Children's home run by Aspris Care North West Limited in Wyre

Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 1 Registered provider: Aspris Care North West Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. One child was spoken with during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 17 December 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: 1231399 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2024 Full Good 16/10/2023 Full Good 16/03/2023 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a nurturing environment. Staff are proactive in providing opportunities that enrich children’s lives and help them to seek new interests. One child, who was encouraged to explore new hobbies, developed a strong interest in ice skating. With consistent support from staff, the child attended weekly lessons and progressed to competing and receiving a gold medal in a competition. This shows growth in the children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education. One child has been helped to attend school and make progress, later enrolling at college on a course of their choice. Although the child was unable to continue due to unforeseen reasons, the experience has helped the child prepare for future success in education. Where education is not easily accessible for children, staff focus on their wellbeing to ensure that they are emotionally prepared to learn. This keeps children motivated, giving them confidence to try again when they are ready.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s faith and cultural needs are recognised and respected. They receive consistent support around their religious beliefs. Staff support children to explore their faith, actively attend a place of worship and participate in events such as a church youth group that supports younger children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and prioritised. Staff ensure that children attend essential healthcare appointments, and they work well with external agencies regarding children’s health and wellbeing needs. This means that children receive the help they need without delay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to maintain positive relationships with their family members. They ensure that plans are in place for children to see their families when they live far away and, if possible, stay with them for an extended period. Their working together with families allows children to feel a shared commitment to their care. One parent commented that staff had ‘saved [name of child]’s life’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel able to express their feelings and seek help from trusted staff. One child, who initially struggled to communicate their emotions, is now able to speak openly with staff. Staff help children express how they feel and what they need from staff. This helps staff to be responsive and, as a result, children to feel heard and well cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are areas of the home that need to be repaired. However, these repairs have not taken place. Furthermore, children’s bedrooms are not decorated according to their individual tastes. Where maintenance has taken place, these areas have not been redecorated. Consequently, the home is not presented in a way that is homely and warm for children who live there. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 4

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

Children living at the home are kept safe through staff’s consistent practice and support. Staff create thorough plans with the input of the in-house therapist, and children are helped to engage with specialist services. The joint working between staff and external services has helped children make meaningful progress, develop healthier coping strategies and improve their ability to manage strong emotions.

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

When one child moved out of the home to semi-independent living, detailed safety planning and targeted work were carried out to prepare them and build their confidence in readiness for the move. This ensured that there were plans to help the child manage their emotions and risks safely when living with reduced support.

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

Staff respond promptly when children go missing from home. They actively search for children and communicate effectively with relevant agencies. Children receive reassurance and emotional support when they return to the home. This response from staff reduces future risk and reinforces the children’s sense of safety and belonging.

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

However, there is no clear method for recording what children are wearing when they go missing from home. The manager has not ensured that there is clarity on where to record this information. This reduces the accuracy and reliability of information shared with external agencies at critical moments.

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

Staff use reflective practice after any incident occurs to identify learning and adjust their practice when needed. Staff communicate with the in-house therapist to ensure that their approach remains responsive to each child’s individual needs. Additionally, children benefit from sensitive conversations with staff that help them reflect on their behaviour and learn safer strategies and make better decisions.

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

Children’s plans include generic guidance for responding to risks. Plans do not give staff clear and specific instructions needed to manage unwanted behaviour effectively, limiting their ability to respond consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to improve practice. This is in relation to failing to fully identify risks when children move into the home. Children’s plans do not sufficiently explore or reflect historical information and known risks. As a result, staff are not always fully informed or prepared to manage behaviour that is known to be a concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders’ and managers’ reflections following incidents are limited. Actions taken by the manager are not thorough or clear. The manager relies heavily on the staff’s experience rather than providing them with clear direction and guidance. As a result, there is limited opportunity for lessons to be learned and for practice to improve over time. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 5 The manager does not demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s progress. There is no plan to show how children’s progress is measured or evidenced over time. It is not clear how progress is identified, monitored or reviewed. This means there is a lack of planning, which reduces the staff’s ability to demonstrate how they help children achieve better outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager does not ensure that therapeutic strategies identified inform children’s individual plans. Therapeutic guidance is not being applied effectively to the daily care of children. Therefore, children are not getting the most from specific therapeutic approaches designed to support their emotional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager maintains positive and trusting relationships with staff and children. Staff speak highly of the manager. The manager ensures that staff receive regular practice- related supervision sessions that help them reflect on children’s needs. Furthermore, the manager seeks specific training around the children’s identified needs to support the staff’s understanding of how to help them. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)) 3 April 2026

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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

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 3 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

staff are fully prepared with all relevant information in preparation for children arriving to the home;

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Requirement Due date

this information is kept under review and aligns with the children’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

children’s plans and risk assessments provide staff with guidance on how to meet the children’s needs.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission. In particular, staff should document what children are wearing when they leave the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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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: 1231399 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspris Care North West 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: Penelope Rafferty

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Inspector

Gary Smithson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 9 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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