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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 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 registered with Ofsted in January 2021 and is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 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.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since January 2026.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: This home was judged ‘requires improvement’ at a full inspection carried out on 29 and 30 May 2025. On 6 January 2026, serious and widespread concerns relating to the care and protection of children were identified during an assurance inspection. Shortfalls were found in the arrangements to safeguard children and in the effectiveness of the home’s management arrangements. As a result, two compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These notices related to Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). At a Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 2 monitoring visit on 9 February 2026, it was determined that the steps outlined in the compliance notices issued under Regulations 12 and 13 had been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/03/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/02/2024 Full Good 06/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 4

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress from their individual starting points. Staff understand children’s needs and help them move towards independence.

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Summary of findings

The manager and staff understand how to keep children safe. Missing-from-home responses are consistent, and the frequency of these incidents has reduced since the last inspection.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers proactively address shortfalls in practice. Staff feel supported and confident to care for children safely. However, not all staff have up-to-date training.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience nurturing care. Staff recognise and celebrate children’s achievements, taking into account their individual starting points. They use praise and consistent care to build trusting relationships with children. Children benefit from staff demonstrating resilience and using a restorative approach to rebuild relationships when children have been unhappy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with their families are prioritised. Children are helped to maintain safe contact with the people who are important to them. Children’s families are welcomed to the home. Staff work closely with families and professionals to build and maintain relationships between children and their families, at a level children feel comfortable with. One child’s parent said, ‘Staff keep me updated on everything that is happening for [name of child].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate strongly for children to attend education provisions. One child has performed well in their recent examinations and has an education plan in place for the autumn term. When children are not attending school, staff work creatively with children and professionals to find alternative education based on children’s interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build their independence. Their wishes are carefully considered, with clear plans for children and staff to work together to achieve. Staff are creative in using everyday opportunities to enhance children’s skills for adulthood, and children are making good progress towards moving on to supported accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are sensitive when discussing healthcare matters with children, helping them to seek help without embarrassment. Staff ensure that all relevant information is available to health professionals to reduce delays in accessing specialist services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to understand their own and each other’s identities. Staff take time to get to know children, so they feel safe to express themselves. They seek opportunities Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 5 and activities for children to explore their identities and report bullying or harassment from external sources to the police.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professional relationships with key stakeholders have improved since the last inspection. Clear and consistent communication from the manager and staff drive a strong multi- agency approach in line with children’s care plans, and children are making good progress. One social worker said, ‘Communication is positive; we have a very good relationship and openly discuss any changes that need to be made.’

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

Children understand how to keep themselves safe. Staff advocate effectively for children, considering children’s wishes for independence while managing and responding to the risks for children when they are outside the home.

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

The management of allegations has improved since the last inspection. Staff understand the procedure, ensuring that children’s safety is prioritised and that staff are supported appropriately. Children are encouraged and supported to share their views throughout the allegation process.

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

The manager and staff understand the risks for each child. Risk assessments are updated appropriately and include a clear understanding of additional restrictions to children’s independence. Staff demonstrate a consistent understanding of how to reduce risks for children and work effectively with key people to promote their safety.

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

When children are missing from home, staff consistently look for them. Close partnership working with the police supports children to return home safely. Regular discussions with children help them understand the actions staff take when their whereabouts are unknown. The frequency of missing-from-home incidents has reduced since the last full inspection.

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

Children are cared for by safe adults. The manager ensures that processes are in place to verify that appropriate checks for agency workers have been carried out before they work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are led by a committed and dedicated manager. The manager leads by example, ensuring that staff understand safeguarding practice and the children’s individual needs. Staff feel supported and confident. One staff member said, ‘Everything is different now (since the last assurance visit). We went through the changes with the manager, it works as it should do, and everyone knows what they need to do.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The skills and knowledge staff have regarding the individual needs of children have improved, and safeguarding training is regularly updated. A small number of staff are not up to date with all their required training. This includes one staff member whose physical intervention training has lapsed. However, no physical interventions have been used. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 6 Staff receive detailed and timely support. Supervision sessions focus on the impact of practice on children, as well as staff wellbeing. The sessions are effective in addressing areas for development and helping staff to understand safeguarding processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a significant improvement in staff understanding of how to help children make progress. Team meetings are used effectively to share positive practice and have improved the consistency of care for the children. However, night staff do not regularly attend team meetings, and children have experienced inconsistent boundaries on a few occasions during the night. Learning from these incidents through team meetings is limited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the team’s strengths and areas for development. Monitoring and review systems have improved since the last inspection and provide a clear evaluation of the impact that the care has on children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No agency staff have provided care for the children. The manager has ensured that staff known to the children provide care. The high level of support to the staff has meant there is limited staff sick leave. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 7

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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 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that night staff members frequently attend team meetings;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that all mandatory training is kept up to date for all staff, including physical intervention training. 27 October 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: 2605512 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

Beth Bird, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 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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