Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 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 care for up to five children and young people, between the ages of 10 to 17. The interim manager 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 2

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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 care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to care plans being kept up to date and the content agreed and clarified by the young person’s social worker. 04/06/2018

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of the children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular, relating to young people’s bedroom carpets, repairing a window and continuing to maintain the home improvements already made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are happy living in this home and are provided with experiences that they enjoy. One young person told the inspector, ‘I love it here. It is the best home I have lived in.’ Refurbishments have been made to the home, creating a more homely and welcoming environment. More planned improvements need to continue to enhance the environment further. Young people are given the opportunity to engage with the wider community. For example, attending activities such as bouldering and playing snooker. Additionally, young people have undertaken voluntary work by providing food parcels to the homeless. Staff are passionate and enjoy looking after the young people. Staff support and encourage young people to make progress in all areas of their lives, including in education, improving behaviour and encouraging independence skills. Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 3 One young person has been supported by staff to look for employment or an

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

apprenticeship to help him become more financially independent when he leaves the home. The manager has improved the matching process when considering young people moving into the home. He involves staff with new referrals and values their opinions. The manager carefully considers the young people who live in the home and the impact that they could have on other young people moving in. The staff provide the young people with stability. There have been minimal staff changes since the last full inspection. As a result, young people are provided with consistent care by adults who know and understand them well. Young people’s care planning is generally good. Staff involve young people in their plans by gathering their thoughts and views. However, staff need to ensure that care plans are up to date and reflective of the placing authority’s plans. On one occasion, this was not the case. This was identified quickly due to the positive relationship between the team

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

Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding within the home and the wider community. This enables staff to keep young people safe and helps them to understand the risks that they are vulnerable to. All young people told the inspector that they feel safe living in the home. Staff support this feeling of safety by responding appropriately to incidents and ensuring that young people have clear and consistent boundaries. The manager and staff work collaboratively with the police to try and reduce the amount of times that young people go missing from the home. This has ensured the effective sharing of relevant information. As a result, staff are more effective at preventing young people from going missing. Staff have a wide range of training and learning opportunities. This provides them with the skills that they need to care for young people. Staff’s knowledge is regularly explored and tested in different ways. For example, through peer ‘learning circles’ where staff quiz

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

each other on different topics such as child exploitation and equality and diversity. This helps to keep staff up to date with current information and identifies any learning needs. The manager is proactive in addressing safeguarding concerns and liaises appropriately with the local authority designated officer to share information and ensure that he is not working in isolation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted. He is committed to the young people and is making positive changes within the home. He is supported by an experienced deputy manager and they work well as a team. The staff team receives focused supervision that is both practice and process driven. Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 4 Topics that are discussed and explored in supervision are carefully considered against the risks and behaviours of young people living in the home. This has been effective in improving the skills and knowledge in the staff team and in increasing their confidence to deliver effective individualised care to young people. Equality and diversity are actively promoted within the home. These topics are discussed in supervision and staff have been creative in involving the young people. For example, teaching them sign language and other languages such as Spanish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are committed to ensuring that staff receive a range of training that is relevant and beneficial. A member of staff told the inspector, ‘I have had more training in the last six months than I have in the whole time that I have worked for the company.’ The manager has built positive relationships with other professionals. He works collaboratively with others, ensuring that young people’s progress is shared effectively. This is carried out through regular telephone discussions and weekly updates. The management team places a strong focus on reviewing practice and considering lessons learned following incidents, a decline in young people’s behaviour or an increase in children going missing from care. This enables the managers to identify patterns and trends, develop practice and implement change when needed.

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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: 1255744 5

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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: 1255744 6 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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