Children's Home run by Priory Education Services Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2585129 1 Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties, where associated moderate learning difficulties and low- risk mental health concerns may be contributors.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is on the same site as a school and another children’s home which are all part of the same organisation. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site. The other children’s home on the same site was not part of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since 5 February 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 18 October 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2585129 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2022 Full Good 08/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2585129 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff at this home are currently providing care for one child. Since the last inspection, both young adults and children have lived in the home. Therefore, this report will refer to young people.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have thrived living in this peaceful home. The calm environment that the staff promote positively impacts on the young peoples’ emotional well-being and happiness.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people especially enjoy the garden area, which is surrounded by forests and farmland. The garden includes a sensory area with colourful lights, a trampoline and a large swimming pool. This provides a large space for the children and the young adults to play and have fun together.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people enjoy having pets and caring for the tortoise that lives in the large garden. Nurturing staff focus on developing trusting and warm relationships with the young people. This is replicated by the young people towards each other and the home’s pets.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are well planned, led by their individual needs and at a pace that suits them. The managers and the staff take time to help the young people make choices and express themselves. Consequently, they learn that they have the power to influence the world around them. One parent described their child as ‘unrecognisable’ in the confidence they have developed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The education outcomes from the young people’s starting points are excellent. Staff are attentive to their needs. They help repair earlier damage to self-esteem from bullying that some young people had previously experienced at school. One young person who had not attended school for many years before joining the home is now in their second year at college and is in the process of applying to university. Another child received a ‘most improved’ certificate at school.

p.3

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

Safeguarding arrangements to protect the children are good. Staff encourage the young people to share any concerns about their care as soon as they arise. Consequently, they are confident to express their views and feel listened to.

p.3

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

Staff work in close partnership with the young people’s families and with their professional networks. Outreach support helps families maintain and strengthen their relationships. This helps create a strong team around each child and ensures that risks are reduced for them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2585129 4 Detailed risk assessments and placement plans are drawn up with the young people. They are supported by the staff to take appropriate risks in line with their age and level of understanding.

p.3

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

Staff help the young people develop essential life skills to better prepare them for adulthood. They learn practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. The staff recognise the importance of helping the young people to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope with less adult support.

p.4

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

The ethos of the home is one of encouraging positive behaviour, kindness and respect. Staff develop strong bonds with the young people based on joint activities, shared daily life, routines and established boundaries of acceptable behaviour. The staff draw on their knowledge of the young people and on agreed strategies to help them when they are distressed. There have not been any incidents that have required physical intervention with the young people.

p.4

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

Direct work is designed to meet the young people’s needs and provides a reflective space for them to discuss any issues or worries that they may have. The staff are effective in helping them, and as a result, the frequency of self-harming behaviours reduces.

p.4

good

There has been no registered manager at the home since February 2021. The current manager has been in post since March 2021. The manager was absent for a significant period of time. She submitted an application for registration in May 2023. Since the last inspection, the responsible individual has also been absent. The management arrangements have led to a period of instability for the staff team.

p.4

good

Leaders have failed to ensure that all the staff have completed mandatory training within the organisation’s time frames. Furthermore, there has been a delay for some staff in enrolling on their childcare qualification. This means that the leadership team cannot be fully confident that all the staff are equipped to deliver effective, high- quality care.

p.4

good

Managers’ and staff’s in-house care planning is strong. However, some relevant local authority plans were missing for one young adult. This means that the staff may not have the most up-to-date information.

p.4

good

In the last 12 months, two young people turned 18 while living in the home. Managers and the staff made sure that their views and best interests were central to their moving-on plans. However, managers did not complete a risk management assessment on the impact of young adults living at the home alongside children. In practice, staff took sensible action to mitigate any negative impact on the young people. Inspection report for children’s home: 2585129 5 Leaders have put in place measures to improve the home’s Wi-Fi; however, staff say that this is still unreliable, which can delay them from keeping children’s records up to date. Leaders of the organisation have plans in place to address this.

p.4

good

Leaders and managers are aware of the home’s strengths and the priority areas for improvement. Additional quality assurance, review and support from the senior leaders are evident.

p.5

good

The home’s manager benefits from the full support of the senior leadership team, the deputy manager and the home’s small and motivated staff team. Staff said that they feel well supported by the managers and each other. Managers create an inclusive and accepting culture at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2585129 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure staff continually and actively assess the risks of young adults living in the children’s home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that the home has copies of each child’s relevant local authority placement plan, care plan and pathway plan. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 30, paragraph 6.1)

p.6

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: 2585129 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Aspris, The Forge, 43 Church Street West, Woking, Surrey GU21 6HT

p.7

Inspector

Anne-Marie Davies, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2585129 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.

p.7

Inspector

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 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 .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8