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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 1 Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home. Their views were sought during the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2018.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2025 Full Good 19/03/2024 Full Good 13/03/2023 Full Good 04/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children receive exceptional care from an experienced, skilled and dedicated team. They thrive and make rapid progress, which they then sustain. This success is due to the highly individualised care and stability provided by staff who know the children well. Children enjoy a huge range of activities and have opportunities to increase their self- esteem. Through charity events, they contribute to the community, and one child has received support in securing a part-time job. This helps children develop their strengths and pursue interests. Children report feeling well looked after and say that the home feels like home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are currently decorating children’s rooms with their involvement. Children have chosen their colour schemes and personalised their spaces. They also enjoy spending time with each other downstairs, where they have fun gaming and cooking together. Solid relationships are formed, and there is a strong sense of family; children learn how to have empathy for the feelings of others. Children are enabled to regularly see people who are important to them, which maintains their identities and sense of belonging to their families.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The managers and staff have helped children build healthy daily routines. They enjoy taking care of themselves and performing age-appropriate tasks, such as bringing their laundry for washing. Children learn how to be independent incrementally, and they gradually take on responsibilities they can safely manage. One child enjoys catching the bus to their hometown to buy sweets; another child is learning to appreciate the outdoors through the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide excellent support to two children with specific medical needs. The deputy manager has strongly advocated for one child to undergo a specific procedure at home. This has significantly reduced their anxiety. The child has made enormous progress in managing their condition independently. This has given them more freedom to enjoy life outside the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy their school life. Two children attend very well and have positive experiences learning and socialising. Another child has just secured a school place of their choice. This was achieved through the diligence and persistence of the managers. The child is now excited to start school and has prepared their uniform in anticipation.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager has developed creative ways to engage with children. The home has a podcast studio that children use to talk about their feelings and significant events. Children find these enjoyable and useful. They also have regular access to a farm, where they find comfort in visiting animals and learning about more exotic creatures. Regular holidays and trips are arranged that offer new experiences and opportunities to see new places. Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 4

p.3

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

The manager and staff understand risks posed to and from children. They manage these effectively through detailed risk management and behaviour support plans. When new risks emerge, the staff respond quickly to ensure that children are kept safe from harm.

p.4

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

Children are settled and rarely go missing from home. On one occasion, a child went missing for a short period at night. Staff maintained contact with them and followed all missing-from-home procedures. The child was spoken to afterwards and was able to share the reasons that contributed to the incident. This enabled staff to support the child and reduce the risk of this happening again.

p.4

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

Staff help children manage their emotions in healthy ways. There has been a large reduction in incidents involving children being held to keep them safe. When holds have been necessary, they have been at the lowest level to prevent children from hurting themselves or others. There have been good levels of reflection following incidents, and children have opportunities to express how they felt.

p.4

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

Children are supported in staying safe online. Staff regularly check devices with children’s agreement. There was a timely response to some online concerns for one child. This risk is being closely monitored until the child learns more about the online world.

p.4

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

Staff consult an in-house therapist for guidance around how to meet children’s emotional needs. The therapist is building relationships with the children, which creates opportunities for structured therapy in the future. Staff implement recommended approaches in children’s daily lives to assist them in overcoming some of their anxieties.

p.4

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

The manager responds quickly when concerns are raised about staff. Concerns are addressed through additional supervision and training, and the manager ensures that the impact on children is kept to a minimum. Relevant agencies are informed when required, and there are clear outcomes from these processes. The manager ensures that new staff are recruited safely through appropriate vetting procedures.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong and experienced management team led by a dedicated and child- focused manager. The manager has high aspirations for children and recognises the importance of his role in children having positive futures. The deputy managers are experts in the children they care for and guide the team well.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager. They provided unanimous positive feedback about his level of competence. Staff appreciate his commitment to the home, and this has a positive influence over staff retention. Staff receive regular supervision, which focuses on children’s progress and staff’s wellbeing and development. Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 5 The manager ensures that staff receive training and development relevant to children’s needs. The team is also starting to benefit from the in-house therapist’s knowledge and skills. However, the current practice of using ‘sanctions’ in response to some of the children’s behaviour does not fit well with the therapeutic approach specified in the statement of purpose. Managers are yet to fully embed consistency in this area across the team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers make careful and considered decisions about children moving into the home. This minimises the risk of children having to move on in unplanned ways. One child has swapped places with a child at the ‘sister home’, which has been a successful transition, as both children are now more settled.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals have high levels of confidence in the manager and staff. There are positive relationships with external agencies and frequent communication. Managers attend key meetings with children and are strong advocates for their wishes and feelings. They are influential in the decisions made about children’s wider care plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. They should also play a key role in shaping the home’s ethos by fostering a culture of high aspiration for children, which is reflected in the care, resources and opportunities provided to them. This includes ensuring that all responses to children’s behaviour align with the overall therapeutic approach implemented in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

p.6

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: 1269421 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspris Children’s Services Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspectors

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Patrick Rowell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1269421 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8