Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1258134 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

This children’s home is privately owned. It is registered to care for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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

09/01/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1258134 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that impact/compatibility assessments completed are robust in identifying the impact that each young person’s risks and behaviours may have on the other young people living in the home. 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the duration and the effectiveness of the measure imposed.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to the use of consequences and robustly assessing the effectiveness of each consequence. 31/08/2018

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Recommendations

 Any registered manager placed in charge of a children’s home or staff member in a deputy or supervisory role such as ‘shift leader’ should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children’s home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.21) Inspection report children’s home: 1258134 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from positive relationships with committed and enthusiastic staff. Young people quickly learn to trust staff. Those who have lived at the home for some time are settled, happy and safe; they told the inspector that they want to stay at the home. They are making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The management team gives careful consideration to requests for young people to be admitted to the home. Managers ensure that they have all the relevant information and speak with the placing social workers before making decisions about suitability. Impact/compatibility risk assessments are completed. However, these do not include the potential impact of all the young people’s risks and behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard alongside the company’s education coordinator to ensure that young people get the education and training they need. The education coordinator is a strong advocate for young people. Most young people are doing well in education. Their attendance has improved and one young person attends extra education sessions. Some young people’s progress in education is slow despite the best efforts of the staff and the education coordinator. Regular meetings are held and strategies agreed to support young people to engage in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from a range of leisure activities. Staff support and encourage them in pursuing their interests and hobbies. Young people have recently been on holiday to a log cabin in Wales, which they all thoroughly enjoyed. One young person described it as ‘wicked’. There are plans for them to go again in the summer holidays.

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

Since the last inspection, the home has become more settled because the staff team has stabilised. This, along with the provision of additional training, means that staff are competent and consistent in managing young people’s behaviours.

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

Young people now know what is expected of them. There are clear structures and boundaries in place. As a result, young people’s behaviours have improved, which means that they are safer. Incentives and key-work sessions are used well to address behavioural issues.

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

Young people have detailed risk assessments, and are supported to take age-appropriate risks. Young people’s key-work sessions are used to provide them with education on how to keep safe and how to avoid risk-taking behaviours such as substance misuse. One young person told the inspector that staff are always discussing with him how to keep himself safe. Inspection report children’s home: 1258134 4 The home has commissioned a local charity organisation to provide education and training to staff and young people on substance misuse. This has proved very popular with young people, who have engaged well. They now have a better understanding of how their risk-taking behaviours may affect their futures.

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

Measures of control such as physical interventions and sanctions are rarely used. The emphasis is on recognising and rewarding positive behaviour. The recording of some sanctions does not give the duration of the consequence. Additionally, the repeated use of some sanctions, such as using pocket money for damage caused/reparations, calls into question the effectiveness of these sanctions. There is also the potential for the use of financial consequences to become counterproductive.

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

The number of episodes of young people going missing has reduced significantly since the last inspection. Staff follow agreed protocols and work in partnership with the police and other relevant agencies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since the home was registered in August 2017, and has relevant experience of working in residential settings. He is appropriately qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the management team has worked very hard to address the requirements made. Significant improvements have been made:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

 Staff turnover has reduced and there is now a full complement of staff.  The management team has provided clear direction for staff. This has been aided by the implementation of some new systems, such as a ‘lessons learned’ file and regular monitoring by the management team.  Staff have received a range of training opportunities, including refresher training in managing young people’s behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The improvements made have resulted in an improved quality of care for young people, who now know what is expected of them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoke positively about the improvements and the support they receive from the management team. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities, and have a good knowledge of the needs and risks of the young people. They receive regular supervision that includes reflective discussions to help their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels have recently increased. This needs to continue to ensure that all of the young people’s needs can be met in full. Some new staff who do not have previous experience of working in children’s homes undertake sleep-in duties at a very early stage after being employed. Although the registered manager reported that he has assessed the competence of staff, there is no documentary evidence of this. Inspection report children’s home: 1258134 5 Collaborative working with partner agencies is good. This helps to ensure that young people get what they need. The registered manager is not afraid to challenge other professionals when young people are not getting the services they require. Additionally, the registered manager is proactive in requesting meetings with professionals when he considers that young people are not making progress and/or that the home cannot meet a young person’s needs.

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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: 1258134 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, Prospects House, 19 Elmfield Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 1LT

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Inspector

Katarina Djordjevic: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258134 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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