Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1254308 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. The home provides care for up to five young people who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has recently been appointed and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 February 2019

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 25 and 26 October 2017

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1254308 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25 October 2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1254308 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

p.3

Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

p.3

Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to ensuring that children attend necessary medical appointments, staff respond to children’s health needs in relation to drug use, and ensuring that children eat healthily. 30/04/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 30/04/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1254308 4 registered person to ensure—

p.3

Requirement Due date

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.4

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.4

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.4

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.4

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This is with reference to staff taking appropriate action in their response to incidents, learning from incidents and taking action to ensure that such incidents are not repeated. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 30/04/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1254308 5 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(c)(d)(g)(ii))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This refers to the need to ensure that staff levels, skills and qualifications are sufficient and do not have an impact on the safety of children. It also refers to the provider ensuring that it takes heed of complaints from others regarding its staff and managers.

p.5

Recommendations

 The home must aim to support full-time education attendance. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should only accept placements where they are satisfied the home can meet the assessed needs of the child and they have considered the impact on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Ensure all records are kept up to date and are accurate. This includes care plans, risk assessments and supervision records. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  Ensure that appropriate language is used within the home and on records and documents, so it does not appear institutionalised. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.5

improvement to be good

This home has experienced a significant period of upheaval since the last inspection. Several young people have moved into and from the home. Numerous staff have left and there have been changes in the management of the home. This has had a considerable impact on the progress and experiences of young people living here, and on their safety and welfare. However, the recent appointments of a manager and deputy have seen a period of stability in the last few months and improvements are clearly being made in some areas.

p.5

improvement to be good

Attendance at school has been erratic over the past year and currently is poor for some young people. One young person is attending regularly and doing well. This young person is currently doing his examinations and aspires to attend university. Inspection report children’s home: 1254308 6 Staff have not been resolute or consistent in encouraging young people to attend health appointments or in addressing identified health issues with them in key-work sessions. Some young people have a poor diet and there is a lack of challenge or support in this area.

p.5

improvement to be good

Some young people enjoy activities and hobbies, such as singing and playing the piano, bike-rides, dancing, and going to the cinema and the park. Sometimes their attendance at lessons and clubs is not consistent and this means that the opportunities to meet with other young people and build friendships are not always utilised to their full advantage. Young people have helped raise money for charities by doing activities, such as car washes. This helps to raise their awareness of people in need.

p.6

improvement to be good

There has been some progress in the frequency and quality of opportunities for young people to spend time with their families. Positive relationships between staff and families help to provide some consistent boundaries for young people.

p.6

improvement to be good

Care planning is inconsistent. Some plans clearly show young people’s involvement in their target-setting and evaluation of progress. Not all care plans are up to date, some show incorrect or conflicting information and others lack clarity. Records and conversations include institutionalised words, and this poor use of language is picked up by young people who also use it to describe their home and care.

p.6

improvement to be good

Some young people who have left the home did so in a planned way, having made some good progress in their education and independence.

p.6

improvement to be good

There have been several serious incidents since the last inspection. Staff responses to these incidents and their learning from them are inconsistent and poor. This means that similar incidents have occurred, putting young people at risk.

p.6

improvement to be good

Many of these incidents highlight issues around staff sufficiency and deployment and the inconsistent monitoring of young people’s behaviour by staff.

p.6

improvement to be good

However, recently young people’s behaviour has improved, incidents of damage and assaults on staff have reduced and relationships between young people and staff are more positive. Peer relationships are less positive, although staff are trying to improve these.

p.6

improvement to be good

Some risk assessments lack clarity and contain conflicting information. This prevents a high-quality risk management response by staff.

p.6

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

A new manager was appointed prior to Christmas and is in the process of registering Inspection report children’s home: 1254308 7 with Ofsted. This is the third manager since the last inspection. These changes, combined with a large turnover in staffing, had resulted in a decline in the care of young people. The new manager has arrested this decline and things have been improving since her appointment. Such improvements have been recognised by placing authorities and health professionals working with the home.

p.6

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

New staff, while bringing some different skills and experiences, are not yet qualified to the appropriate level. A team away-day has helped staff to understand their roles and this is enabling them to move forward as a team.

p.7

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

Staff undertake a range of training, including courses specific to the needs of young people. Supervision takes place regularly, and staff say that they feel supported by the manager. Records are made of the discussion, but targets are not always recorded or reviewed; this limits the opportunity to see progress of the staff member.

p.7

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

Matching of young people has been poor, resulting in a significant increase in incidents during 2018 and several young people being moved on from the home. This has improved recently, and the home is now a more stable environment. One young person commented: ‘This place has brought some stability to my life.’

p.7

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

The provider has failed to take heed of complaints from professionals and, as a result, has not thoroughly investigated concerns about a previous member of staff.

p.7

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

The manager and staff have built some good relationships with other professionals and this enables them to work together to support young people. Work with a psychologist has helped improve the emotional well-being of some young people.

p.7

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.

p.7

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: 1254308 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 Elmfield Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 1LT

p.8

Inspector:

Judith Longden, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1254308 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector:

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector:

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector:

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

p.9