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

Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 1 SC481221 Registered provider: Aspris Children's Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home is run by a private provider and provides care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties. Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children's home

There has been no registered manager at the home since August 2024. A new manager was appointed in September 2024 but has not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2023 Full Good 12/05/2022 Full Good 07/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 3

p.2

improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. Three children were seen and one child was spoken with by inspectors. Since the last inspection, 10 children have moved in and nine children have moved out.

p.3

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have changed the operational model of the home. In 2023, the home was offering support to children on a short-term assessment basis. In 2024, the model changed to enable children who move in to live there for a longer time. The three children who are living at the home are settled.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s moves out of the home have not always been well planned. Two children have moved out of the home quickly and had difficult endings. Leaders and managers failed to be sufficiently professionally curious about some children’s moves into the home. This resulted in difficult incidents between children and one child moving out.

p.3

improvement to be good

The outdoor space does not provide a suitable or safe space to play. The outdoor area has several mole hills, loose metal poles and wiring lying loose that could result in children being injured. The upstairs bathroom appears institutionalised, which detracts from the home’s welcoming ethos.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff provide age-appropriate childhood experiences for children, such as celebrating birthdays, Christmas and other seasonal events throughout the year. Children are offered activities that are individual to their likes and interests. However, the cultural needs of some children have not been sufficiently considered, which does not help to promote children’s sense of identity and belonging.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are provided with opportunities to learn. Good communication between school staff and the staff at the home has led to children increasing their attendance in education. However, one child’s educational needs were not advocated for in a timely or efficient way, resulting in a four-month delay to them entering an education setting.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff enable children to have input to the running of the home. However, some of the records and discussions about children contain institutionalised language that is not child friendly.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff help children to see the people who are most important to them. Staff travel significant distances away from the home to make sure that children can spend time with their family. A parent said about the staff, ‘They do support my children and help them in the best way they can.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 4 Staff thoroughly consider children’s health needs and ensure that children attend routine medical appointments. When poor oral health has been identified from non-attendance at a dentist, staff relationships have enabled children to feel reassured in getting essential dental work.

p.3

improvement to be good

Some children require medication to meet their individual health needs. Generally, medication is administered safely. However, on one occasion, staff did not follow the home’s internal policy when administering medication. Although leaders and managers investigated the incident, some steps to prevent recurrence have not been completed promptly.

p.4

improvement to be good

Some children have frequently been missing from the home. Generally, staff take steps to try to locate children. However, on two occasions, poor staff supervision contributed to children being able to leave the home and travel a considerable distance. In addition, staff have not consistently requested return home interviews for children. The three children currently living at the home have not been missing from care.

p.4

improvement to be good

The manager has not always reported safeguarding concerns to Ofsted promptly despite sharing the information with other relevant professionals. On one occasion, information about risk when a child was missing from home was not accurately reported. This prevents Ofsted having good oversight of safeguarding concerns.

p.4

improvement to be good

There are occasions when staff hold children to help keep them safe. Children and staff are spoken with after these incidents. However, the manager’s review of the incidents does not always capture what is said or what could have been done differently. The manager does not have effective systems to track and review the use of physical interventions.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff regularly praise children for their achievements and offer them rewards. Staff use different incentives that are appropriate to the age and needs of the children. A parent said, ‘It has helped the children a lot; they know the rules.’ Staff also use consequences to manage behaviour. However, these are not always proportionate and do not always have a clear review of their effectiveness.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager left the home in August 2024. The deputy manager was appointed as manager in September 2024. However, she has not applied to register with Ofsted. The responsible individual left the home in July 2024. A new responsible individual is now in place.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been several leadership changes at the home since the last inspection. This has resulted in reduced oversight of records and the effectiveness of the care provided Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 5 to children. It has led to a number of shortfalls in leadership and management and the oversight of the care that children receive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not have effective systems to manage records and make sense of patterns and trends in children's behaviour. The new manager has started to make some changes to recording systems to monitor patterns and trends in the home, but the effect of this is yet to be seen.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not have regular supervision sessions, and records of supervision are not accurately kept. Two members of staff have not had a supervision session recorded with an appropriate person for over a year. This does not help staff to reflect on their experiences with children during challenging times at the home or for managers to understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of staff practice. Since September 2024, there has been some improvement to the frequency of supervision for some staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive the home's mandatory training. Most staff are now up to date with this training; however, monitoring of training has not been consistently effective. Children who have come to live at the home have had specific needs. For a child who moved in, in February 2024, staff have had no specific training to support them to understand and meet this child's individual needs. Staff have not received any training to support them to meet children’s identified cultural needs. In addition, a number of staff who should complete a level 3 qualification in the summer of 2025 are not meeting expected targets. There is insufficient management oversight to monitor their progress. This lack of oversight, combined with reduced supervision sessions, means that leaders and managers do not have a clear understanding of staff’s skills and learning needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff morale has been mixed since the last inspection and several staff have left the home. When four children moved in, there was ineffective planning for staff ratios and this meant that there was an increase in the use of agency staff at the time. Six new staff have since joined the home. However, the team remains new and less experienced.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers share information with other professionals who are supporting children, including education staff and social workers. There is mixed feedback about the effectiveness of this communication. A social worker said that they do not always receive timely updates about changes for children. However, a school staff member provided positive feedback about communication since the new manager has started.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and new responsible individual are beginning to understand and address the shortfalls. However, the effects of any recent changes are yet to be seen. Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.6

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)(c)(f)(h)) 31 March 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 31 March 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 17 January 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 7 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.7

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(c)(i))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that each child's identity needs are met, and that the garden environment is safe and refurbishment to the home takes place without delay. 31 March 2025

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that leaders and managers evaluate incidents of children going missing from the home to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff. When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, leaders and managers should ensure that there is an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should ensure that prescribed medicines are only administered to the individual for whom they are prescribed. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should act as an effective advocate, as a good parent would do, for or on behalf of a child who may be experiencing difficulties with education or

p.7

Recommendations

training. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.12) Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 8  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of restraint and all consequences used to manage behaviour are subject to regular scrutiny. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that staff record information about children in a non-stigmatising way. Information about children must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to them. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address unwanted 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

p.7

Recommendations

community. In particular, ensure that these consequences are kept under regular review. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.38)

p.8

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: SC481221 9

p.8

Children's home details

Registered provider: Aspris Children's Services Limited

p.9

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 2 Barton Close, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester LE19 1SJ

p.9

Children's home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Batchelor

p.9

Inspectors

Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Naomi Starbuck, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC481221 10 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.

p.9

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10