Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1256058 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 is owned and run by a private organisation. It is registered to accommodate and care for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 05 May 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected Outstanding

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Outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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Outstanding

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2018

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Outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1256058 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2018 Full Outstanding 06/09/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1256058 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 recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(3)(d)) 27/11/2019

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people receive excellent care, which is driven by a strong registered manager and an experienced core staff team. The young people make excellent progress in all aspects of their lives. For example, they excel in education; one young person has achieved excellent grades in their GCSEs, enabling them to study for their A-Levels, and they have aspirations to study at university in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people are happy living in this home. They spoke with affection about the staff and the level of support they receive from them, for example, with homework, job hunting or developing skills for independence, and the progress that they subsequently make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Relationships are built on mutual respect. Staff are professional, intuitive, sensitive and caring, which ensures that the young people receive a high level of support and nurture. This was echoed by a parent who spoke of the significance of their child’s relationships in the home. This was demonstrated by their wanting to spend part of their birthday celebrations with the staff and the other young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Feedback from external professionals regarding communication, openness and partnership working is very positive. One health professional commented, ‘I find them caring and person centred throughout. They are appropriate and work towards the Inspection report children’s home: 1256058 4 young person’s wishes in a safe and effective manner. Throughout my career, I have worked with many homes, and this placement in my opinion is gold standard.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff take pride in creating a warm and nurturing environment, where the young people feel safe and secure. The home is full of framed photographs of the young people, and other memorabilia. This includes a family tree containing the names and fingerprints of the young people and the staff and other home-crafted pictures that portray positive and uplifting messages to inspire and provoke thought. This generates an atmosphere of a well-loved family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A significant strength of this home is its involvement with and contribution to charities and community projects. The home sponsors the upkeep of two donkeys named Cisco and Alfie and two goats called Marigold and Morgan, who have been rescued. The young people help prepare and distribute hygiene hampers for the homeless and the women’s refuge and have offered to sell poppies at a local garden centre, to raise money for Remembrance Day. These opportunities give the young people a sense of pride in offering their support to help others in need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A staff member has put together a vast range of literature on beliefs and cultures from all around the world. Staff share this information with the young people to encourage them to be inquisitive and ask questions. Staff arrange fun and interesting activities around these topics. This enables the young people to recognise the significance of events such as Black History Month. This promotes an inclusive environment in which diversity and equality are embraced.

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

Staff help the young people to grow in confidence through a core focus on their social and emotional development. Staff support the young people to learn new skills to become more independent. For example, they support them to prepare nutritious meals, to use a bank account and to take driving lessons. This prepares the young people with a range of skills for adulthood.

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

The majority of the young people have not been involved in any incidents because they feel content and settled living in this home. Staff understand the importance of helping the young people to develop their independence and balance the associated risks with measures to keep them safe. Consequently, the young people have opportunities to build their confidence and social awareness and to develop decision-making skills.

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

One young person who recently moved into the home has experienced a few significant incidents and a number of absences. Staff have responded by using agreed strategies, which have been effective in reducing some of the young person’s behaviours, such as leaving the home without permission. This progress has been achieved through the intense work undertaken by the staff. Physical intervention is rare and is only used in high-risk situations to safeguard the young people. Inspection report children’s home: 1256058 5 All members of staff receive high-quality training in safeguarding issues. They know what to do and who to contact if they have a concern about a young person’s welfare. Staff educate the young people through appealing visual displays that they create. Subjects covered include sexual health and risks associated with substance misuse, among a range of other topics. This encourages the young people to be curious and engage in

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

meaningful discussions, which raise their awareness of these subjects and of how to keep themselves safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads the staff team with skill, warmth and enthusiasm, instilling an aspirational attitude that helps the young people to achieve the excellent outcomes and improve their future life chances. She leads by example, spending good-quality time with the young people and staff at every opportunity. She understands the young people’s needs extremely well and uses this knowledge to guide staff in safeguarding the young people and promoting their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been some staff turnover. However, the manager has carefully selected new staff members to add to the experience in the team. The staff all share the company’s ethos and values, and promote these through the way they care for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is carefully focused on the needs of the young people. Staff receive a comprehensive training in topics such as online safety, county lines and mental health themes. Inductions are comprehensive and prepare staff to go on to complete their level 3 diploma at the earliest opportunity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A recruitment record for a member of staff did not hold a full history of their employment, and references for two staff were incomplete and failed to show how they had been verified. The absence of this information highlights weakness in the organisation’s systems used to recruit and vet staff in line with the company’s safer recruitment policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and the registered manager receive frequent, effective supervision. The manager sets tasks for staff to complete to advance their learning and to encourage reflective practice. Staff receive regular reviews of their performance, and their training and development needs are filtered into the home’s workforce development plan. This ensures that standards are maintained to support the delivery of high-quality care for the young people. Inspection report children’s home: 1256058 6

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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: 1256058 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

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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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Inspector

Joe Davys, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1256058 8 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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