Children's home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC402385 1 SC402385 Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Service

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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 owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children aged between eight and 18 years who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager at the home. The interim manager has not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out because Ofsted received information raising concerns about the safety of children and the quality of leadership and management oversight within the home.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of the visit was to evaluate whether children are safe, whether leadership and management arrangements are effective, and to review the home environment. At this inspection, serious and widespread concerns were identified regarding the leadership and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager post has been vacant since May 2025. An interim manager is in post and has been since May. The interim manager applied to register with Ofsted but had the application returned in August and has not reapplied.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager has weak oversight of key aspects of children’s care. They have not ensured that staff have the necessary training to carry out their roles safely. For example, training in medication administration, first aid and fire safety for one agency staff member, who regularly works in the home, had expired. The manager had not taken steps to address this or to mitigate the associated risks. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC402385 2 Since the assurance inspection in September, the home has continued to rely heavily on agency staff. Further permanent staff have left, leaving only two full-time and one part-time permanent staff members.

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This monitoring visit

The high turnover of staff and continued reliance on agency workers have led to instability for children. Staff do not consistently have the relationships, knowledge or understanding of children needed to de-escalate incidents of peer conflict. Paper care plans were out of date, and agency staff did not have access to the electronic recording system. Although steps are now being taken to address this, progress has been slow.

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This monitoring visit

This instability has contributed to an increase in incidents of children being violent or threatening towards staff and each other. Staff have been injured, children have harmed one another and the police have attended the home on two occasions to manage behaviour. One child may face criminal charges following the most recent incident.

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This monitoring visit

Children have reported feeling unsafe. One child wrote in a letter to staff, ‘I just want everything to go back to how it used to be, where we have our staff back and not have random people in my house.’

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This monitoring visit

When children have harmed one another, the manager has not ensured that effective action is taken to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

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This monitoring visit

Both the independent person and the responsible individual have concerns about children’s safety in the home but did not share these promptly with the regulator. However, during the inspection, senior leaders acted quickly to ensure children’s immediate safety and worked with other professionals to support one child to move out of the home in a planned and positive way.

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This monitoring visit

Communication with one child’s social worker has been poor. The social worker was not informed of significant changes to the child’s care plan, including the admission of another child and arrangements for holidays. This has limited their ability to support the child through periods of change. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC402385 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/04/2025 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/02/2022 Interim Not judged 16/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC402385 4

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(d)(e)(g)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that there is a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager in post. That effective leadership is in place to provide consistent and robust monitoring and oversight of children’s care and safety. That all staff have access to the necessary training to enable them to care for children effectively. That there is an effective staff team to provide stability and consistency for children. That the use of temporary staff is reduced and where temporary staff are used that they are integrated into the team, to promote effective teamwork and continuity of care for children. Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff have access to the home’s electronic 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC402385 5 recording system and that children’s records are kept up to date.

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that when they have concerns about the safety of children, they take prompt action to address those concerns, and that they share those concerns with the regulator. 4 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s social workers are informed of any significant changes to plans and receive regular updates about the children they are responsible for. 4 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1) (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive supervision in line with the timescales outlined in the provider’s policy. 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC402385 6 *These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC402385 7

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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

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC402385 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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