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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 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. The home provides care for up to two children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A recent change in the home’s statement of purpose means that the home now specialises in caring for children with a plan to return to live with their family or move to a foster family environment. The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021 and is currently completing the required qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended 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. We last visited this setting on 23 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the home has gone through a period of being unsettled. In response, changes have been made to the care provided at the home and the home’s statement of purpose has been updated to reflect this. These changes have been made to better integrate the home in the local community. Work is being carried out to build improved links with the local community .

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improvement to be good

There has been increased turnover of staff. As a result, the children have experienced some disrupted relationships. However, staffing issues are now resolved and a full staff team has been appointed.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans do not clearly identify their individual needs, vulnerabilities or the current aims and objectives of the placement. Furthermore, plans are not regularly updated to reflect any changes. For example, one child’s care plan did not accurately reflect changes in the arrangements for education. The plan refers to the child’s home tutoring plan rather that the education provision they are now attending.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not regularly seek the views, wishes and feelings of children. Staff do not regularly speak to children individually to talk about the issues affecting the children. Consequently, the voice of the child is not heard, and changes are not made in the home to reflect their wishes or views.

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improvement to be good

Staff work well with children’s families to facilitate regular family time, providing children with both practical and emotional support. This is a strength of the home and means that children are not isolated from their families. Staff are sensitive to children’s family and background circumstances. Families value this support. One parent said, ‘They do more than just care for my child, they show care and empathy to us.’

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improvement to be good

There is now an effective system in place for booking children’s medication in and out of the home. This supports the safe administration of children’s medication. There have been no errors in administering medication.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to learn age-appropriate independence skills. Staff devise independence programmes that enable children to learn valuable life skills. As a result, children become more confident in their own abilities.

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improvement to be good

Both of the children have made progress in education from their starting points. Staff have helped children to understand the importance of education. They work closely with each child’s school to review educational engagement and academic progress, ensuring that children are supported to achieve. Staff are aspirational about each child’s future, and this motivates them to succeed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 4

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, there was a live, ongoing police investigation in relation to an allegation made by a child. This matter was not reviewed during the inspection due to the investigation not being concluded. Appropriate action has been taken by the staff to report this matter in line with safeguarding processes.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s safety needs. However, risk assessments are not comprehensive, and they fail to identify all known risks. They do not provide staff with clear guidance about how to manage the identified risks. For example, one child’s risk assessment identifies that the child is allowed unsupervised time in the community. However, this is inaccurate and not permitted. This leaves the child vulnerable and increases risk.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. Two complaints have been made by a child and both have been thoroughly investigated. However, managers have failed to provide the child with a letter detailing the outcome of their complaint. There is no evidence of how these complaints have been used to develop the service and improve outcomes for children .

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improvement to be good

Following one child moving on from the home, incidents of going missing have significantly reduced. When children have been reported missing, staff work in line with agreed protocols, working closely with local police teams, to ensure that the child is found and returned home safely. Return home interviews are carried out when children return, to ensure that they have someone who they can talk to about any worries they have, and also to gather vital information from children who may have been exposed to harm.

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improvement to be good

Concerns raised by members of the local community have ceased following a child moving on from the home. The manager endeavours to maintain a positive relationship with neighbours. Staff are now more sensitive when parking their cars, levels of noise are now kept to a minimum and incidents do not spill into the community. The children are actively involved in their community and have baked cookies for their neighbours.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of physical restraint are rare because staff use verbal de-escalation techniques effectively to encourage children to manage strong emotions better. The use of sanctions is also rare, and staff ensure that these are mostly restorative in nature. This approach helps children to reflect on their actions.

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good

The manager is now registered with Ofsted. This has brought stable leadership to the home and staff report that this change has been positive. However, as a result of previous staff shortages in the home, managers have worked increased hours on Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 5 duty, reducing their capacity to monitor and review systems to make continuous improvements.

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good

The manager’s capacity to ensure that staff receive regular, formal supervision has been compromised. Staff do not receive regular formal supervision. The registered manager has failed to address this shortfall since the last inspection. Some staff have not had supervision meetings with their line managers for a number of months. Incidents that have taken place in the home have taken up managers’ time and focus from the staff development needed to improve the home. Newer staff are not provided with the opportunity to learn from experienced staff because there are so few experienced staff working at the home.

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good

Although some aspects of leadership and management require further development, progress has been made in raising standards at the home since February 2021. This can be attributed to the skills and commitment of the management team. Despite a period of disruption and change, the staff at the home feel supported and there are indications that a cohesive approach is now being taken to ensure that children will be kept safe, and their needs will be met .

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good

Managers and staff have a clear vision for the home. Partnerships between the home and professionals are effective. When the practice of others falls short of acceptable standards, the registered manager is rigorous in his challenge. This ensures that children can access the services they need to make further progress.

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good

Senior managers in the organisation have demonstrated a commitment to improving standards in the home before new children have moved in. This has enabled staff to concentrate on learning from the training they have received and to reflect on the potential implications of past poor practice. As a result of this, a learning culture has been established in the home.

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good

Training programmes for staff are up to date, despite the impact of COVID-19. Staff have regular opportunities to refresh mandatory courses such as safeguarding and therapeutic training. The therapeutic approach has changed the way that staff communicate and work with children, using nurture and supporting children to learn through natural consequence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 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 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.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s views, wishes and feelings being regularly sought and acted on. 28 February 2022

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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

that staff— 28 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 7 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that risk assessments reflect the needs of children and include guidance on how staff should respond to risks.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers embedding monitoring systems in the home to improve the quality of care provided. 28 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 8 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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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)(b)(2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s care plans accurately reflecting the child’s needs and agreed plans. 28 February 2022

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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)) 28 February 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered persons should ensure that staff encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support and without fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. Regulation 39 sets out the requirements on the registered person to have a complaints procedure. Children must be aware of this procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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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, Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 9 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: 2515380 10

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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

Registered manager: Aaron Charles-Chambers

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2515380 11 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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