encouraging them to explore positive interests and discover their talents.

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

Staff receive specialist training on child criminal exploitation to help them recognise and respond to these risks. Staff said this training enhanced their understanding and skills to support children who are at risk of county lines, gangs and violence. Daily conversations are held with the child to help them understand risk and keep themselves safe. Risk management is clearly reflected across the child’s records. Inspection report for children's home: 2571630 4 Staff are alert to risk and act promptly when they are concerned about the child’s welfare and safety. This includes conducting room searches when necessary and speaking to the child about the potential consequences of risky behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced, skilled and effective registered manager runs the home. They have taken on board the requirements raised at the last inspection and made positive improvements at the home. The manager’s monitoring of the quality of care provided at the home could be strengthened if it included the views of staff and parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is ambitious for the child and advocates for services to help promote their needs and well-being. This includes arranging health assessments to ensure that their holistic needs are understood and met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision that focuses on their well-being, practice and the child’s needs. Staff’s performance and practice are formally reviewed annually. This helps to continuously improve staff’s individual practice and plan for the staff team’s future training and development. However, managers do not have a consistent system in place for monitoring staff inductions. Furthermore, some staff have not completed mandatory training in areas such as food hygiene, restraint and first aid.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has worked hard to provide an environment where staff feel supported and inspired. The manager has high aspirations for the team to develop their skills and experiences. The monthly group supervision provided to staff by the home’s therapist is helping them to understand and embed into practice the home’s therapeutic model of care. Furthermore, these sessions provide staff with the opportunity to discuss and reflect on their own emotional well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers recognise the staff team’s strengths and limitations. Their decision-making is child-centred and safeguarding-focused. Inspection report for children's home: 2571630 5

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that the views of staff and parents are included in the quality of care review reports. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should ensure that the staff induction process is consistent for all staff working at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff undertake all mandatory training within the induction period, including food safety and hygiene, first aid and restraint. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2571630 6

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Inspectors

Colin Bent, Social Care Inspector Amena Begum, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2571630 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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