Children's Home, Residential special school run by Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1229766 1 Registered provider: Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation runs this home. The organisation has a school and accommodation in the grounds for adults who have learning disabilities and complex needs. The home provides care for up to 15 children who have complex health needs, including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, physical disabilities and/or sensory and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were 14 children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a linked independent day school on the site. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 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: 1229766 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/05/2023 Full Good 21/06/2022 Full Good 17/11/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1229766 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, 14 children were living at the home and the inspectors spent time with all those present. One child was taken to hospital on the first day of the inspection and remained there throughout the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home operates across four flats where the children live. The largest flat supports children who are reliant on equipment to aid their mobility. The staff have created areas for the children to socialise, with furniture adapted to help children to live comfortably in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s rooms are nicely decorated. Staff make sure that they create a homely environment with thoughtful decor. The children’s names are displayed on their doors in calligraphy. Staff keep the home clean and tidy throughout. Managers have put in measures for the children to be able to regulate the air temperature by having air conditioning fitted in each room.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have taken part in lots of activities, inside and outside of the home. Staff take photos showing children’s experiences. Children have enjoyed trips to the beach, wildlife parks, zoos, cinema and pantomimes, barbecues and holidays away from the home. Children have access to sensory equipment, such as a music garden, forest school, and more physio-led experiences with rebound therapy and a hydro pool.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the children to be independent. Children are supported to do their laundry and take active roles in cooking, baking and keeping areas clean and tidy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the school on site and have good attendance, as well as opportunities to achieve awards and to do gardening programmes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with their health. Staff keep plans updated. Managers and health professionals make instructions clear for staff to ensure that they are carrying out healthcare tasks in line with their training.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made progress. Two children have moved from requiring safe space beds to now having nice large double beds in their rooms. Outside of the home, in the grounds, is a recently installed gym with a host of equipment to help children to keep fit and healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was displaying out-of-character behaviour. Because the manager and staff know the child so well, they recognised that the child may not be accessing the correct medication. The manager worked directly with in-house nurses. The medication was changed. Because of this intervention, the child’s behaviour has significantly improved and he is not distressed because he is now on suitable medication. Inspection report for children’s home: 1229766 4 Staff have devised a folder highlighting the children’s journeys. This shows the progress that the children have made since living at the home. Children are more independent using facilities and require less support with their personal care and their mobility and are more willing to share living spaces with their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are helping a child to celebrate their religion by splitting the rooms into half Halloween, half Diwali with a tunnel of lights between the two areas.

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

There have been no physical interventions or missing-from-home incidents since the last inspection. The staff have excellent relationships with children and children benefit from high staff ratios and close supervision. One child was very proud to communicate with the inspector how safe he felt living at the home.

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

A social worker said that they are very impressed with safeguarding. She said that staff have exceptional knowledge of safe practices for their child’s significant healthcare needs. The child has been able to live at the home and this has prevented the need for hospice care.

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

Children’s individual and creative care plans include behaviour support guidance with strategies for staff to help children to safely manage their emotions. Children have had a significant reduction in unwanted behaviours. One social worker said that their child has made remarkable progress. The staff have taught him strategies to self-soothe and his anxiety has significantly reduced.

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

Staff ensure that any marks and bruising are recorded and regularly reviewed. A record of all marks and bruising caused through accidents is sent promptly to social workers. There is good monitoring of children and records are made of any bruises or injuries. However, records of bruises from known behaviours are sent to social workers in a monthly report rather than when they occur. This could reduce the timeliness of the social worker’s oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is very experienced, has a wealth of knowledge and holds a relevant managerial qualification. She is an excellent role model to the staff. She provides excellent care for children. She is supported by four competent care managers. Staff are enthusiastic and caring and provide excellent child-centred care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with good training that meets the children’s individual needs. Staff have specific training from health specialists. The staff are confident and capable in supporting children with complex needs. Staff are well skilled and knowledgeable and meet children’s health needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 1229766 5 Three social workers were spoken with during the inspection. They spoke positively about the relationships and communication that they have with the manager and staff. Social workers said that staff have positive relationships with the children and that children are happy and safe at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is an excellent advocate for children. On one occasion, she professionally challenged another professional body. The outcome was positive for the child, who was supported by an independent advocate and given the specialist equipment that she needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent staff team. The manager has worked hard to reduce the need to use agency staff. Agency staff are appropriately trained, supervised and inducted. The agency staff are always supported by core staff, ensuring consistency for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring tools and understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. These tools are used to review the home’s progress regularly. Good oversight of the home ensures that continual improvements are made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular, effective and good-quality supervision sessions. Staff said that managers are nurturing, supportive and easy to approach. However, the care managers’ supervision is inconsistent and opportunities for reflection and development could be missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 1229766 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any marks or bruising found on a child are reported promptly to the child’s social worker in all circumstances. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive supervision at appropriate intervals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: 1229766 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 13, Twigworth Court Business Centre, Tewkesbury Road, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL2 9PG

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Inspectors

Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1229766 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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