Children's home run by Aspire Care and Education Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 1241263 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Registered provider: Aspire Care and Education Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to eight children with learning difficulties and speech, language and communication needs. There were five children living in the home at the time of the inspection. One young person living in the home is over the age of 18.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 22 July 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1241263 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2025 Full Outstanding 22/11/2023 Full Outstanding 07/03/2023 Full Outstanding 14/09/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1241263 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making marked progress living in this home. For some of the children it is considerable. One child who was previously food avoidant has been supported with a phased plan to begin to experience and eat new foods. Another child has developed the skills to use the toilet independently through consistent and structured routines. This progress has taken patience and dedication from the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are excellent at listening to and acting on the views of the children. Staff are creative in their approaches in gaining the views, wishes and feelings of children. One child has been out of formal education for an extended period, staff have ensured they have access to advocacy services and have escalated their concerns with both the local MP and the children’s commissioner to secure appropriate access to learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff are highly skilled in the consistent use of individualised communication aids for the children. This supports children’s understanding and helps them to make choices. Staff provide individualised help to children, taking each child’s complex needs into account. This focused support from staff helped a child with complex communication needs understand a recent significant health diagnosis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

New children coming to live in this home are well supported by staff to understand where they are moving to. Children’s guides are skilfully adapted to ensure that information is accessible to them despite their complex communication needs. Plans for children moving out of the home are well thought out, child focused and proceed at the pace that is right for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment is spacious and there are several communal areas which have been developed with the children’s needs in mind. Children access these areas freely. Children’s bedrooms are bespoke and children have been fully included in the personalisation of these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff respond imaginatively to the children’s cultural needs. For example, one child is supported to understand their heritage and is given choice around their religious preferences and attendance at their place of worship.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s relationships with those important to them are promoted and photos of family members are on display in the home. Family members are held in mind and regular updates are provided to support on going relationships. One child’s social worker said, ‘This collaborative approach helps strengthen family relationships.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There is a committed staff team who speak very fondly of the children they care for, they express pride in the children and their achievements. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241263 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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

Staff understand the risks that children face. Children’s social workers report that children are well cared for and are kept safe. They are confident in the home’s responses to any incidents. One social worker highlighting that the manager is ‘very responsive’.

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

Staff know the children well. They remain vigilant to any changes of behaviours and intervene quickly to de-escalate situations. Their consistent approach coupled with children’s increased communication skills, reduces incidents and helps children to manage their emotions. Staff use social stories to support children to understand and manage any risks. When any new or emerging risks arise, the manager ensures that appropriate tailored support or training is provided to the staff in response to this.

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

Safeguarding incidents are rare. When these do occur, they are well managed and appropriately responded to. Information is shared with necessary professionals which provides an added layer of external scrutiny.

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

The use of physical intervention is proportionate, and any occurrences are clearly recorded. Both children and staff are given the opportunity to speak about their experience following, and the manager attempts to learn lessons from any incidents to further reduce the need for restrictive approaches.

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

Medication is stored appropriately and is administered by trained and competent staff. Medication errors are rare, when a medication error occurred, it was swiftly responded to, and the necessary actions were taken by staff.

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

The home provides a safe physical environment for the children. Any use of surveillance and restriction are appropriate, balanced and kept under regular review. The manager actively considers ways to reduce these and utilises external guidance to inform this.

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

Staff recruitment processes are robust; this minimises the chance of unsafe adults caring for children. The manager ensures that agency staff recruitment checks are carefully scrutinised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified and dedicated to providing high quality care to the children. She is open to continuous improvements in the best interests of children and strives to improve practice. She has good oversight of the home and has clear monitoring systems in place to support this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff provided unanimous positive feedback, reporting that they are happy in their work, feel well supported and that leaders and managers remain available and approachable to them. Since the last inspection there has been some changes to management arrangements. This was due to a period of extended leave for both the manager and Inspection report for children’s home: 1241263 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

deputy. These changes have been well managed, and staff and children were well prepared for the changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work closely with a wide range of external professionals due to the complex needs of the children who live here. The manager values this specialist input and is committed to creating multi-disciplinary approaches to children’s care. This supports highly effective care in all aspects of the children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records and plans are not always kept up to date. While this has not negatively affected their care, it limits the information available and future access to records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home uses consistent staff from an external agency who have good relationships with the children. There have been several occasions when the use of agency staff was increased overnight, and they outnumbered permanent staff. Although this was in response to the changing needs of the children, it did not provide children with the usual consistency they are familiar with. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241263 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure no more than half the staff on duty at any one time, by day or night at the home should be from an external agency. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.17)  The registered person should ensure all children’s case records are kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 1241263 7 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspire Care and Education Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rift Accounting House, 160 Eureka Park, Upper Pemberton, Kennington, Ashford, Kent TN25 4AZ

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Inspector

Cassie Martin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1241263 8 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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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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