Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 1 Registered provider: Homes2inspire Limited Interim 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, aged between 10 and 17, who have complex needs and have experienced trauma and loss.

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Information about this children’s home

The interim manager was appointed as the registered manager in July 2018 and is in the process of completing the required qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been a significant decline in the quality of care since the full inspection on 1 May 2018, which judged the home to be good. This inspection identified failures in matters relating to the protection of young people, staffing, leadership and management, education, the quality of care and care planning for young people. The concerns identified at this inspection are widespread and impact on all areas of the young people’s lives.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Poor matching of young people living at the home has placed them at increased risk of harm. These risks include going missing from home, substance misuse, child sexual exploitation and self-harm. The registered manager has failed to effectively consider the Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 2 compatibility of young people living in the home. He told the inspector, ‘I thought managing five children with the same risks we would be able to manage the risks better.’ This naive view has focused on the staff’s ability to manage rather than the individual needs of children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has failed to review staffing levels to ensure that there are sufficient staff to meet young people’s individual needs effectively. A member of staff told the inspector, ‘There is never enough staff and if we have a staff member who cannot drive it is even worse. It prevents us going out and looking for the children easily.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have been at continued risk and staff have failed to support young people to learn and understand how to keep themselves safe. This is because the staffing levels and the skills of staff are not sufficient to meet the needs of young people well.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have failed to recognise potential safeguarding concerns and respond accordingly. For example, staff did not show professional curiosity and were dismissive when a young person raised a potential safeguarding concern with them. It was only when the young person told the inspector about this concern, that action was taken.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not follow risk management plans to reduce the risks associated with young people’s self-harming behaviour. For example, risk management plans state that staff should undertake daily bedroom inspections to check for any potentially harmful objects. The poor state of some young people’s bedrooms and the presence of inappropriate items show that this has not been done effectively.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff have failed to respond to young people openly smoking in the home. Despite the manager and staff being aware of this risk, no effective control measures or risk reduction strategies have been put into place. This means there is the potential risk of fire, which puts all people in the home at significant risk of harm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people are vulnerable to exploitation. Insufficient work has been undertaken with these young people to help them to understand that some relationships can be harmful, and to learn strategies to help keep themselves safe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person’s transition from the home was not a positive experience and staff failed to recognise the impact on the young person when her belongings were packed in bin liners. Opportunities to address this practice were missed and were not challenged by the registered manager.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have been unable to establish positive routines for young people. During the inspection, none of the young people were in education. At 1.30pm they were not dressed; one young person was still in bed and another had just got up. This does not promote young people’s welfare and help them to engage positively in education.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leadership and management are poor. Monitoring and review systems have failed to identify and address the wide-ranging shortfalls identified during the inspection. This has Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 3 had a detrimental impact on the quality of care that young people receive.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Feedback from professionals reflects concerns relating to the quality of care provided at the home. The registered manager has not always responded to queries from professionals promptly or effectively. As a result, the registered manager has not been able to maintain positive working relationships with others in order to provide coordinated care for young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Senior managers have failed to ensure that they have maintained effective oversight of the management of the home. This has led to a decline in standards, poor decision making and a failure to meet the home’s aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Other regulatory shortfalls relate to documentation, such as the children’s register not being kept up to date. Furthermore, the condition of some young people’s bedrooms was poor, as was that of the bathroom, which was dirty and unkempt. This shows a lack of care and does not help young people to feel valued.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A restriction of accommodation notice has been served. This is to allow leaders and managers time to take action to improve standards of care.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2018 Full Good 06/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5(d)) 07/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive 07/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 4 care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)) The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such

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Requirement Due date

barriers; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(iii)(viii)) 07/01/2019

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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 understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful. (Regulation 11(2)(a)(vi)) 07/01/2019

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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; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i))(iii)(v) 07/01/2019

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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 07/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 5 children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and 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. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(f)) The care planning standard is that children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14(1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation (37)(1)(2)(b)) Ensure that the children’s register contains accurate information. 07/01/2019

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Unique reference number: 1255744 Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 6 Provision sub-type: Children’s home

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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

Lisa O’Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1255744 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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