Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1255748 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 provides care and accommodation for a maximum of five young people who have a range of complex difficulties. The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 December 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 14 November 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1255748 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(a)(i)) 31/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

An understanding about acceptable behaviour 31/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1255748 3 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should review systems within the home to ensure that they are safeguarding young people. 31/01/2019

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 31/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1255748 4 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(f)) Inspection report children’s home: 1255748 5

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improvement to be good

Young people’s progress and experiences are varied. Young people are not always offered the nurturing and consistent care that they require. Some young people do not feel that they have positive relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Not all staff understand children’s behaviours in the context of their traumatic histories. This adversely impacts upon the way that some young people are cared for. Incidents are not always effectively managed by the staff. This means that, on occasions, incidents quickly escalate, resulting in young people becoming distressed.

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improvement to be good

Some young people do not feel listened to by the management or staff. A young person said, ‘They don’t care and they never listen to us.’ However, other young people report having a positive experience of living in the home. One young person said, ‘I have no complaints. The staff are good and they look after us well.’

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improvement to be good

Some young people’s physical and emotional health needs are not met. Although referrals have been made to specialist agencies, essential services for young people are still not in place. The management and staff have not taken a proactive approach when advocating on behalf of young people. This requires significant improvement.

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improvement to be good

Despite the above shortfalls, all young people are in education or are attending alternative educational provision that reflects their needs and interests. This is progress for some young people who, prior to their placement, were either not in education or had sporadic educational attendance. Managers and staff help children to achieve the best possible educational outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Staff and management work hard to help children to maintain links with their families. Staff facilitate and supervise children’s time with their families, even when families live a considerable distance away. This assists children to develop and to maintain a positive sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

Young people report feeling safe in the home. For some young people, their lives begin to stabilise. For several young people, incidents of them going missing have dramatically reduced and almost stopped. A social worker said, ‘They work with her exceptionally well and staff treat her like they would their own children. The home is like a little family. They understand her and understand what she needs.’

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improvement to be good

When physical intervention is used, it is proportionate. All incidents are appropriately recorded. However, debriefs with staff and young people are not consistently carried out. There is also a lack of reflection or learning about how incidents could potentially be Inspection report children’s home: 1255748 6 managed differently.

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improvement to be good

Young people are not consistently helped to understand the impact of their behaviours. The quality of key-working sessions varies. Some sessions are considered and planned. Other sessions are simply conversation and fail to properly explore the young people’s risk-taking behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are detailed and outline the concerns relevant to the young person. They are updated regularly. However, assessments are not all signed and dated by the staff. It is unclear therefore if staff have read and understand these documents. Although this is not currently having an impact on young people, if staff are not aware of updated assessments, it has the potential to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He is a committed individual who wants the best for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Systems to monitor the progress of young people are not robust. As a result, the management and staff team do not have a comprehensive oversight of practice. This requires improvement so that any shortfalls in practice can be thoroughly addressed and standards improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has failed to properly record the discussions and actions taken following concerns being raised about a staff member’s practice and behaviours in the home. This lack of recording hinders any independent review of the incident and has the potential to jeopardise safeguarding investigations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Good supervision is not yet embedded into practice. This means that staff do not have the opportunity to reflect on their practice and the needs of the young people they are caring for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

All staff spoken to were extremely positive about the style of management in the home. Staff feel supported and valued. One member of staff said, ‘The management team is great. I could not ask for better managers. They work hard and offer lots of support. They genuinely care. It’s not just a job.’

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1255748 7 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: 1255748 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, Prospects House, 19 Elmfield Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 1LT

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Inspector(s)

Davinia Lawton: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1255748 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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