Children's home run by Aspireone Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2706926 1 Registered provider: Aspireone Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately operated home provides care for up to five children between the ages of eight and 17 years who have come from a variety of situations, backgrounds and experiences and who have a range of complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager were registered with Ofsted in May 2023. This is the first inspection after registration.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. All children spoke to the inspectors about their experiences living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a school on site for children accommodated within the provider group. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2706926 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they feel happy living in the home. They receive care from staff who understand their individual needs and personalities. Children are helped to develop trusting relationships with each other and the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings contribute to the care they receive. Children attend house meetings, where they are encouraged to express their views on matters that are important to them, such as meal choices and activities. Children are supported to develop their understanding of cultures and traditions through the creation of an equality and diversity board.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to safely maintain relationships with their family members and other people who are important to them. Staff take time to ensure that regular updates are given to parents, to enable them to understand the progress that their children are making. This is something that parents value, and they are complimentary about the communication that they receive from the team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their education. Most children attend school or college, whereas previously they did not. However, one child is yet to be enrolled at a local school, limiting opportunities for the child to achieve their academic potential. Managers have been proactive in liaising with the child’s placing authority and education professionals and, in the interim, are supporting the child to access education in the home to supplement their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop a sense of belonging in the home. However, cleaning routines, redecoration and repair are not always completed in a timely manner. The walls in some communal areas are marked, paintwork is scratched from when furniture has been moved, and ceilings where light fittings have been replaced remain unfinished. One child’s bedroom was not in an acceptable condition and opportunities to remove litter that had been left outside of the home had been missed. This detracts from the welcoming environment that managers are trying to achieve.

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

Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are well understood by managers and staff. This helps children to feel safer and they experience a reduction in risk-taking behaviours. One child, who had experienced a number of moves before moving to the home, said that they feel safe and settled.

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

The staff work hard to ensure that there is a positive atmosphere in the home for children. Staff have clear expectations and provide clear boundaries for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706926 3 There have not been any incidents where children have needed to be held to keep them or others safe.

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

Children’s risk assessments and safety plans are reviewed and updated regularly. They are written in a way that helps children to understand their behaviours and supports staff to understand the best strategies to use. This has helped to reduce incidents and risks for children.

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

Staff effectively support children to understand online risks. This helps children to make safer choices. Consequently, there has been a reduction in online risks for children living in the home.

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

Children engage in regular direct-work sessions with staff that cover a variety of relevant topics, including mental health, relationships and healthy lifestyles. These sessions help children to understand issues that are important to them. However, these sessions vary in quality; this is something that the management team is taking action to address.

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

The children benefit from clear routines and structure in the home. They are supported to develop life skills and have access to incentives for tidying their bedrooms and attending education. However, staff had not taken appropriate action to support one child with cleaning their room or replaced broken bedroom furniture in a timely manner despite this being a potential hazard. This is not reflective of nurturing care and does not help children to feel valued or keep them safe.

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good

The home is run by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. The manager has additional safeguarding responsibility for the provider group and is supported by a deputy manager. Together, they provide consistent leadership and guidance to the team.

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good

Staff speak positively about the manager and the support they receive. The team is newly formed, and they are continuing to learn how to work together. The manager is passionate about improving outcomes for children.

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good

Internal and external monitoring systems are used to measure children’s progress and to develop practice in the home. However, shortfalls in the condition of the home had not been addressed in a timely manner and opportunities to ensure that statutory documents received from children’s social workers are up to date have been missed. One child’s education plan and plans to promote their independence lack clarity. This limits opportunities to ensure that staff are caring for children in line with their plans, and also leads to uncertainty for children.

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good

Staff receive regular training and supervision to meet the needs of the children in their care. The organisation’s therapist attends team meetings to enable staff to further develop their understanding of the organisation’s therapeutic model of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706926 4 Managers are in the process of implementing the model across key-work and supervision records to further strengthen practice in the home. However, this is not yet fully embedded, and its impact is currently limited.

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good

The provider group prides itself on offering a high level of supervision for children, with most children receiving one-to-one care. There is also a clear lone-working policy in place and staff benefit from access to an on-call manager. However, processes for sharing information between the on-call manager and mangers in the home are not robust. On one occasion, a member of staff was left alone with two children overnight. The lone-working policy was followed, but the support given by the on-call manager was not consistent with children’s risk management plans, and the home’s manager was not aware when it was raised by inspectors. This reduces the manager’s oversight of practice in the home and leaves children vulnerable. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706926 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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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, the registered person must ensure that children’s bedrooms are clear of clutter, that broken furniture is replaced in a timely manner, and all hazards are removed. In addition, ensure that the home is decorated and furnished to a high standard throughout and that the outdoor area is clear of rubbish. 8 February 2024

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are clear processes in place for information-sharing between on-call managers and 8 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2706926 6 mangers in the home, and that staffing levels are reflective of the home’s statement of purpose and children’s plans.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that to prevent any uncertainty for children, staff consistently advocate for children’s local authority education and preparation for independence plans to be up to date and reflective of their current and emerging needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.11)

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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: 2706926 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspireone Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Lyme Drive, Lyme Vale Court, Parklands, Stoke- On-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 6NW

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Inspectors

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2706926 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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