Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report children's home: 1258134 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

The home is run by a private company that is owned and operated by a national charity. It provides care for up to five children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1258134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2019 Full Good 23/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/06/2018 Full Good 09/01/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 1258134 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel a strong sense of belonging in this home and they know that staff are proud of them. They see the staff as their family and talk about them very fondly. One child said of a staff member, ‘he is literally like a dad to me.’ Children also described, ‘Each staff member has their own specialness.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, the support doesn’t stop. One child who has just moved into their own flat still receives direct practical and emotional support while living independently. Children are prepared well for adulthood and supported when the time comes to move from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s life chances increase because they all attend an education provision that is right for them. They are all making good progress with their attendance and progress at school, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. One child is looking forward to going to college next year to study for her chosen career. Another child will be attending school for the first time in several months. Whatever children’s needs, they are all making good progress from their initial starting points when they moved to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide good quality care, and this is further enhanced by close work with other services. For example, there are strong links with the youth offending team and child and adolescent mental health services. The creative use of mentors also assists children in their development. For example, one child who has struggled to see positive male role models, is now being supported by a local mentor from a community boxing club.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged and supported to be healthier. One child who has struggled to maintain a healthy lifestyle has made significant improvement in this area. His newly acquired skills make a difference to his life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One medicine was found to not have been administered in accordance with the prescription label. Although a medical professional had given specific instructions, these were not recorded accurately. This has not had a negative impact on the child, but it had the potential to do so. When children refuse their medicines, this is sometimes not recorded and leads to a lack of clarity.

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

Children become safer because of the work staff undertake with them. Children trust staff. They listen to their advice about how to keep themselves safe. Children also feel safe to explore their mistakes with staff and learn from these mistakes to become increasingly safer. Inspection report children's home: 1258134 4 Children have trusting relationships with staff. This is a significant factor in the low levels of difficult behaviour which might otherwise challenge staff. Children report that staff are calm and help and support them when they are anxious or when their behaviour becomes challenging. This supportive approach reflects the fact that there are no restraints necessary in the home.

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

Children’s episodes of going missing from the home have decreased dramatically. When children go missing, staff responses are good. They search for them and work well with other organisations, such as the police, to ensure children return home safely.

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

When children return from being missing, staff endeavour to find out why they went missing, where they were and who they were with. Children have a formal interview with their social worker. However, they do not have an opportunity to have an independent interview. In addition, the reports of interviews with social workers do not get sent to the home. This means that staff might miss important details about how to keep the child safe in the future.’

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

Staff training on how to protect children is good. The open safeguarding culture in the home allows for discussion, analysis and improvement. Staff are not afraid to challenge each other and review how they approach the care of children as a team. The team ethos is one of consensus and transparency that everyone believes in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager are dedicated, competent and driven by the progress that children make. They are good advocates for the children and stand up for them as any good parent would. For example, they challenge social workers if they feel that children’s progress is adversely disrupted by a decision. Children see them as positive role models. One child said of the manager, ‘I can’t even explain, he is there so much for me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are devoted to the children. The team ethos is one of high aspirations for the children. The staff respect and celebrate each child’s personality and diverse needs. They speak very highly of the children. This helps children to feel respected and cherished.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels are acceptable and ensure children’s safety. The manager has recently recruited several new staff. The manager and leaders are currently evaluating their staffing model to ensure it meets children’s needs. The new staff are already demonstrating a good understanding of their role and are already trained and supported to look after the children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported in their role. They have one-to-one supervision meetings with their manager. However, these meetings are not challenging staff to keep striving for more. Supervision sessions do not always give staff the chance to discuss the children or any safeguarding concerns they may have, or to have their performance appraised. Inspection report children's home: 1258134 5 Inspection report children's home: 1258134 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with medically approved protocols. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that supervision and performance

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Recommendations

management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This is in relation to poor quality supervision. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 1258134 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: Kelly Gliszczynski

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Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1258134 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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