Children's Home run by Ashford Children’s Care Limited in Surrey

Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 1 Registered provider: Ashford Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to six children with learning disabilities. There were three children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2021. The registered manager post has been vacant since July 2022. A new manager has been appointed and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have developed good relationships with the children and care for them with kindness and affection. For example, the company driver collects different leaves for one child’s journeys to and from the community and home to support them on the drive, as they help reduce this child’s anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Thorough care planning by the manager ensures that children’s plans give appropriate guidance to staff on how to care for the children, while also reflecting children’s views and wishes. Plans are updated when changes occur and are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain reflective of children’s changing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to share their views and ideas, using creative methods devised by staff. For example, one child with limited communication can now express clothing preferences by using pictures on a tablet. This allows the child to make choices and choose what they wear and has expanded their communication methods.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to attend all routine health and medical appointments and are encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle. Children’s medication is appropriately stored and administered to children, in line with their health plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all the children are attending formal education. One child is at school full time and making good progress. A tutor visits another child in the home as part of a bespoke timetable and is pleased with the progress this child has made. However, one child has no identified education provision despite having lived in the home for six months. There are some plans to support a return to education, but these have been delayed for various reasons, which has left the child with limited daily education.

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

Children’s complex needs often mean they may self-harm or present with behaviour that can be challenging to some. Incidents are well managed by staff and there has been a reduction in children needing to be held to keep them safe.

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

The staff speak to children about their care needs and support them to manage their emotional well-being and how they can help them to feel safer. Children’s risk plans carefully reflect care planning needs. When door holds are used in line with a court order, this is carefully monitored by senior leaders.

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

The registered provider has ensured that any temporary staff working in the home have had the necessary checks to ensure that they have been safely recruited. Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 4 Following a recent safeguarding incident, an investigation was carried out by the director. The learning from this has been implemented and staff have received additional training to be able to support children’s behavioural needs. Staff are confident in the home’s child protection policy and know what action to take, including following the whistle-blowing policy should the need ever arise.

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

Some areas of the home require attention following damage caused by a child who recently moved on from the home. The responsible individual acknowledges this, and this is part of the home’s development plan.

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good

The manager has a vision for the home, staff and children. She is working on an action plan to achieve this vision and address the areas for development that have been identified. The manager has implemented systems to ensure that she has sufficient oversight of the children’s care and has aspirations to continually improve this as the staff team develops.

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good

There are sufficient staff to meet the needs of the children and recruitment is under way to fill any vacancies. The use of agency staff is slowly being reduced as permanent staff fill the gaps.

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good

There have been changes to the staff team over the past year, with new staff joining the team. Some of the staff are still to receive training to support children’s care needs, such as those related to autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy. This means that not all staff may have the skills and experience to support children’s care needs.

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good

There are shortfalls in practice following physical interventions to show that children and staff have been spoken to. This is a missed opportunity to reflect on these incidents and apply any learning. Senior leaders are aware of this area for development and have plans to improve practice.

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good

The staff have not received regular supervision or appraisal in line with the provider’s statement of purpose. This is a missed opportunity for staff to have a regular formal space for reflection and learning. This requirement is repeated from the previous inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 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, The 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to making proper lasting repairs to any damage, and ensuring the home is maintained to a suitable standard. 24 July 2023

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that staff receive supervision in line with the statement of purpose and training to meet the needs of each child, including core training in 24 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 6 autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy. This requirement is repeated from the previous inspection. The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2) (a)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that all children in the home have an identified education provision and there is a clear plan in place for their learning. 24 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 24 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 7

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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: 2636494 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ashford Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 24 Showell Green Lane, Birmingham B11 4JP

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Inspector

Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 9 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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