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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2630934 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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

A large national provider operates this home. The home provides care for up to 5 children with social and/or emotional difficulties and mild learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living in the home. All children were given the opportunity to speak with the inspector, and the inspector spoke with 3 of them.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified and experienced manager is in post.

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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: 9 September 2024

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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: 2630934 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/09/2024 Full Good 20/06/2023 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2630934 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, clean, warm, well-furnished and well decorated. Children’s certificates and photos celebrating their experiences are on display. Toys, games and DVDs are all accessible. Children’s bedrooms are highly personalised, reflecting their individual hobbies and interests. The homely environment contributes to children’s enjoyment of living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home. One child scored it a 9.5 out of 10, while another scored it a perfect 10, saying, ‘I love it.’ Children enjoy positive relationships with staff, who they describe as ‘amazing’. One child said, ‘I love the staff, they are great.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their individual starting points and they talk to staff about their worries, which helps them to regulate their feelings and emotions. However, the records of these important conversations do not consistently demonstrate how staff are supporting children to achieve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported with their physical and mental health. Staff work with children and partner agencies to ensure they have a good understanding of children’s health needs. As a result, children are physically healthy and are receiving the support they need to improve their mental and emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly spend time with family members and other people who are important to them. Staff are skilled at working in partnership with children’s families and family members speak highly of the staff and the care children receive. One family member said of their child, ‘He talks about staff there as if they are family.’ Another said, ‘I am so happy he is there. He is so happy, it is the perfect place for him. You can tell he is getting all his needs met.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities of their choosing. They go to theme parks, the cinema, ice skating, fishing and swimming, and enjoy holidays. One professional said of the child they work with, ‘He seems to be living a really full and rich life with plenty of activities.’ These experiences bring children joy and help them build memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education for children. Three children living in the home are in full-time education and are making good progress. Education professionals say that this is supported through excellent communication and partnership working. For one child who is not in education, the manager has ensured they are engaged in structured activities and has access to a tutor for 16 hours a week. However, the barriers to the child engaging in education have not been identified and there is no clear plan for how any barriers might be overcome. As a result, opportunities to support the child returning to full-time education are missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2630934 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans do not always contain up-to-date and relevant information. This increases the chance that children’s appointments, or actions for staff, will be missed. Since the last inspection, 4 children have moved into the home, and 2 have moved out. Before children move into the home, leaders and managers do not always fully consider whether staff have the skills to meet the needs of all the children living in the home. This has resulted in immediate notice being served after a very short period for one child. The lack of careful planning resulted in the child experiencing additional moves, which may have been avoided.

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

Children feel safe living in the home and safeguarding incidents are rare. Because children feel listened to and feel that staff help them, they rarely make complaints or allegations. When children do make allegations, managers take them seriously. Investigations are carried out promptly to ensure children are safe.

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

Children’s positive relationships with staff mean they are able to tell them if they have feelings about self-harm. Staff are able to work with children and involve them in creating plans to keep safe.

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

Children rarely go missing. When they do, staff follow children’s plans, working with partner agencies to ensure children return home safely.

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

Children benefit from clear and consistent boundaries. Staff rarely use consequences to support children’s behaviour. When they do, consequences are restorative in nature. Staff speak to children, helping them to learn from incidents. Children’s achievements are acknowledged and encouraged using rewards. This supports children’s progress.

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

Staff are skilled in helping children to calm when they feel angry, upset or worried. As a result, staff rarely have to restrain children. When they do, it is only to keep children or others safe. The manager has good oversight of the use of restraint, making sure its use is necessary and proportionate. However, one area of restrictive practice, the use of bedroom door alarms, is not regularly reviewed, and a blanket approach has been taken. This impacts on children’s right to privacy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are ambitious for the children in their care. They use their oversight to improve children’s experiences. Children speak positively of the dedicated and hardworking manager. One child said of leaders and managers, ‘They are great. If I need anything I go to them and speak about it.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure staff are supported through regular supervision meetings, team meetings and training relevant to children’s individual needs. Input from the home’s psychotherapist supports staff in understanding children’s behaviour and how best to help them. Because of this, children are cared for by staff who are knowledgeable and understand them well. Inspection report for children’s home: 2630934 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and enjoy working in the home. They speak of positive team morale and describe a learning culture. This means that children are cared for by a motivated and consistent team. As a result, children experience a sense of stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is skilled at working in partnership with children’s professionals to ensure children’s needs are met. External professionals are overwhelmingly positive about the manager and her staff team. One professional said, ‘She is a manager that is there for the children and is hands on.’ Another said, ‘They go the extra mile. They tailor the care to [name of child]’s personal needs. It is very satisfying to see.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2630934 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the barriers to children accessing education are clearly identified, and there are plans to support children in overcoming such barriers. 27 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(b)(i)) 27 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2630934 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that before children are admitted to the home, they fully consider the staff’s ability to meet the needs of all the children living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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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—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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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 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the use of door alarms is necessary and proportionate, and that it is kept under regular review. 27 February 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the conversations staff have with children, to support them in making progress, are recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 18, paragraph 3.31)

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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: 2630934 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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: 2630934 9 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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