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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 1 Registered provider: Aspris Care North West Limited

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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 is registered to provide care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The child spoke to the inspector.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Good 17/12/2024 Full Good 16/01/2024 Full Good 20/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 3

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Summary of findings

The child is settled in the home and is making progress in education, health and emotional wellbeing. There is effective multi-agency working, which supports positive outcomes for the child.

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Summary of findings

Staff know the child well and understand their needs and vulnerabilities. Care is child centred, which has led to a reduction of incidents.

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Summary of findings

One incident of distress was not managed appropriately, and the manager did not notify Ofsted, which limited external oversight. In addition, welfare checks are not always completed in line with the child’s plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved into the home, and one child has successfully moved on to independent living. Before moving in, the child had the opportunity to visit the home to help them prepare for the move. Staff carefully plan and manage moves in and out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s health needs. They work effectively with relevant professionals to ensure that support is available when needed. The child benefits from regular sessions with the in-house therapist, which helps them to understand and manage their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is valued in the home, and staff work effectively with education professionals. The child is supported and encouraged to have future aspirations and has secured a college placement on their chosen course.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys a range of activities that reflect their interests. Staff support them to develop independence skills and prepare them for their next steps. The child told the inspector that they feel ready for independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s bedroom is personalised and reflects their interests. The home is welcoming, with photos of the child displayed in communal areas. Some maintenance is needed, including repairs to walls; however, action was taken during the inspection to address this.

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

The child is kept safe by staff who are knowledgeable about their current needs and vulnerabilities. Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and know how to escalate concerns, including to external safeguarding partners. Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 4 The manager has established positive working relationships with partner agencies. Professionals speak positively about the quality of care the child receives and the progress they are making.

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

When the child becomes unsettled, staff respond calmly using effective de-escalation techniques. Staff take a therapeutic approach and use strategies to help the child understand and manage their emotions in line with their safety plan. This has resulted in a reduction in significant incidents.

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

Incidents are generally managed well. However, on one occasion, staff did not complete a room search to remove potential hazards, welfare checks were not conducted and a review of the risk assessment was not completed. Additionally, a notification was not sent to the regulator. This meant opportunities to minimise risk were missed and external oversight was not sought.

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

The child has developed positive relationships with staff. They benefit from regular key-work sessions on a range of topics. This provides opportunities for staff to explore the child’s experiences, relationships, emotional wellbeing and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced in childcare and holds the relevant qualification. They are supported by a stable staff team that knows the child well and provides consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and provide opportunities for reflection and learning. Staff receive regular supervision that supports professional development and reflective practice. Staff say they feel well supported by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a wide range of training that equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to meet the child’s needs. Safer recruitment processes are followed to help ensure that staff working in the home are suitable to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is generally effective and provides appropriate challenge. However, on one occasion, management oversight was insufficient, resulting in welfare checks not being completed in line with the child’s plans and risk assessments. This reduced opportunities for the manager to identify and address shortfalls in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Up-to-date care and education plans had not been received from external agencies. Although the manager has escalated this to the relevant professionals, it resulted in a delay in receiving key information. Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 5

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that thorough room searches are undertaken by staff to identify and remove items that may be used for self-harm, and that all room searches are clearly recorded in the home’s records.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that welfare checks are regularly conducted after incidents of distress and are clearly recorded in the home’s records.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that risk assessments are reviewed after incidents of self-harm. 23 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 6 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that significant incidents are notified to Ofsted in a timely manner. 23 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(ii)(iii)(c)) 23 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 7 The registered person must ensure that up-to-date care and educational plans are in place from the placing authorities and relevant agencies.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is well maintained and that the environment remains clean and well presented in order to meet the needs of the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.1)  The registered person should ensure that there is effective management oversight of staff practice and that poor practice is addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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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: 2550015 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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Inspector

Sonja Vega, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 9 and inspects 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 children looked after , safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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