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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC408655 1 SC408655 Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Service

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a large national provider. It provides care for up to seven children who may have a learning difficulty and/or autism. There were five children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since August 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

In this report, staff are referred to as adults.

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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: 15 January 2025

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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: SC408655 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2025 Full Good 25/01/2024 Full Good 14/07/2022 Full Good 07/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC408655 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have emotionally warm and positive relationships with adults. This enables adults to develop a good understanding of children’s needs, identity and lived experiences. As a result, children receive individualised care that supports them to make steady progress in their social, emotional and physical development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults model respect, care and empathy in their interactions. Consequently, children enjoy spending time with adults and each other. This adds to their sense of connection and gives them the opportunity to navigate the complex emotions linked to friendships, with adults’ support. For all children, this has strengthened their ability to access the wider community and, for two children, has underpinned the success of them accessing social clubs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Plans for children’s care are comprehensive and informed by local authority records and children’s expressed wishes and feelings. As a result, children are cared for in line with their preferences. They can predict how adults will meet their needs and have a sense of agency over their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults hold education in high regard. All children attend school full time, and their success is celebrated. Adults liaise with education colleagues regularly and take part in all reviews to ensure that children have appropriate support and provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and met. Adults work closely with health professionals to ensure that children receive care that improves their well-being. For one child, this has included a creative solution to how their epilepsy is monitored. This has given the child a sense of ownership over their care and resolved some previous resistance to discussing their diagnosis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In the main, children moving into the home benefit from well-thought-out and creative introductions. However, one child moved in an unplanned way. For reasons beyond the manager’s control, this child could not be prepared for the move. However, several adults and the registered manager had an existing relationship with this child. This helped to reduce some of the child’s anxieties and helped adults to meet his immediate care needs. After moving in, the registered manager was persistent in her efforts to speak with relevant professionals to secure all necessary information and raised concerns when this was not forthcoming. This child is now settled and content in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The support that staff give to children to help them prepare for adulthood is a strength. Children benefit from regular, well-planned sessions with adults that focus on further developing their skills in personal care, domestic skills and accessing the community. This has had a positive impact on children’s day-to-day lives, as well as improved their confidence in the wider community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a diverse team of adults, who share their experiences, culture and heritage. Children enjoy trying new foods, listening to new music and learning about Inspection report for children’s home: SC408655 4 different countries or lifestyles. This promotes tolerance and encourages conversation about difference.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is generally warm and welcoming. However, one of the children’s bedrooms has a strong smell, linked to untreated mould in the en-suite, which is due to plumping issues. Furthermore, damage in one of the shared bathrooms has not yet been addressed. Although this has been raised by the registered manager, the pace to rectify this by the wider organisation lacks urgency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not always have full access to all areas of the home. For instance, an internal door was locked. The need for this lock was not rationalised in any of the children’s risk assessments or plans. The registered manager and responsible individual accept that this is not a proportionate restriction.

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

Children feel safe and are listened to. Adults encourage children to share their concerns during weekly children’s meeting and regular key-work sessions. These are supported using children’s preferred methods of communication. However, the children’s guide is not accessible for all children. This means that not all children are clear on when, how or why they may want to complain.

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

Children’s risk management plans, including risk assessments, are clear and describe children’s needs. These are updated regularly and guide adults with clear strategies on how to keep children safe. When safeguarding concerns do arise, adults ensure that children understand what the concerns relate to and what action will be taken to mitigate any known risk. This is done thoughtfully using carefully created social stories and well-planned key- work sessions to support.

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

Safeguarding arrangements are effective in the main. However, the arrangements for assessing and mitigating online risks were ineffective for one child. This resulted in them being exposed to inappropriate adults online. While the initial response from leaders and managers was robust, the pace around subsequent actions linked to improved safety mechanisms and training for adults was slow. This also resulted in the child having no direct work about online risks and safety following the incident.

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

Children do not go missing from this home. However, there are strong protocols in place should this happen.

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

Physical intervention is only used when necessary and as a last resort. The registered manager has successfully embedded a culture where adults focus on de-escalation to help children manage and understand complex emotions. The quality of recording of these incidents is strong and includes conversations with children and adults to support repair and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She is supported by a committed and creative team of senior practitioners, who have played a significant part in Inspection report for children’s home: SC408655 5 improving knowledge, skills and practice in the wider team. This means that children are cared for by well-informed adults who know how to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems to monitor the quality of care are effective, providing the registered manager with a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The registered manager has plans to improve this process further to enhance the children’s voices, but these have not yet been actioned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The adults who work in the home are entirely positive about the support and guidance they receive from leaders. Adult supervision sessions and appraisals are valuable and beneficial. Practice is reviewed, safeguarding matters are discussed, and professional development and well-being are explored during supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The adults have access to a varied programme of training, which is monitored by managers for compliance. This includes specialised and relevant training that is aimed at meeting children’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and professionals are entirely positive about the communication and quality of care that children receive, as well as the progress they make. One parent said, ‘The home is good. The best I could hope for.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC408655 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d)) 5 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(c)) 5 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— 5 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC408655 7 is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (1)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that leaders, managers and adults continually and actively assess the risks to each child who has free access to the internet and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42 paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC408655 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Service

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Becky Paradise, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC408655 9 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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