Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 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 is registered to care for up to three children with complex needs who have experienced trauma and loss.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2020 and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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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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 requires improvement to be 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: 5 November 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/11/2019 Full Good 15/07/2019 Full Inadequate 07/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children were living in the home at the time of this inspection. They have both recently moved in. Three children have moved out of the home in this inspection period. Staff provided good support for these children in line with their care plans. Where possible, staff have offered ongoing support to children to help them settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress as a result of the care they receive from staff. For example, children who have moved on from the home have made progress in their education and have sat their exams. A social worker for a current child stated, ‘I am surprised at the progress [the child] has made, and how much the staff have done with her to develop her own desire to make positive changes.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health improves over time due to discussions and key-work sessions with staff. For example, one child who has left the home gave up smoking and joined the gym. A current child is managing the administration of her medication on a regular basis. This has meant she has not needed to be readmitted to hospital.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children told the inspector they liked living in the home. They scored their experience as 7 and 8 out of 10. Children were able to identify which member of staff they felt able to talk to and who they enjoy spending time with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities. As the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have lifted, children have enjoyed going fishing, shopping and going to the gym. Photos of some activities are kept in memory books for children to remind them of the fun they have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have personalised their bedrooms and there is ongoing maintenance work in the home. However, managers have been too slow to escalate some of the work that needs to be completed. For example, the laundry room still has signs of damp, despite efforts made to repair this.

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improvement to be good

Although staff keep children safe most of the time, there have been some occasions where staff practice has not been in line with the company’s expectations. For example, on one occasion staff left out a sharp object that a child used to harm themselves with. On another occasion, staff fell asleep whilst working a waking night shift. This has had an impact on children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Managers have been quick to take actions to address these events. They have worked with other professionals such as the local designated officer. Staff performance has been managed and wider staff learning has taken place. This has helped to reduce further occurrences. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 4 Not all safer recruitment practices are followed for the recruitment of staff. For example, complete employment histories are missing, and the reasons for leaving when staff have previously worked with children or vulnerable adults have not been verified. Furthermore, it is not always clear if the person giving the reference has the authorisation from the company to do so.

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improvement to be good

When children have raised concerns, these have been investigated and staff have explained to children the actions that have been taken as a result. This has meant that children feel listened to.

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improvement to be good

Staff are attuned to children’s emotions. Staff use the motto ‘connection before correction’. This enables staff to build up strong relationships with children which enables them to de-escalate incidents quickly. As a result, the need for physical intervention is rare.

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improvement to be good

Children have gone missing from care. Staff are proactive, share information and actively look for children. One professional stated, ‘It has been my experience that staff exceed expectations in the efforts they put into making sure our young people are safe . The intelligence gathered by staff, just through engagement with [the child], has enabled us to understand her as an individual, assess risk and ascertain what her wishes are for her future.’

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improvement to be good

Children said they feel safe at the home. Direct work with children in areas such as substance misuse and child sexual exploitation raises children’s awareness to these risks and how to keep themselves safe from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager work seamlessly together. They have a passion to drive the home forward and to make continual developments. There are already plans in place to address the shortfalls that have been identified during this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager takes a firm but fair approach to management. She quickly addresses any shortfalls in practice, but also is quick to praise good practice. For example, there is a member of staff of the month reward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All feedback from professionals is excellent. One social worker stated that ‘the communication with the home is a large part of the reason we have been able to assess and manage risk’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Diversity is discussed and celebrated in the home. This ranges from discussions to art sessions. A range of topics are discussed such as LGBTQ+ and mental health week. This helps children to have a better understanding of the world around them. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 5 Staff attend a range of training and complete ‘learning circles’. This further supports staff’s learning and development, as group learning and reflection can take place on identified topics.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff spoke positively about the level of support they receive. Staff supervisions are good quality. There are excellent opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice. Staff will also seek out support when they require it. However, staff supervisions are not yet taking place as regularly as company policy states. There is a clear plan in place to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are at the heart of the home. There is excellent consultation with children. Views are sought and listened to. However, this is not reflected in the quality of care review as required . This is a missed opportunity for the registered manager to capture all of the positive work that takes place. Furthermore, before the most recent child moved into the home, there was a meeting between all of the children’s social workers. This meeting considered if the current child would progress at the home and to agree strategies to help keep children safe. However, this is not captured within the paperwork for the child to help evidence this good work. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 6

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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 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

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

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)(v)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff practice is in line with company’s expectations and that necessary work, such as that required to the laundry room, is completed. 26 January 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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 26 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that the full work histories are sought, and the reasons for leaving when staff have previously worked with children or vulnerable adults are verified.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that they have systems in place so that all staff receive supervision as per the company policy. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person must ensure that they have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in regulation 45 at least once every six months. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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 for children’s home: 1255744 8

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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

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 9 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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