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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1183069 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 privately owned home provides care for up to six children with mental health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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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: 1183069 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2022 Full Good 13/07/2021 Full Good 18/02/2020 Full Good 21/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1183069 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. The home supports children who have experienced difficulties with their mental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are high staffing ratios to maintain safe levels of supervision. The multi- disciplinary staff team includes a nurse and a psychotherapist. They are on hand to support the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build positive relationships with staff. Staff use humour when appropriate to keep situations light. There is lots of laughter from the children. Despite worries about children’s safety, the staff have created a light and positive atmosphere which increases children’s sense of stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend a lot of time with children. They encourage healthy daily routines, education, and opportunities to take part in activities in the community. Children enjoy a variety of experiences such as skating, horse-riding and yoga. This helps them to develop their interests and builds their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to communicate through a variety of forums, such as art and writing. They have access to therapy on a regular and ad hoc basis. This is tailored to meet the needs of individual children. The therapist uses creative ways to help children to engage. He bakes with children, takes walks with them and uses therapy to build relationships. He helps children to work through their trauma and find ways to improve their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have education plans that are tailored to their needs. One child has been offered a trial at the British Horse Racing School and staff support the child to work towards this. This is a fantastic achievement. Another child is going to visit a local mainstream school to see what the school can offer. The teacher from the school said that the staff at the home had been ‘fantastic’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been carefully considered to make it safe and comfortable. There have been improvements since the last inspection and there are some homely touches. However, the driveway is muddy and needs to be resurfaced. This could present a hazard for children and staff.

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

Staff work sensitively with children to help them increase their sense of safety. Staff support children regularly with incidents of self-harm. First aid is always offered. Staff sit with the children and provide reassurance. Other avenues of support such as grounding techniques are also used. For children who have been at the home for some time, incidents of self-harm have significantly reduced. Inspection report for children’s home: 1183069 4 The nurse offers regular one-to-one sessions. The nurse helps children to look at ways to manage their emotions differently. She oversees children’s healthcare and the medication. One child has been supported to reduce their medication. This is great progress and has positive health implications.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do the staff follow an established response. Children’s plans include clear directions for staff if they go missing from the home and staff practice scenarios at team meetings. This measured response takes into consideration the children’s mental health needs and provides a proactive approach to keeping children safe.

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

There have been occasions when staff physically intervene with children. These interventions have been necessary and proportionate. However, staff and children do not consistently get the opportunity to talk about these afterwards. This does not help the manager to have effective oversight of these incidents.

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

There is a good system of workshops, key-worker sessions and house meetings that link together and are held monthly. These help children to talk about important topics and learn about behaviours. This month children discussed the effects of alcohol and drugs. Children were extremely knowledgeable on the topic and were able to identify safe and healthy options. Individual and group sessions are used well to educate children and to ensure that their voices are heard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced manager. She is dedicated to improving the service provided to children. The manager has made improvements to the home since taking over. This has been reflected on by the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Two new members of staff have recently been recruited and the home is now fully staffed. The manager does not use agency staff. This helps the children to feel safe as they are supported by adults who they know.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a system of recording in place for children that allows the manager to collate weekly and monthly data. This is used to look at patterns of behaviour or potential triggers for children. The manager works alongside the therapist and the team to think about how this data can be used to help children. The therapist addresses any patterns or triggers with children, and this gives them a deeper understanding of their own behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a good training offer for staff and all mandatory training is up to date. The therapist provides trauma-informed approaches with the staff. This training and development helps the staff to provide trauma-informed care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular and well attended by staff. The focus on children and their needs ensures staff have up-to-date information to keep children safe. Team meetings are also used to provide any staff training or development. Inspection report for children’s home: 1183069 5 The manager has reflected on recent challenges in accessing mental health services for children. Appropriate challenge has been given to services who are not meeting children’s needs. The manager is adapting practice to try to ensure children can access services in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 1183069 6

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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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 8 April 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the driveway is maintained to a suitable standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 1183069 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: 1183069 8

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Batchelor

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Inspector

Mary Costello, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1183069 9 regulates and inspects 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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