Children's Home run by Aspiration House Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2691525 1 Registered provider: Aspiration House 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

This home registered with Ofsted in March 2023 and is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to 6 children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The home has 2 houses on the site. One house can accommodate 2 children and the other can accommodate 4 children.

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Information about this children's home

The home has a school on the same site, which children living at the home can attend. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children's home

Since the last inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home. At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home and 2 children spent time with 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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2691525 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2025 Full Good 14/01/2025 Full Good 20/09/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2691525 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive good-quality care from staff and managers who know them well, understand their individual needs and care about them Children are supported by staff to participate in making decisions about the running of the home. Staff encourage children to communicate their choices and learn independence skills.

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Summary of findings

Children are helped to stay safe while being supported to experience and enjoy their local community. Staff understand children's individual risks and respond appropriately when these increase, ensuring that risks are well managed and kept under review.

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Summary of findings

The home has experienced significant changes in leadership and management. Staff morale has been low, resulting in some staff leaving. The new manager has invested time in rebuilding the staff team through support, reflection and development opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with managers and staff who know them well, genuinely care about their welfare and have high aspirations for them. Staff understand each child's individual needs and communication style, enabling all children, including those who are nonverbal, to make meaningful choices each day. As a result, children feel valued, develop confidence and continue to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff value education and work in close partnership with the on-site school. Staff provide effective support throughout the school day, enabling children to participate fully and achieve positive outcomes. One child has developed their listening skills and ability to follow instructions, another has made significant progress in reading, and one child is working towards GCSE qualifications. Children have excellent school attendance and are all making good educational progress. One child's mother said, '[Name of child] has improved massively, far beyond what I expected.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities that reflect their interests and developmental needs. Staff also introduce new experiences to broaden children's opportunities and build their confidence. Children enjoy activities, such as horse riding, cycling, trips to the beach, extra-curricular sports and volunteering in the community. Children develop new skills, increase their independence and become more confident in accessing their local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend meaningful time with those people who are important to them. Managers and staff go above and beyond to promote and strengthen these relationships. This includes supporting one child's planned reunification with their family, and regularly welcoming another child's parent into the home to spend time with their Inspection report for children's home: 2691525 4 child. This child-centred approach means that children develop a stronger sense of belonging and maintain important relationships with their families.

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

Children are supported to take risks in line with their individual needs and developmental stage. Staff have a strong understanding of each child's risks and behaviour support needs. Risk assessments are clear, proportionate and individualised. When risks increase, staff respond quickly. They review strategies and continue to promote opportunities rather than restricting them. As a result, children are supported to develop resilience, independence and confidence while enjoying new opportunities and experiences.

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

Children's communication is often expressed through their behaviours. Physical intervention is used appropriately and proportionately to keep children and others safe. Recent improvements have strengthened processes, including recording children's conversations and observations in line with each child's individual communication style. Themes and patterns are explored by the leaders and managers to identify learning to improve the quality of care that children receive. This has helped staff to better understand children and respond more effectively to their needs.

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

Managers and staff work effectively with placing authorities and partner agencies to promote children's safety and wellbeing. The manager has developed strategies to help professionals attending the home to better understand children's individual needs and respond in a way that reduces anxiety for children. This approach ensures that children are supported by professionals who understand them and who can respond effectively to their individual communication styles, so children feel safe and understood.

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

Prior to the new manager, some staff supervision of children was not adequate. The new manager has reviewed all incidents, identified themes and implemented learning to strengthen staff practice. However, risk assessments during ongoing investigations have not always been sufficiently robust. Although the impact on children has been minimal, this remains an area requiring further improvement to ensure that risks are consistently identified, managed and reduced.

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

The home has experienced a period of change in both management and senior leadership. During this time, staff reported a lack of support and opportunities for reflection, resulting in some staff feeling blamed rather than supported. Staff development and progress, including training, supervision and appraisals, were not consistently implemented and did not always promote learning, reflection or professional growth. This had a negative impact on staff morale, confidence and retention, with some staff choosing to leave the home. The impact on children was mitigated by the commitment and resilience of those staff who remained. However, the instability affected the consistency of support available to the staff team and remains an area requiring continued improvement. Inspection report for children's home: 2691525 5 The new manager is passionate and child focused and has a strong understanding of children's complex needs. She speaks about children and staff with warmth and care.

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

She is supported by a deputy who shares her vision and ethos. Since she has been in post, she has begun to strengthen practice by providing clear leadership and promoting a culture where children's individual needs are at the centre of decision-making. Children benefit from a leadership team that is committed to improving outcomes and ensuring that children receive high-quality care.

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

Staff have been unanimously positive about the impact of the new management team. Some staff who previously left the home of reapplied for positions, demonstrating increased confidence in the leadership's direction. Team meetings provide a safe space for reflective discussions, enabling staff to be open and honest about their experiences and working together towards a shared vision. This has created a more collaborative culture that is focused on achieving the best outcomes for children.

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

Leaders and managers have effective systems in place to provide oversight and have taken time to review incidents. Clear actions have been identified to strengthen staff confidence; however, these require more time to be embedded to further improve staff practice. Training has been prioritised and is tailored to the children's individual needs. Staff support remains a key priority for the management team, to continue to help staff feel supported and better equipped to meet children's needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2691525 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(s) 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

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)(b)) 19 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

Behaviour management policies and records.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. 19 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2691525 7 The relevant date is—

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the manager and staff received regular, practice-related supervision and yearly appraisals

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 19 August 2026

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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: 2691525 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Aspiration House Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 1 Hardman Street, Spinningfields, Manchester, Greater Manchester M3 3HF

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Inspector

Mandy Wake, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2691525 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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