Children's Home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2515380 1

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Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Monitoring visit 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 two young people, who may have challenging behaviours and/or emotional difficulties. One child is currently living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager of the home has resigned. An acting manager is in place. The acting manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out in order to review the actions taken by the home in response to the two compliance notices served following an assurance visit that was carried out on 10 and 11 December 2020.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this monitoring visit was carried out remotely.

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This monitoring visit

Following an assurance visit to the home in December 2020, compliance notices were imposed in relation to safeguarding procedures and the management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Although actions have been taken by staff and managers to improve the home, the notices have not been fully met. The compliance notices have been re-issued.

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This monitoring visit

Some poor practice has continued since the compliance notices were imposed. This has included an incident in which staff failed to follow night-time risk management plans. A vulnerable child was able to leave the home undetected by staff during the night. This indicates that lessons had not been learned from previous incidents, and that systems designed to keep children safe are still not effective. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2515380 2 Monitoring systems used by managers are still not effective. A child’s daily records identified two occasions where staff suspected a child to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Staff failed to seek appropriate advice to ensure the safety of the child. This had not been identified by managers as a risk or concern.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not ensured that risk assessments identify all known risks and current vulnerabilities for the child. Although risk assessments have been reviewed regularly, managers have failed to identify factual inaccuracies within these. This could result in staff confusion when making decisions.

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This monitoring visit

Despite ongoing incidents of weak practice, there have also been clear improvements. The new acting manager is motivated and passionate. He has set out his improvement plans clearly to the staff team and ensured that there is a shared understanding of the required improvements. He has begun to implement better monitoring and auditing systems.

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This monitoring visit

The staff and managers have a real commitment to the child in placement. They continue to advocate strongly and effectively to ensure that appropriate decisions are made by partner agencies.

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This monitoring visit

When the child’s behaviour is challenging, staff maintain a loving, caring attitude. The resilience of the staff team has ensured that the child can feel valued and cherished. One professional said: ‘She is a complex child. She’s been through so much, but the home has stuck with her.’

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This monitoring visit

Requirements made at the assurance visit relating to staffing, care planning, medication administration and staff training were not reviewed in detail during this monitoring visit. These have been reset and will be evaluated at a future inspection of the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2515380 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account, and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support; 21 February 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2515380 4 ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(iii)(d)(iii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the home providing a consistent and stable staff team. Additionally, the home must ensure that children have access to an independent advocate.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; 21 February 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2515380 5 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h)) 21 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) ((2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to effective care planning for the child from the point of placement through to leaving the home. Additionally, to ensure that the child’s daily records, including the language used and level of detail within these, are improved. 21 February 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2515380 6 The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 21 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 21 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to compliance notices.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2515380 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: Lumonics House, Valiant Office Suites, Valley Drive, Swift Valley Industrial Estate, Rugby CV21 1TQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Angela Muchatuta

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2515380 8 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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