Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation and can provide care and accommodation for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since October 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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This monitoring visit

Due to a combination of concerning notifications and the unplanned departure of the registered manager, Ofsted undertook a monitoring visit to be assured of the safety and welfare of the children living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

During the monitoring visit, the inspector identified serious and widespread failures by senior leaders to provide safe care for children, leaving the children exposed to the continuing risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders are unable to demonstrate that all staff have been recruited subject to safer recruitment practices. For three staff, leaders did not provide evidence to demonstrate that Disclosure and Barring Service checks have been verified and that references have been requested and obtained prior to those staff starting their employment and working in the home. Children are, therefore, exposed to the risk of being cared for by unvetted staff. This has included lone working by such staff on occasion. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 2 There is no registered manager in the home and the responsible individual is not currently at work. The operations manager is currently tasked with being in charge of the day-to-day management of the home. However, she is also performing this role at another home, which was recently judged inadequate. She is also covering shifts at the home, due to staffing shortages. Interim management arrangements

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This monitoring visit

are not sufficiently robust and fail to convince Ofsted that the home will be effectively managed.

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This monitoring visit

Children remain at risk of harm because of the inadequate care that has been, and is continuing, to be provided. In one example since the last full inspection, one child was missing for four days. Staff made several attempts to contact and look for the child for the first 24 hours, but no further attempts were made by staff in the following 48 hours to contact or locate the child. This child is known to have been exploited and continues to be at high risk of this. However, senior leaders are unable to demonstrate proactive work with this child to reduce this risk of exploitation.

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This monitoring visit

In another example, this child did not receive medical attention following an incident of being assaulted while missing, even though the staff noted the child had physical injuries. This inaction leaves the child vulnerable and at serious risk of harm. Although risks for this child are increasing, leaders and managers failed to appropriately challenge the child’s placing authority when it was agreed that the child’s expected return time to the home could be extended to a later time, in a bid to prevent the child from going missing.

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This monitoring visit

Another child remains at risk of harm due to their involvement with known drug dealers. As recently as 17 November 2021, a brick was thrown through a downstairs window at the home. This is considered by the staff, child and the police to be associated with this child’s involvement with drug dealers. This child told the inspector how positive aspects of their life have significantly declined and that they do not feel safe at the home due to the disinterest of staff and managers. Other than a temporary repair to the window and informing the police, leaders have failed to take further necessary protective action, such as gathering this child’s views and assessing their risks, as well as those of the other children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

As recently as the morning of this monitoring visit, children were missing from the home into the early hours. Staff from another home had been redeployed to cover the night care and had not followed the children’s safety plans, to report them missing or notify the on-call manager. The senior leaders present during this inspection were not aware of this incident until the inspector informed them. Consequently, the serious risks to children’s safety remain.

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This monitoring visit

Three of the children living in the home are no longer in the education system, working or being trained for work. In-house attempts to provide informal education for these children are sporadic and usually refused by the children. Senior leaders fail to demonstrate that they have made efforts to engage with the virtual school Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 3 and placing authorities for these children, to promote their learning and make formal education arrangements. Children are at risk of missing vital learning opportunities.

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This monitoring visit

The fire risk assessment, due for renewal in August 2021, has not been carried out. This has been a repeated action from independent monitoring reports. Other environmental risks go unnoticed. For example, the unlocked garden shed contains power tools, saws, chemicals and shears. Senior leaders were unaware that children could freely access this and were asked by the inspector to make arrangements to secure the shed during the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

At the end of this inspection, senior leaders produced an action plan. Ofsted considered the plan to be poor and indicative of the failure of senior leaders to recognise and mitigate the clear and obvious risks that remain apparent for the children’s safety and well-being. The plan includes the return of a registered manager, who is currently working elsewhere in the organisation. However, there is no further description of how safe management arrangements are assured until this planned return.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the serious nature of these concerns and Ofsted’s conclusion that children are at serious risk of harm, action has been taken to suspend the home’s registration. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/05/2021 Full Good 21/10/2019 Full Outstanding 11/12/2018 Full Outstanding 06/09/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 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

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

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 18 February 2022

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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

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)) 31 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii)) 18 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— 31 December 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 6 positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship. (Regulation 11 (1)(c) (2)(a)(vii))

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d)) 31 December 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 7 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 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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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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)(e)(h)) 31 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 31 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b)) 31 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 18 February 2022

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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)) 31 December 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 8

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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: 1256058 9

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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: Sanita Marshalleck

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Inspector

Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1256058 10 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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