Children's Home run by Ashwood Children’s Care Homes (Aspen House) Ltd in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2675775 1 Registered provider: Ashwood Children care home ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home and another child has moved into the home. At the time of the inspection, there were four children living at the home. The inspectors spoke to three of the children.

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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

Date of last inspection: 30 January 2024

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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: 2675775 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2024 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2675775 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place the children’s well-being at the centre of their care practice. Children say that they can speak to the staff, and the staff will listen if they have any worries or problems. Throughout the inspection, warm and nurturing relationships were observed between the children and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to stay in touch with their families, even when they live a considerable distance away from the home. Staff are supportive of children and families to make sure that family time is promoted. Staff ensure that children have a positive time when spending time with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s early childhood experiences and how these present through their behaviours. Staff speak of the children with enthusiasm and genuine care. Children benefit from consistent care by people who know their daily routines well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from good daily routines, which support education and social activities. Staff encourage children to engage in meaningful leisure activities, including attending groups such as Scouts and clubs. Children take part in their specific interests, including swimming lessons and learning to play musical instruments, such as the drums. This has supported children to grow in confidence and enhance their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed their independence skills since living at this home. Staff have been successful in supporting children to gain age-appropriate life skills. This includes children tidying their own bedrooms, helping with meal preparation, budgeting, speaking to professionals without staff support and one child seeking work experience and volunteering. This supports children in preparation for adulthood. One professional said, ‘I am proud of [name of child] and the achievements he has made; he’s just done so well. He will be ready for the next chapter of his life because of the support from the staff and skills he’s learned since being there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education that is suited to their needs, and they are making good progress. Through the support and encouragement of the team, one child was able to achieve their GCSEs, which was a real achievement for the child, who now attends sixth form. Two children currently receive bespoke home education from tutors. This has been driven by excellent advocacy from the team. The manager has been tenacious in escalating the children’s lack of formal educational provision to ensure suitable schools are identified to meet each child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are new to the home, staff make them feel welcome. Before coming to the home, staff and managers assess whether the child is compatible with other children in the home and the abilities of staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2675775 4

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

Children feel safe and secure living in this home. They regularly seek support from trusted adults when they are anxious or worried. They named the registered manager and leadership team members as people they can trust. One child said, ‘I like living at this home because staff are so kind, loving and caring. They are like a family to me.’

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

Staff have good knowledge and understanding about risks and potential harm that children may encounter. Each child’s individual risks are detailed in their risk assessments and plans. These are robust documents that are frequently updated. They give clear guidance to staff. This ensures a consistent response to children’s behaviours. Staff understand these documents and put the guidance into practice.

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

Children understand how to raise a complaint. The manager takes action to investigate and address these complaints. This means that the needs of the child are at the centre of the process. The manager ensures that when a complaint has been dealt with, the outcome is explained to the child.

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

Occasionally, staff have to hold children to keep them safe. All staff are trained to de- escalate situations and have relevant techniques to safely hold children. Staff and children are provided with an opportunity to reflect on the incident. However, it is an identified risk in one child’s assessment that they will say they are hurt or have been abused when held. One record for an incident does reflect this being explored with the child or treated as an allegation. Although this information was shared with the child’s social worker, the local authority designated officer and Ofsted were not made aware.

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

Staff celebrate and praise positive behaviour. They understand children’s experiences and put in place clear and consistent boundaries about what is safe and acceptable for each child. Staff challenge children when they display behaviours that may not be appropriate. This means that children learn about the importance of respect in relationships.

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

There has been one recorded consequence that was excessive. The use of consequences has subsequently been reviewed by the manager and changes have been made. The manager and staff have moved towards a more restorative approach to behaviour management. This enables children to learn about the impact of their actions on others and find more appropriate ways to express themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A committed registered manager leads the home. She is supported by a dedicated deputy manager, and together they lead the home effectively. They have a sound understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. Both share an ambitious vision of the development they want to achieve. Inspection report for children’s home: 2675775 5 There is a team around the child approach to supporting children. Leaders and managers work closely with the in-house therapist, external agencies, including social workers, children and adolescent mental health services and education staff, to ensure that children have the right support around them. The in-house therapist offers overarching and regular support to the team. Staff and children benefit from this holistic approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been high turnover of staff since the last inspection, with five staff leaving and three new staff members joining the team. The management team has invested significant time and energy into the home and is working with staff to develop and upskill them. This has been successful, with staff becoming increasingly competent and confident in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A comprehensive induction program is in place for new staff. Staff appreciate the Organisation’s approach, finding it valuable, and they feel well prepared with essential knowledge and skills before they work with children. The manager ensures staff receive the training they need to meet children’s individual needs. This can be specifically for a child or a wider safeguarding or developmental topic.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision sessions. However, these lack meaningful reflection. This is a missed learning opportunity for staff. Team meetings take place and are well attended. They include development sessions for staff to enhance their knowledge. This includes understanding children’s individual needs and recording processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One child does not have an up-to-date local authority care plan. The manager has requested these documents but has not ensured they are received within a suitable time frame. Inspection report for children’s home: 2675775 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 1 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular they should ensure that the child’s care plan is accurate and up to date. 1 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are listened to and enabled to report any allegations at the earliest opportunity. Any allegation of harm or abuse must be addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report for children’s home: 2675775 7  The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately

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Recommendations

qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2675775 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ashwood Children care home ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: G43a Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire DE15 0YZ

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Inspectors

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Linda Mason, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2675775 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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