Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2537252 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

This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered in June 2019. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for two children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s statement of purpose states that the home can provide a service to meet the needs of children with complex needs which may include challenging behaviours and emotional needs.

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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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2537252 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(1)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that staff have training about healthy lifestyles. 28/02/2020

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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. 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2537252 3 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— 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

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;

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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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)(h)) 28/02/2020

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Recommendations

 The principle of listening to the child and taking their views, wishes and feelings into account when planning and undertaking their care applies to all children, including children with disabilities, special educational needs or other complex needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.5)  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 52, paragraph 14.4)  The home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 14.5) In particular, this applies to keeping an accurate record of the child’s time at the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2537252 4

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improvement to be good

For both young people currently living at the home, overall progress in most areas of their lives is extremely positive. However, shortfalls identified mean the home is not yet providing good enough care to young people.

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improvement to be good

Health outcomes for one young person are poor. Significant health issues are not well understood by staff. There is no clear and coherent plan in place to support the young person to improve their health. There is a lack of urgency in following up and chasing appointments. The previous manager was not proactive in encouraging a multi-agency approach to improving the young person’s health. In addition, verbal advice given twice by a health professional has not been recorded or incorporated into a health plan. As a result of these shortfalls, the young person’s health outcomes have not improved, and in one area they have deteriorated.

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improvement to be good

Staff make efforts to encourage young people to lead healthy lifestyles. Young people have started to use a local gym and they take part in weekly meal-planning, where healthy meal choices are encouraged. These efforts are hindered by the availability of high-fat, high-sugar snack food in the home. Staff have not had the necessary training to understand how to encourage young people to engage in healthy lifestyles.

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improvement to be good

Notwithstanding these shortfalls, both young people living in the home have made positive progress from their starting points. The transition into the home for both young people was smooth and they have settled quickly. They attend their education provisions, with both achieving above 95% attendance. Previously, one young person’s attendance at education was around 5%. This young person is now enjoying their education provision, achieving well and planning positively for their future career.

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improvement to be good

On the majority of occasions, young people’s wishes and feelings are listened to and acted upon. The staff team works in consultation with young people, such as acting on their requests for activities. Contact with friends and family is supported. If issues arise, such as frustrations with the home car not being available for transport, the interim manager and staff team take action to rectify the problem. This helps ensure that young people maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Records related to safeguarding events are vague or do not exist. One record describes a young person sustaining an injury, but there are no other records to demonstrate if safeguarding procedures were followed, or if staff communicated their concerns to the social worker. Therefore, it is unclear if the young person was protected appropriately. Inspection report children’s home: 2537252 5 Key risk-assessment documents completed by external agencies are not always available. As a result, staff may not have a good understanding of the significant risks a young person may be at or may pose to others. There are limited records or risk-assessment plans that clearly describe young people’s current needs and how staff should manage them. This lack of direction for staff meant that on one occasion a young person was allowed access to social media and was at potential risk because of this. Regular and formal monitoring, reviewing and updating of risk assessments are needed, to ensure

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improvement to be good

that all staff follow the most recent assessments and plans and young people are kept safe.

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improvement to be good

There has been one complaint since the home opened. Although the complaint was subsequently withdrawn by the young person, it is not clear what action was taken to discuss the original concern with the young person. The previous manager indicated to a social worker that suspected practice concerns relating to a staff member would be discussed in one-to-one supervision. There is no record of this happening. This means opportunities to improve quality of care may have been missed. Although these shortfalls have not resulted in any young person being harmed, they had the potential to do so.

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improvement to be good

In the majority of situations, staff understand what to do if there is a safeguarding concern about a young person. Young people going missing from the home is a very rare occurrence. When a young person did go missing during the inspection, staff followed the appropriate procedure to help ensure the young person’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Both young people have made significant progress with their behaviour in the short time they have lived in the home. Risky behaviour has decreased. As a result, there have been no incidents of staff using physical intervention to help keep young people safe. This demonstrates that staff have been able to build positive relationships with young people.

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

The manager left recently and the recruitment process for a new manager is underway. Interim management arrangements are appropriate, with the interim manager recognising and starting to act on some of the shortfalls identified at this inspection.

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

A recently implemented electronic recording system has not been used effectively. There is poor record-keeping. As a result, important information about the young people’s care is lost. Young people’s files are not up to date and it is not easy to see a clear picture of what action the home should be taking and has taken, to ensure that each area of need is met. For example, a young person’s ‘children looked after’ review notes and personal education plan were not available to staff and have not informed the home’s internal plans. This means important information which should inform young people’s care at the home is not implemented. Records held about young people’s care are not an accurate reflection of their time living at the home.

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

Monitoring and evaluation systems within the home have not identified the shortfalls found at this inspection. Systems to monitor young people’s progress are not robust or Inspection report children’s home: 2537252 6 fully embedded into practice. As a result, managers do not have a comprehensive oversight of the quality of care provided to young people. This requires improvement so that any gaps in practice can be fully addressed and standards improved.

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

Partnership arrangements with health, education and social care professionals are usually positive.

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

Staff members are proud to work at the home and report feeling supported by managers. They show great affection for the young people in their care. Staff have all completed comprehensive induction training. Although the majority of staff are not qualified to the required level, they are enrolled on the appropriate course and are in line to achieve this qualification within the prescribed timescales.

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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: 2537252 7

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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: Kelly Gliszczynski

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Inspector(s)

Catherine Honey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2537252 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 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)

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