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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1236278 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 provides care for up to three children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it will meet the needs of children with a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1236278 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2022 Full Good 15/12/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/11/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 1236278 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children build trusting relationships with the staff. These relationships form the basis from which children settle at the home, feel safe and make progress. Children report that they feel they are living in a family home and the staff feel like their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand and meet the needs of the children well. They regularly use social stories to help the children understand events, for example when a child reaches 18 years old and are moving on to their adult home. Children are allowed to keep small pets and their photographs are displayed throughout the home. This helps children to gain a sense of belonging. In addition, their families and friends are welcome to visit the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are carefully matched and report that they all get on well. Moves in and out of the home are sensitively undertaken. Children are encouraged to visit the home prior to moving in and choose the decoration of their bedroom. One child recently moved to the home and is settling well. One child left the home when it was appropriately recognised that the home was not the right place for them. This child’s move out of the home was undertaken carefully, went smoothly and the child is now settled in another home and is making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of equipping children with the independent living skills that they will need when they reach 18 years old and leave the home. Children learn how to budget, shop and cook, and learn essential personal care skills. The staff ensure that children benefit from obtaining a passport, bank account and provisional driving licence. Staff support children to gain part-time jobs so that they gain a positive work ethic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children benefit from an appropriate educational placement. One child is now making progress at school after being out of education for two years prior to arriving at the home. Another young person has gained a college placement that will commence when he leaves school this summer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans are informative and do provide the staff with the information they need to care for the children. However, the care plans do not contain clear aims and objectives that are regularly reviewed so that each child’s progress can be clearly evaluated.

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

Children feel safe living at the home. The children are encouraged and supported effectively to learn from their mistakes and keep themselves safe. Positive behaviour is rewarded. This behaviour management strategy is effective because the staff are consistent in their approach, which is individualised for each child. For example, one Inspection report for children’s home: 1236278 4 child is encouraged to earn items featuring their favourite cartoon character for achieving their targets, such as regularly cleaning their teeth. There was an increase in incidents due to the anxiety of one child who is moving soon from the home to an adult provision. The staff safely managed the incidents and demonstrated strong working links with other safeguarding professionals and agencies. Incidents have now reduced and are minimal, as the child is now clear about their future plans and has settled. Comprehensive assessments of risk and associated control measures are in place to

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

help promote the safety of the children. Staff report that they feel confident to use the home’s safeguarding policies and procedures. The staff are rigorously checked to ensure that they are suitable people to be working with children. The children have trusting relationships with them and report that they can speak to all the staff if they feel worried or upset.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager left the home four months ago. A new manager has been appointed and is now ready to submit his application for registration. He is child focused and is promoting a good standard of parenting to children. There is evidence of a management footprint in documents and records and management oversight of any incidents. The staff report that the manager has their respect and trust and is providing good leadership to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback received from professionals and families is positive. They comment on the progress that their child has made since arriving at the home, how the staff go above and beyond and are committed to achieving positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team of staff are experienced and stable. They benefit from receiving reflective supervision. They are trained in all topics they need, such as safeguarding and first aid, so that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge that they need to provide good-quality care. This training also includes specialist training, for example how best to work with children who are diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. Staff report high morale in the home and that the home is a positive place to work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home provides children with a generally homely and well-decorated environment. However, the institutional appearance of the window restrictors, and photocopied pictures of the children displayed on the walls, detract from the otherwise homely environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has devised a development plan that is informed by a quality assurance system. The manager is aware of the strengths and areas for improvement in the home and these are documented in the home’s development plan. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236278 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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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the relevant care plans form the basis of a child’s care. This particularly refers to the need to ensure that each child has a placement plan that contains clear aims and objectives that are regularly reviewed and document a child’s progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1)  The registered person should ensure that for children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc;) however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘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: 1236278 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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Inspector

Tina Maddison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1236278 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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