Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to five children and young people who have complex needs, which may include challenging behaviours and/or emotional needs. The appropriately qualified manager was registered in April 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/04/2018 Full Good 10/10/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 3

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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 registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of the any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 08/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff protect and promote each child’s welfare. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(2)(b)(ii)) 08/11/2019

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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 are familiar with and act in accordance with the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(viii)) 08/11/2019

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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— promotes their welfare. In particular the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. ensure that the staff work as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(a)(b)) 08/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 4 The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(2)(a)(b) Schedule 4(3)) This relates to the requirement to maintain a copy of the actual rosters worked by staff. 08/11/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health. In particular this relates to the need to develop an effective smoking cessation model. This should alter the current arrangements to deter young people from smoking together in a social manner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

 The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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improvement to be good

Some young people have very positive relationships with staff. These relationships have developed over time due to the stability of the placement. Other young people do not develop such meaningful relationships. Staff are very caring in their approach and want the best for young people. However, despite this caring approach, individual welfare needs are not always met. There are weaknesses in the ability of staff to set the firm boundaries needed to create a safe environment where young people can develop and build their resilience. The progress made by young people is variable. Some young people make positive progress. One social worker said, ‘Compared to previous placements, he has settled very well. Staff are very encouraging and supportive.’ Another example of good progress is the successful return home of a young person. This young person’s parent said that this would not have happened without the service provided at the home. Another young person is

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improvement to be good

doing well at college and is also maintaining part-time employment. However, other young Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 5 people do not make such good progress. The service is failing to promote young people’s health and well-being in relation to smoking. At the time of the last inspection, a recommendation was made to improve the arrangements in place regarding young people who smoke. While one young person is reported to have reduced the number of cigarettes he smokes, the smoking cessation focus in the home is mostly ineffective. All five young people smoke. The group of young people often sit and smoke together, making use of the comfortable outdoor furniture in the garden. Most young people continue to use cannabis on a regular basis, a habit which staff have not been able to stop. Staff have involved external agencies to work with young people and talk to them about the dangers of continuing cannabis use. A placing social worker

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improvement to be good

expressed confidence in the way that staff are working to reduce the cannabis use of one young person. Education is seen as important by the organisation. The team is working towards each young person maintaining a full-time education arrangement. However, attendance is inconsistent for some young people, with some refusing to attend. When young people are not attending school, their day is not structured to engage them fully in meaningful activities. This is a lost opportunity to support young people’s development.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management strategies are not consistently applied. They are often ineffective. The emphasis on giving young people extra pocket money to reward engagement and adherence to expectations is not working. A young person was heard during the inspection to say that they had only engaged in a structured discussion with staff because they were being paid. The challenge of managing behaviour is not helped when staff do not adhere to the set days and times for handing out pocket money. Weaknesses in behaviour management have resulted in some young people leading their own daily routine. Some spend extended periods preparing for the day ahead. This does not help young people to be ready for a paid work structure. Some young people are in a pattern of leaving the home without permission. Although these young people remain locally, staff do not always know where they are or who they are with. Some young people

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improvement to be good

readily use abusive language towards staff, often without challenge. This does not help young people to manage social interactions when away from the home or prepare them for independence. Safeguarding concerns are not always reported appropriately through multi-agency procedures. While only one such occasion was identified, this has the potential to put young people at risk of harm. The outcomes for young people are mixed in relation to safeguarding arrangements. A social worker spoke very positively about how a young person has become safer since moving to this home. This is because there have been no missing incidents compared to a high number of incidents previously. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities when young people do go missing, and they work with the police and placing teams effectively. Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 6

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

Shortfalls identified during this inspection had not been identified by managers. Consequently, poor practice has been allowed to develop. This has directly affected some young people. One young person has made a complaint linked to the management of other young people’s behaviour. This is balanced with positive comments from involved professionals about the service and the progress that some young people make. Although there are a number of core staff members, there has been a high turnover of staff. While the registered manager is hopeful that the situation is now improving, at this time there is not yet a permanent, cohesive team. However, the recent addition of a deputy manager to the team is very positive. Staff feel supported by the management team. Staff joining the team are provided with an established two-week induction programme. Staff have access to refresher courses and additional training to meet needs that arise. However, the registered manager has not

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

ensured that all staff commence the required level three qualification in a timely manner. Additionally, weaknesses are noted in the manner in which new staff are inducted into their roles in the home. The service provided is not always in line with the home’s statement of purpose. An example of this is inconsistency in the implementation of behaviour management strategies. While there is no direct impact on young people, there are shortfalls in record-keeping. For example, staff record observations such as young people being ‘ok’ rather than objective observations. Inconsistencies were noted in the entries on electronic records when compared to the hand-written daily log. Additionally, the required staff rota record is not always kept up to date with changes. The registered manager has failed to meet a requirement set at the time of the last inspection in relation to records kept of complaints. Ofsted will continue to monitor the

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

progress made regarding this requirement.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 7 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Angela Muchatuta

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Inspector

Mary Timms, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1255747 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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