Children's Home run by Aspris Care North West Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 1 Registered provider: Aspris Care North West Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in March 2020 and is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspectors spoke with both children.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager’s registration was completed in October 2020, establishing the current leadership arrangements.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The inspection started on 17 March 2026. Inspectors returned to gather additional evidence on 27 March 2026, in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2025 Full Outstanding 31/10/2023 Full Good 17/01/2023 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Inspectors returned to gather additional evidence after receiving a notification that there had been a fire in the home. The fire resulted in one child moving out in an unplanned way. Staff did not take appropriate action to respond to concerns shared and keep the child safe.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home environment is poor. There is damage in the home, including one child’s bedroom that has not been repaired. The home appears worn and dated, and some areas are unclean. This affects the children’s sense of pride in their living environment. One child said they do not think the home is up to standards.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

When plans are in place for children to move on from the home, they are supported in developing their independent living skills. Their progress is monitored to ensure that they have the necessary skills to live independently. However, children do not always receive the support they should receive from partner agencies, which increases their vulnerabilities as they leave care and move into adulthood.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Although children benefit from a consistent staff team and access to an independent advocate, their plans and risk assessments sometimes do not reflect their views, and some say they feel unheard.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite the shortfalls in safeguarding, staff encourage children to build positive relationships with their families and adults who are close to them. Families say they receive regular feedback about their children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children’s education and learning and advocate for them when needed. They take appropriate steps to ensure that children remain engaged in education. This helps ensure that children make progress and have positive aspirations for the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children’s physical and emotional health needs. Children are encouraged to access support from health professionals when needed. They are supported in making positive and informed decisions about their health and medication in a way that is appropriate and empowering for them.

p.3

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

Staff do not take effective action to safeguard children. Although they generally work effectively with partner agencies and share information, they fail to respond proactively to concerns raised by other professionals. This led to an incident in the home in which a fire was started. Although the fire was small and quickly extinguished, the incident was preventable. This demonstrates significant weaknesses in staff’s ability to recognise, assess and respond to risk, leaving children vulnerable to harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 4 The manager has not ensured that the home has the appropriate fire equipment. The fire and health and safety risk assessments are carried out in line with the provider’s policies. However, the recommendations relating to fire extinguishers and the risk assessments to ensure adequate fire equipment in high-risk areas have not been implemented.

p.3

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

Staff do not motivate children effectively to engage with their local community or to make use of available social opportunities. One child who is due to move on to live independently in the coming months has not been adequately supported to develop independence skills in the community or to experience everyday risks in a planned and safe way. Consequently, their preparation for adulthood is limited, and their understanding of daily risks is poor.

p.4

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

Staff know what action to take when children go missing from home and understand children’s individual vulnerabilities. They actively search for children and work well with other agencies to ensure that children return safely. Children are offered an independent return home interview alongside emotional support from staff. This helps children understand that staff genuinely care for them and reduces risks.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that staff understand what action they should take when a child is struggling with poor mental health and suicidal ideation. Staff did not follow multi-agency safety plans and risk assessments to ensure that a child received the support and monitoring they needed. This meant a child was at significant risk of harm.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Conflicting information in incident reports raises concerns about the integrity of recording. Information provided by staff and written records are sometimes contradictory. The manager was unable to provide clarity regarding safeguarding information and actions taken.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a lack of professional challenge, and opportunities to improve the quality of care to ensure children’s safety are repeatedly missed. Although the manager reviews incidents that occur in the home and offers opportunities for children and staff to reflect on significant events, the manager does not identify shortfalls or inconsistencies in staff practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are missed opportunities for professional curiosity to help improve outcomes for children. Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions and appraisals. However, supervision sessions do not always include reflective discussions to identify improvements in staff practice and the care provided to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager provides support to staff for their wellbeing, which helps maintain a stable staff team. Staff receive training and support that are relevant to the needs of the children, and there are plans to introduce research into practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.5

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

p.5

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff understand what actions they should take when a child is experiencing poor mental health and suicidal ideation.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff understand and follow risk assessments and safety plans to support children when they are experiencing low mood and suicidal ideation. 8 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 6 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a robust system in place to monitor their oversight of serious incidents, as well as the care children receive.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that any inconsistencies in staff’s records and verbal accounts of serious incidents are challenged effectively to enable accurate evaluation and identify improvements in children’s care and safety. 8 May 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— 8 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 7 take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that suitable fire equipment is located as advised by the fire and rescue authority and accessible in the event of a fire.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vi)(vii)(c)(i)(ii)

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is well maintained and clean and that any damage is repaired promptly.

p.7

Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that children are supported in building confidence and accessing community resources to enable them to prepare for adulthood. 8 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 8 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.7

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

p.8

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

p.8

Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

p.8

Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to the registered person raising an appropriate challenge with other professionals to ensure that children who are leaving care have the support they are entitled to. 8 May 2026

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children can express their views about all aspects of their daily lives and are helped to understand decisions and feel heard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)  The registered person should ensure that staff can reflect on their practice and how it affects children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.1)

p.8

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: 2582250 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspris Care North West Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Penelope Rafferty

p.9

Inspectors

Shaun Martin, Social Care Inspector Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2582250 10 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.

p.9

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.10

Inspectors

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

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10