Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 1 Registered provider: Homes2inspire 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 large private organisation and provides care and accommodation for five children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered

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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

Date of last inspection: 10 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff understand their role and responsibilities within the production of children’s placement plans. Specifically, ensure the detail of how the home intends to meet each area of identified individual need is reflected within each child’s plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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Recommendations

 Strengthen management oversight of care arrangements to ensure a direct link is made between ‘key worker sessions’ and the child’s placement plan and that the quality of such work is overseen by the manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Settled placements enable children to build positive relationships with staff. One child said, ‘I really like it here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a say in the running of the home. They have recently been involved in choosing decor and new furniture. Staff work hard to encourage children to take part in a range of activities and trips out. Staff are involving children in the planning for a group summer holiday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are able to maintain relationships with their families and friends. Staff support home visits and encourage children to develop appropriate social relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child is making progress. For some, this means starting to make positive plans for the future, and for others it means keeping a part-time job. The trusting relationships between staff and children are key to the progress they are each making. They are comfortable seeking support from staff, and talking about personal issues. One child said, ‘The best thing about this home is the staff. It is a weird sort of family’.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is seen as important. While there are frequent challenges, staff remain committed to the promotion of attendance and achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn independent living skills. As well as budgeting, shopping and cooking, children are encouraged to take on increasing responsibility for their own care arrangements and decision-making. Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 4

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

Children are learning about risk and how to keep themselves safe. Staff use detailed risk management plans to guide practice, and they confidently respond to safeguarding issues as they arise. Children are developing resilience and learn through reflection.

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

Children become safer during their time at this home. One young person recently went through of period of four weeks without going missing. This is notable when compared to almost daily missing incidents when she was first admitted.

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

Additional staff training and regular ‘learning circles’ facilitated by the acting manager have enhanced safeguarding practice.

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

Safeguarding incidents are responded to promptly and appropriately. Management decisions demonstrate that children’s safety and well-being is always prioritised.

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

Children live in a safe and well-maintained home. Broad-ranging risk management plans and environmental risk assessments inform daily living and help to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been many changes within the staff team since the last inspection, including a new manager and deputy manager. While these changes initially had an unsettling impact on the children, the stable and consistent team is an improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The enthusiastic manager, who started working in the home December 2017, is described by staff as ‘highly motivating’. She has identified areas of weakness and taken broad-ranging actions to strengthen the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff have been carefully selected and their development is prioritised. Staff feel supported and receive a good level of training. This means that they understand how best to meet the needs of each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of multi-agency relationships is good. A professional praised the team for the way they encourage a child to engage with her.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of management oversight is generally very good. However, a recommendation has been set to improve oversight of one-to-one ‘key worker sessions’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to escalating concerns, staff the home recognised that they were unable to meet the needs of some children placed at the home. The team worked closely with placing authorities to support transitions to new placements. The manager leads a culture of reflection and takes every opportunity to learn from events and strengthen practice. She has identified points about placement matching, which she is taking forward into future practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The three requirements set at the time of the last inspection have each been addressed. Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 5  Safeguarding arrangements are much improved.  Staff have a much improved understanding of their roles and responsibilities.  Placement planning has been strengthened and staff demonstrate a good awareness of the plans for each child. However, while no detrimental impact on children is identified, the lack of detail in some planning documents raises the potential for needs to go unmet. A recommendation has been set in this regard.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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 children’s home: 1255747 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes2inspire Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Homes2inspire Limited, 19 Elmfield Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 1LT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Angela Muchatuta

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Inspector(s)

Mary Timms, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 7 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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