Children's home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 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 home is owned and operated by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified.

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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: n/a Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/01/2022 Full Good 18/12/2019 Full Good 14/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like where they live and the staff that care for them. Due to the children’s interests being quite different, children tend to gravitate towards staff instead of each other. However, on occasions, most of the children enjoy some outings together. For example, two children and staff recently went on a day trip to Dublin.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although all children have an educational provision, no child is yet on a full-time timetable. Where children are transitioning into education in the form of a phased return to school, staff are supportive of this and engage children to complete schoolwork. Staff struggle to motivate one child to wake up on time in the morning ready for school. Although staff persevere, the child’s sleep routine is having a negative effect on their educational attendance. Despite some challenges, overall children are making educational progress and school professionals are positive about the care provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in supporting children to attend health appointments. Children have detailed health records and there is good collaboration by staff with universal health professionals. However, managers and staff do not always consider all additional needs when planning for children. For instance, although staff recognise that some children may benefit from using communication cards, sensory toys or weighted blankets, there is not always reflection as to why or when these techniques should be used. The manager is not yet reviewing care practice holistically enough to ensure that staff are meeting all children’s additional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, staff have been supporting children to develop independence skills. For example, one child now safely spends time in the community and with friends. Staff have supported other children to successfully take on the responsibility of pet ownership.

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

Prior to placement, the manager assesses whether staff have the skills to meet a child’s specific needs and manage risks that affect them. Children’s files are thorough, and each child’s known risks are well documented. However, after children join the home it is not always clear whether all risks are still relevant for children and whether risk assessments remain proportionate.

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

Staff know the children well and, because of this, they can determine when children may be ‘a bit quiet’ or ‘not their usual self’. The quality of children’s relationships with staff helps children stay safe. When staff are worried about children’s well- being, they will offer to make them hot drinks and check in with them regularly to see how they are. Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 4 Incidents of self-harming behaviour have significantly reduced for children. Positively, when this does happen, children will often confide in staff and ask for support. However, the records of self-harm incidents lack sufficient detail. Similarly, the recordings of room searches could also be improved. This is because it is not always clear in the records what action staff take once items have been removed from a child’s bedroom.

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

Staff rarely use physical intervention in the home. This is because staff have positive relationships with children and can defuse situations before they escalate. However, on one occasion where staff needed to physically intervene, the manager did not fully consider the child’s additional needs when reviewing this incident. This is necessary so that care can be adapted moving forward. In this one incident, although the child asked for space to calm down, staff did not give the child space. There was no reflection on the child having sensory needs, which could have led to them finding the situation over-stimulating.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. The manager is supported by two committed deputy managers who are both well established within the team. Staff understand the tiered management system in place, and they know what they need to report to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the leadership and management of the home. Inductions are thorough, training is appropriate and team meetings happen regularly. Staff receive regular supervisions. Since the last inspection, staff retention has significantly improved and this has created more stability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When professionals and family members visit the home, they describe feeling welcomed by staff. Stakeholders describe communication with staff as good. However, some children are reluctant to engage with wider professionals, which in turn impacts on their ability to contribute to their care plan. Staff are working towards supporting children to better engage with wider professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been greater consultation with children. Staff ask children to sign parts of their paperwork. However, it is unclear whether this is always in their best interests. For example, some paperwork for children is lengthy and some children may struggle to absorb the level of information. Additionally, where documents contain sensitive information, it may not always be appropriate to share this information with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the quality of care provided to children is of a good standard. Staff are committed and the manager has a strong track record of delivering good outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that each child’s day-to-day health and well-being needs are met. Staff should work to make the children’s home an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the

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Recommendations

home and the placing authority are essential to the success of placements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2)

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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: 1269421 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

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 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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