Children's home run by Aspris Homes Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC015254 1 SC015254 Registered provider: Aspris Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately run. It provides care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with all three 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC015254 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/05/2024 Full Good 21/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/01/2023 Full Good 28/06/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC015254 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive consistent, good-quality care from staff who know them well and understand their individual needs. Staff work hard to build and sustain trusting relationships with children and provide effective support that meets their individual needs. As a result, children are making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into the home sensitively after planned introductions to meet the staff and the children. This supports children to start to develop relationships with staff and the other children at an early stage. The relationships between children and staff are a strength of this service. One child described staff as ‘magical’, and children could name trusted adults they can speak with in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, their moves are managed well by staff, who ensure that this is a positive experience for the child. Staff contribute to children’s plans and take a pivotal role in supporting children through this change. Children are provided with memory books that capture their many experiences, activities and holidays taken while they were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have important conversations with children to help them explore their emotions and how their feelings affect them. Children say that this helps them talk about their emotions more. Key-work sessions are well recorded and take place regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Changes in therapists and in the home’s therapeutic approach have led to some inconsistencies. However, two children have maintained links with a therapist within the organisation via telephone and a newly appointed therapist is making good progress in their work with a child in the home. Staff are also adapting to training and developing their understanding to support children’s therapeutic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with education professionals and are strong advocates for children who need support to engage with their learning. This approach provides children with the best opportunity to be supported back into learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health is important to staff. Children are registered with dentists, opticians and doctors, and specialist services are also accessed. Staff advocate for children to ensure that they have access to specialist services that they may need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s fire risk assessment has incorrect details. This is because the use of locks for external doors, and how children and staff can safely exit the home in an emergency, was not updated when the door locks changed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC015254 4

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

Before children move into the home, the registered manager completes a risk assessment. This allows managers to explore how staff will meet the needs of all the children in their care.

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

Staff help children to feel safe in the home. Staff work well together to ensure that children are safe in the home and the community. For one child, changes to staffing ratios took place to ensure that they receive a higher level of supervision and support when needed. There are plans in place to ensure that these are reviewed so that the child does not have longer-term restrictions in place.

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

There have been no physical interventions needed for any of the children who have lived at the home. Staff receive training to be able to intervene to keep children and others safe. Staff are also trained to de-escalate situations.

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

There are few incidents of children going missing from the home. This shows that children feel well supported and safe in the home. When children are away from the home, staff regularly keep in touch with them to check on their welfare.

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

Children have detailed plans that identify their risks and vulnerabilities. Safety plans for children provide strategies for staff to use to keep children safer and to ensure that they receive continuity of care. However, one child’s plan is not explicit around what steps staff should take if they are concerned that the child could hurt themselves when in crisis. This means that staff do not have the most up-to-date information about what to do when caring for this child.

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

Safer recruitment practice is not fully embedded. While systems are in place for safer recruitment of permanent staff, gaps in employment are not fully explored. Furthermore, the registered manager receives insufficient information when using agency workers. Therefore, there are shortfalls in the safer recruitment of adults who come to work with children at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager. Leaders and managers know the children well. They understand what progress children make while in their care and how to access support when necessary. This supports children’s continuing progression.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions are held regularly, as described in the home’s statement of purpose. They are supportive in nature and provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and the children’s needs. Newly recruited staff members receive more frequent supervision; this supports their understanding of their role and responsibilities. Inspection report for children’s home: SC015254 5 Team meetings take place regularly; they are informative and there is a clear agenda. The registered manager also uses this time effectively to provide team learning activities. This allows her the opportunity to assess the skills and knowledge of the staff and their ability to help and protect children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff who work in the home have an appropriate qualification. Two members of staff have passed their relevant date to gain a qualification to work with children in a residential setting. Leaders and managers are aware of this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager does not always ensure that Ofsted receives regular safeguarding notifications about children. When notifications are made, they are often delayed, and notifications about outcomes of safeguarding investigations are not updated. A requirement in relation to this was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager regularly reviews the home’s statement of purpose. However, the systems in place do not ensure that revisions of the statement are sent to Ofsted in the required timescale. Inspection report for children’s home: SC015254 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—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 2 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— 2 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC015254 7 the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child 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 9.7)  The registered person should ensure that a statement of purpose (regulation 16 and schedule 1) is kept under review. The home’s statement of purpose should be child focused, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the quality standards for the children in their care. In addition, the registered person must ensure they notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)

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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: SC015254 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspris Homes 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 Batchelor

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Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC015254 9 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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