Children's Home run by Aspireone Care Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1228191 1 Registered provider: Aspireone Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently a registered manager at the home, who is suitably experienced and 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 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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2023

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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: 1228191 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2023 Full Good 16/08/2021 Full Outstanding 03/12/2019 Full Outstanding 23/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1228191 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good experiences living at this home. They are making good progress from their starting points. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection. One child has moved on from the home because staff could no longer keep them safe. The child had a planned move to another home operated by the same provider which is located in an area that is better suited to meet their needs. Staff help this child to stay connected and go out on activities with another child who still lives at the home. This helps to maintain social connections and peer friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans outline their needs well. Staff understand the targets children are working towards. One child has lived at the home for over five years. This has provided them with a significant period of stability. Staff have prepared them well for moving on to semi-independent living soon. Staff have helped them develop independence skills in areas such as travel, cooking, shopping, cleaning and managing a budget.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has escalated a complaint to the local authority in relation to the lack of direction about care planning for a child. The manager is a good advocate for children. Through advocating and applying professional challenge, one child has progressed from having minimal education to attending and thriving in school full time. They were recently very proud to be made pupil of the week.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have excellent communication with children’s schools and colleges. This has helped one child to sustain their college placement. Staff make sure that they have the resources to complete college work. This includes promoting a routine that includes education time, even on days that the child is not attending college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to be healthy. Staff embed routines at the home for mealtimes and sleep. One child has made vast progress with this since moving to the home. The child has contributed to devising their own bedtime routine, and they can feel the benefit of improved sleep patterns. As a result of improvements to diet, one child is making progress towards improved health outcomes. Staff help children access routine, specialist and emergency healthcare when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities at the home and going out to places they choose. Staff help children pursue their interests and hobbies, for example card games, trainspotting and meals out. Staff help children learn about cultural events. The display board was themed for Easter at the time of the inspection, and children had made Easter bonnets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a pleasant space overall, but some areas are in need of redecoration. Furthermore, there is excessive signage and children’s documents on display in the Inspection report for children’s home: 1228191 4 communal areas, such as children’s incentive charts. This detracts from a homely environment.

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

Staff prioritise children’s safety at the home. Risks are clearly identified in their plans, which provide staff with clear guidance for caring for the children. Measures to manage risks are proportionate and well balanced. This enables children to develop their independence. For example, one child can now spend time alone at the home, as managers have assessed this risk.

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

There is a focus on staff talking to children about their behaviours, to help them reflect and learn about making positive choices. Staff adapt their approach to the children, as they are at different ages and development stages. Children are helped to learn about the natural consequences of behaviours.

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

Staff help children through direct work to learn about keeping themselves safe. Staff conduct frequent discussions, using various resources, about risks of being out in the community and keeping safe. This includes sensitive topics, such as appropriate relationships, alcohol use and exploitation risks.

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

One child who lived at the home had increasingly frequent missing-from-home incidents; this was a factor in the decision for them to move to a more suitable home. Children seldom go missing from the home now. Children’s plans consider this risk and outline actions staff must take to prevent such incidents or respond in the event of them going missing. The manager considers risks relating to the home’s locality.

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

The manager takes prompt action to address safeguarding matters. This includes reporting concerns to the local authority and addressing any concerns about staff practice. However, the manager has failed to inform the regulator of three notifiable events. This impedes the regulator’s monitoring of the home.

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good

The registered manager is due to leave the role imminently. The manager did not inform the regulator of this in a timely way. A new manager has been appointed and a handover is taking place.

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good

Permanent staff receive regular supervision that is supportive of their well-being and development. However, casual staff do not have regular supervision at the home. Staff who are new to working at the home receive a well-planned induction to their role.

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good

Staff are trained in a breadth of topics. This equips them well for their roles. However, managers do not often review staff learning following training sessions. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228191 5 This reduces the effectiveness and leaves gaps in their knowledge. For example, staff do not understand how to raise concerns outside of the organisation; this increases risks relating to closed cultures.

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good

There is a small but consistent staff team at the home. Use of external staff is low, and, when this does happen, it is generally staff who are familiar to the children. The manager is motivated to see staff develop and progress in their roles. Staff have their practice appraised once a year. Staff are valued by the manager. Good performance is rewarded through a bonus scheme.

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good

Parents feel that staff communicate well with them and keep them well informed about their children. Managers and staff collaborate proactively with other professionals. The manager has an initiative-taking approach and always takes action to address any concerns or barriers. For example, the manager identified a need for specific therapy for a child. As a result, this has been commissioned and funded by the provider. This approach supports children to make progress and achieve good outcomes.

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good

Leaders and managers at the home collectively know the areas for development. For example, there are new tools being developed to enhance monitoring systems. The staff team has sustained good care for children living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228191 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

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 staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff, including casual and agency staff, receive supervision.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that the regulator is informed of planned changes regarding registered persons.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that staff understand the policies for the protection of children, specifically procedures for whistle-blowing outside of the organisation. 24 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1228191 7 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 24 May 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that as much as possible, the children’s home provides a homely, domestic environment, rather than giving an ‘institutional’ impression. This specifically relates to the display of signs and children’s documents in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1228191 8

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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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Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1228191 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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Inspector

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