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

Inspection report for children's home: 1249715 1 Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties, where associated moderate learning difficulties and low- risk mental health concerns may be contributors.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is on the same site as a school and one other children’s home, which are all part of the same organisation. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision of this home on this site. The other children’s home on the same site was not part of this inspection. Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. The staff at this home are known as ‘adults’.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 31 October 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1249715 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2023 Full Outstanding 21/03/2023 Full Outstanding 18/08/2021 Full Outstanding 12/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: 1249715 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children in this home receive nurturing care, which enables them to have happy and fulfilled lives. They build secure and trusting relationships with the adults, who help them to feel cherished and loved. Photos and children’s artwork, from children who currently live in the home and those who have since moved on, give the home a personal touch that helps to give children a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making exceptional progress. There is a real focus on developing their independence in readiness for adulthood. For example, children have improved their skills in being able to travel independently, budget and cook. This has improved their confidence and self-esteem. Positive, respectful and consistent daily interactions with adults have contributed to the children’s ability to self-regulate their emotions and manage their behaviour appropriately. This has had a positive impact on their ability to communicate effectively with the adults about their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The adults listen carefully to children and value their views and wishes. As a result, children feel empowered and confident to share their views openly. One child said, ‘I feel respected, even when we don’t agree.’ Children’s meetings take place regularly, focusing on topics that are relevant and important to the children. These have included knife crime, drugs and general elections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children attend school or college full time. This is due to the encouragement and high ambitions from the adults, who want all the children to do well. Additional one-to-one support is being offered to one child to prepare them for their GCSE exams, to increase their chances of achieving their goals. Transitions between school stages are managed well, with additional support in place if necessary. This ensures that, when transitions from school to college take place, they are as seamless as possible, enabling a positive impact on learning, well-being and happiness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Family time is valued and encouraged by the adults, and children are supported to see their family members safely. Adults work collaboratively with parents, other children’s homes and foster carers of other children in the family to ensure that family time takes place. When family time is not possible, the adults at the home help the children to keep in contact in other ways. For example, one child was supported to write a letter to their parent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children engage in a variety of activities that they enjoy and choose to take part in. Interests like cooking and knitting are promoted. A child who enjoys cooking is encouraged to cook meals for the home, and their achievements when doing so are celebrated. Following their success in passing a cooking skills test at college, the adults took the children out to celebrate. This helps to develop their confidence and sense of safety and security, in a culture of learning and achieving. Inspection report for children's home: 1249715 4 When children move on from the home, this is managed sensitively and in a planned way. Children are supported during the moves with open conversations about next steps and the decisions being made.

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

Safeguarding processes in the home are clear and effective. The registered manager and the adults understand their safeguarding responsibilities and ensure that they work together with other professionals to keep children safe. The manager takes a proactive approach to keeping children safe through preventative measures, but when incidents do occur, they are well managed, and necessary action is taken to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively. Safeguarding records are clear and comprehensive. Safeguarding is discussed regularly in staff meetings. This helps to ensure that the knowledge and understanding of staff are continually developing.

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

The adults include children in the formulation of their risk assessments and behaviour support plans. This provides children with a better understanding of the worries and concerns and the impact of their behaviours. Consequently, this helps children to know when to seek support and the action that they need to take to keep themselves safe. The positive impact of this approach is reflected in the low numbers of safeguarding incidents.

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

Children rarely go missing. This is mainly due to the positive relationships that adults have cultivated with the children to help them to feel safe and secure. The adults know the children well and respond effectively to their needs. When children do go missing, this is responded to swiftly, with the children’s best interests and safety at the core of decision-making. On their return home, children are shown that they are loved and cared for, through supportive discussions, and the adults also seek to understand the reasons behind the behaviour. For one child who went missing to meet his girlfriend in a town some distance away, alternative plans were made for him to see his girlfriend safely. This prevented him travelling miles to see her and going missing.

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

Consequences are implemented as a learning opportunity, and the adults offer appropriate challenge to children when needed. Clear communication enables children to have an understanding of why consequences have been implemented.

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

Recruitment processes are effective. This ensures that only appropriately vetted individuals work at the home and provide care for children. The registered manager meets with prospective staff for informal discussions to ensure that they understand the needs of the children as well as the culture of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a highly effective registered manager who leads by example. The manager values the adults and cares for the children, enabling positive relationships to develop. This has created a culture of support within the home where adults’ welfare is valued, ensuring that children, in turn, receive the best care. During a period of Inspection report for children's home: 1249715 5 absence for the registered manager, adults continued to support the children with the same consistency of care. Alongside regular formal supervision, the manager develops learning for the adults through creative methods, for example, safeguarding quizzes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s decision-making is child-focused and prioritises the needs of the children. For example, the manager delayed admitting more children into the home until additional adults had been recruited, to ensure that meeting the needs of the children remained a priority. The manager is forward-thinking and adapts to the changing needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The adults are experienced in meeting the children’s needs. They are passionate about improving the lives of the children and are proud of the progress that the children are making. The adults value supervision and the relevant training offered by the organisation. They speak highly of the support that they receive from the manager and say that a real strength of the adult team is the support that they give to each other. Positive relationships between adults and the children mean that the children are provided with care and support by adults who love them and who find meaning and enjoyment in what they do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works well with parents and the wider professional network. Feedback is extremely positive about the communication between them and the adults. One parent said, ‘Ten out of 10 for communication.’ Feedback from professionals also highlighted the positive impact that the adults have made on the children’s progress and how well they understood them. This has helped to create a protective network of support for children, ensuring a more informed and coordinated response to meet their needs.

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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: 1249715 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: 2 Barton Close, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester LE19 1SJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Garstang

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Inspectors

Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Karen Flanagan de Martinez, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1249715 7 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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