Children's Home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 1 Registered provider: Homes2inspire Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is operated by a large national provider. It is registered to provide care for up to five children. The manager has been in post for approximately six weeks and is in the process of becoming the registered manager.

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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: 30 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 3

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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, 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(1),(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 04/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone. (Regulation 11(1)(c), (2)(a)(ii)(iv)) 04/06/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13(1), (2)(d)) 04/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the appropriateness of using bedroom door alarms needs to be fully considered and kept under review. 04/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 4

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14) Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy living in this home. Staff know the young people well and provide them with individual care. Young people are involved in their care planning. Staff support young people to explore the progress that they make by using the ‘outcome star’ tool to help young people in making further progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has started to make positive changes to the home, and young people speak positively about this. For example, staff take young people out to different activities. Changes to the decor of the home have also started to take place. However, damage and maintenance issues are still not always quickly resolved, and more work is needed to create a homely environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There has been an improvement in some young people’s education attendance, and they have made progress from their starting point. There is a dedicated education officer who supports young people’s educational needs. However, despite clear progress, some children are not yet attending education full time, despite having a school place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help young people to prepare for their future by teaching them life skills such as cooking, shopping and budgeting. During the inspection, the inspector observed young people being given the opportunity to learn maintenance skills as they helped staff with some home repairs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Previous poor matching of young people living in the home has contributed to negative relationships between young people. Consequently, bullying and other significant incidents have taken place. One young person left the home after reporting that they felt unsafe. The manager quickly recognised this and has taken robust action. She has worked collaboratively with other professionals and supported some young people to move to more suitable homes where their needs can be better met. The manager has identified learning from these issues and taken steps to avoid a recurrence.

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

The manager has implemented clear guidance and boundaries for staff to follow. This has been beneficial for young people. As a result, there has been an improvement in young people’s behaviour.

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

Staff undertake key-work sessions with young people to explore emerging behaviours. This includes drug taking, aggression and similar incidents. Sessions are of a good standard and continue to be developed to ensure that young people are fully engaged and benefiting from them.

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

Incidents within the home are handled well by staff. They act quickly to reduce further risks and keep young people safe. There has been a reduction in challenging behaviour. Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 6 However, staff need to continue to encourage socially acceptable behaviour and support young people to resolve conflict in a more productive way to prevent the use of aggression and violence.

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

Physical interventions are minimal and are made only when young people put themselves or others at risk. Managers ensure that they review any incidents and reflect on practice to explore if anything could have been done differently.

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

Risk assessments are clear and updated regularly. As a result, staff understand the needs of young people and how to support them. Overall, young people report feeling safe, and staff explore feelings of safety with them.

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

Staff use bedroom door alarms at night to monitor young people’s movements. These are used as standard practice. Staff do not assess why such measures are necessary or review their effectiveness. As a result, these alarms could be restricting young people’s movements unnecessarily.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced, enthusiastic and wants the best outcomes for young people. She is supported by a deputy manager who shares the same vision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel positive about the new management team and the improvements being made. Staff feel supported and have regular supervision that is beneficial, reflects on practice and supports staff to provide individualised care to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are encouraged to develop their skills and experiences. Each staff member has an individualised role or responsibility that they oversee, including education, activities, developing knowledge of child exploitation and so forth. This helps staff to develop an area of expertise that they can share with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager communicates effectively with other professionals, and shares her thoughts and concerns well. This enables change to take place when needed. For example, this includes recommending alternative placements for young people who are not making the progress that they should due to needing a more suitable/specialised placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that a consistent staff team cares for the young people. Agency staff are not used. However, the level of staffing in the home is not adequate for the needs of the children and the incidents that have taken place. The management team often covers these shortfalls, but this is not a sustainable long-term solution.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Within the short period of time that the manager has been in post, it is evident that improvements have been made. These have impacted positively on the progress that young people have made. The manager has a development plan in place to ensure that further improvements continue to take place. Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 7

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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 difference 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: 1256135 8

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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: Kenneth Farrimond

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 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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