Children's Home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited Full 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 aged between 12 and 17 who have complex needs and have experienced trauma and loss. The new manager has applied to register with Ofsted. He holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 4 February 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/04/2018 Full Good 30/11/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home and have positive relationships with staff. One child told the inspector, ‘Staff are helping me to thrive and to be the man I want to become.’ New children are welcomed into the home. Staff take the time to find out key information about children and to put things in place to help them to quickly settle in. For example, one new child wanted to see that his furniture was brand new. Consequently, staff ensured that his new furniture was left in its original packaging ready for when he arrived. Children participate in a range of activities. This includes going on holiday and participating in paintballing. These experiences help children to have positive childhood memories. Staff encourage children to develop their independence skills. This can include planning and cooking meals, to making up flat-packed furniture. As a result, children are learning essential life skills that will support them into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from having a cinema room where they can enjoy watching their favourite movies. Any damage to the property is quickly repaired and there are plans in place to fit new carpets and a new kitchen. However, children cannot routinely access all parts of their home. For example, children have to ask for the keys to unlock the communal bathroom and toilet. This practice of locking doors detracts away from a homely environment.

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

Staff implement clear boundaries that help children to know what is expected of them. Staff are resourceful in using key-work sessions to help children to understand potential risks. This targeted one-to-one work helps children to feel safer. The home has received some complaints. These are thoroughly investigated and, when necessary, managers ensure that lessons are learned. There are effective health and safety systems in place. These measures help to ensure that children’s safety is not compromised. Although staff are knowledgeable about the children’s needs, some electronic records are difficult to access and read. Furthermore, some written guidance for staff is unclear. This has the potential to lead to inconsistencies between professionals against agreed strategies to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are aspirational for the children. They have brought in a range of new strategies to help to monitor the quality of care and to support staff practice. For Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 4 example, managers have arranged for staff to receive targeted help to enable them to use a more reflective practice approach to help them to find different ways of working. This creative work is helping staff to apply a more child-focused approach to their everyday practice. Staff morale is high. Staff work well together and are committed to the children in their care. Although there have been changes to the staff, the team has remained focused on sustaining continuity of care for the children. Managers and staff promote equality and diversity in all aspects of children’s care. They advocate for children and ensure that children have the resources they need to meet their needs and to achieve. Staff benefit from receiving a range of training that helps them to develop their

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

knowledge, skills and professional practice. Managers have good partnership working with external agencies. This close partnership working enables children to thrive physically, emotionally, socially and educationally. Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 5

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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 maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 05/05/2020

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Recommendations

 Just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. Information on restraint and deprivation of liberty is contained in the protection of children section of the Guide from paragraph 9.41. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  Some records may be kept electronically (regulation 38) provided that this

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Recommendations

information can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view it and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. Electronic records should be held at the individual home in accordance with data protection principles. IT systems should ensure the safe storage of these records and business continuity planning should be in place to prevent loss or damage to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1256135 6

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Suntheep Dulay-Kainth

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1256135 7 to 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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