Children's home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1278017 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care and support for up to 6 children who may have experienced neglect, abuse and/or trauma that has left them vulnerable. The children may have autism, a diagnosis of developmental delay or have learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a school registered with the Department for Education on the same site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

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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: 28 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: 1278017 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2025 Full Good 15/08/2023 Full Outstanding 11/05/2022 Full Good 07/02/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: 1278017 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of inspection, 5 children were living at the home. One child moved in during the inspection. Since the last inspection, one child has moved on and 3 children have moved in. Leaders and managers supported one child to move to alternative accommodation provided by the organisation to meet this child’s growing needs. Three of the children contributed to this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves are sensitively managed. The manager considers the needs of children living at the home and the likely impact of the new child. Staff meet new children, and the children have opportunities to visit the home before they move in. Staff support new children to quickly settle. Consequently, children develop bonds with staff and peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend time with the children and develop warm and nurturing relationships with them. The children appear comfortable, happy and relaxed in their home. They spend time in the company of staff and other children in the communal areas of the home. Warm interactions of laughter and banter between children and staff were observed during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to the children, and they have input in the running of their home. The children participate in a wide range of fun activities of their choice. Staff document the children’s achievements and memories through ‘positive books’. Staff are thoughtful in the language they use about children in their daily recordings. Staff meet the children’s cultural needs. They support them to explore their identity, which helps the children develop positive self-image.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s education. They encourage and support the children to attend school. Staff advocate for children to ensure schools make reasonable adjustments to meet the child’s needs. For example, staff have supported one child to share their voice in how they want to be supported in college. As a result, this child returned to college after a period of absence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to learn independence skills such as cooking, maintaining personal hygiene, understanding money and keeping safe in the community. Children make progress that is personal for them. For example, one child now has unsupervised time in the community and safely returns home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in spending time with important people in their lives. They welcome family visits to the home and help children maintain friendships. Staff also assist children in managing difficult emotions that may arise from challenges with family relationships. This helps children preserve meaningful connections. Inspection report for children's home: 1278017 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

Staff offer individualised support to children. They understand and take into account children’s early childhood experiences. Staff consult the home’s therapist about strategies on how best to support children. As a result, incidents are few, but when they do occur, these are well managed. Following incidents, staff have in-depth discussions with children, allowing them to express their feelings.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour and provide consistent boundaries and routines for children. This creates a predictable environment and helps children understand expectations. When children are upset, staff use de-escalation techniques such as humour, calm approaches, playfulness and offering space. Children are given the support and space to calm down. As a result, staff have not needed to use restraint.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do, it is for a short duration and they remain in the local area. Staff follow children when they leave the home without permission. Staff share any concerns and relevant information with the police and children’s social workers. Staff ensure that after going missing, children are offered a return home interview with independent professionals. They use the learning from these interviews to improve care. For example, one child is now allowed unsupervised walks nearby when they want to calm down, which has significantly reduced unauthorised absences from the home.

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

Staff support children to take risks appropriate to their age and development, and this is included in each child’s dynamic risk assessment. Staff have regular conversations with children on issues affecting them, such as online safety, personal hygiene and appropriate touch and physical space. Children develop skills to keep themselves safe. One child is now having independent time in the community, and another child is now accessing their mobile phone.

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

Allegations about staff and concerns about staff conduct are rare. When they occur, they are taken seriously and fully investigated by the manager. Children’s safety and well-being are prioritised, and staff are also appropriately supported. Relevant professionals are informed, including the local authority designated officer. Training for staff is appropriately identified however on one occasion there was a delay in safeguarding refresher training taking place for one member of staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a longstanding management team. Leaders and managers are ambitious for children. They have a good understanding of the children’s needs and the progress that children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and senior leaders provide a supportive environment for staff. Staff feel well supported and connected as a team. Managers are approachable and offer practice guidance and support when needed. Staff receive regular supervision, which Inspection report for children's home: 1278017 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

is focused on their wellbeing as well as children’s needs. Staff benefit from detailed discussions in team meetings and consultations with the home’s therapist, which help them better understand children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work collaboratively with other professionals to meet the children’s needs. They meet regularly with professionals to discuss children’s progress and consider any support strategies needed. Professionals highlight the positive impact that staff’s support has had on the children’s social and emotional development. Managers promote a learning and reflective culture within the team. For example, senior leaders cascaded the learning from a complaint to the team through meetings and supervisions. This learning emphasised the importance of maintaining professional boundaries in the workplace. Managers and staff also reflect on and adapt support strategies to align with children’s changing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete the organisation’s mandatory training. Most staff hold the relevant level 3 qualification, and new staff are enrolled on the course. Staff also undertake training specific to the needs of children prior to admission. However, on one occasion, staff did not complete specific training related to a child’s needs before the child was admitted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and senior leaders maintain effective oversight of the home and ensure children receive the good-quality help and support they need. The one requirement and one recommendation set at the last inspection are met. Inspection report for children's home: 1278017 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have additional appropriate training on Honour Based Violence to meet the specific health and development needs of individual children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 1278017 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services 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

Priscilla Koroka, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1278017 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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