Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 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 owned and run by a private organisation and can provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties. According to its statement of purpose, ‘the home is for children with individualised needs and those who find it difficult to live within larger groups’.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 20 December 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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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 9 November 2021

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 2 The home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 9 November 2021 and two compliance notices were served, under regulations 12 and 26. The provider’s progress in meeting these notices was reviewed during a monitoring visit, conducted on 20 December 2021. Neither of these two notices were met. The notices were reissued, with a completion date of 23 January 2022 and a restriction of accommodation notice was also served on 22 December 2021. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2021 Full Inadequate 02/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 4

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inadequate

For the one child who continues to live at the home, serious risks to her safety and well-being remain. Despite the concerns that were identified at the previous full inspection, in respect of this child, the staff team is not sufficiently skilled to keep her safe from harm. This child’s propensity to use self-harm as a coping mechanism is well-known by the staff. However, the preventive strategies that are in place for the staff to use are not always current because these are not reviewed and updated swiftly enough, following such incidents.

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inadequate

Staff are not equipped to provide this child with the protective measures that she needs to keep her safe from harm. For example, although this child’s use of ligatures is well documented and understood, the bulk of the current staff team has not received relevant training in this regard. Since the last inspection, the child has continued to use ligatures. Consequently, the risk of serious harm remains.

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inadequate

Staff do demonstrate a caring and thoughtful approach in their care practice. One child has been sensitively supported to move on from the home since the previous inspection. The child who still lives in the home positively engages with the staff when she is well, and she is continuing to work hard at school.

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inadequate

The staff recognise the importance for the child to maintain her social network which includes seeing her family members and friends. The staff have also found ways to connect with the child through their shared interests. For example, staff have started a book club with the child so that they routinely come together to review their latest read.

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

The continuing significant shortfalls in providing the necessary guidance and training for staff about the child’s known serious risks place this child at significant risk of harm. Appropriate ligature training, including the use of cutting equipment, has still not been provided, despite continuing incidents.

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

Some progress has been made in meeting the compliance notice, in respect of regulation 12, that was reissued following the previous monitoring visit. However, leaders have not completed a written review of the process of risk management, neither has an audit of the skills and training of all staff responsible for risk management been completed. This compliance notice is, therefore, not met.

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

Risk management practice continues to have areas of weakness, resulting in a lack of explicit guidance for the staff to use. Examples include the failure to guide the staff on what to do in the event of the child leaving the home during times of emotional distress. This is of particular concern, due to the severity of the risks when this occurs. In addition, a change to how the child hurts herself has not been Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 5 recorded in the child’s plans to alert the staff to be aware of this change. Therefore, risk reduction strategies in response to this method have not been considered.

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

Despite several audits being completed on staff files since the last full inspection, further shortfalls were identified at this inspection. Omissions include the failure to complete all necessary checks for staff currently working in the home. Consequently, children remain at risk from staff not thoroughly vetted.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to take effective action when concerns have been raised regarding a member of staff. This failure has led to the staff member being redeployed to another of the provider’s children’s homes while an investigation is pending. Leaders did not consider taking appropriate measures to protect children and the staff member to facilitate the investigation process. Neither have managers notified Ofsted, nor consulted with the local authority designated officer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home continues to be led and managed by an interim manager. A new manager has started to work in the home. She has not submitted an application to register with Ofsted, and therefore her fitness has not been assessed by the regulator.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A review of the compliance notice that was reissued at the previous monitoring visit, under regulation 26, found that some of the steps in that notice have not been met. Leaders have failed to conduct an audit of the skills, experience and qualifications of every staff member, to be satisfied that all staff are able to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Redeployed staff who are currently at this home are not included in this audit. Therefore, it is not known if they have the skills and knowledge necessary to care for a child with significant mental health needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although some consideration has been given to the leadership and management arrangements across the provider’s homes, a review and subsequent plan was not provided. Consequently, leaders are unable to show that they possess an accurate understanding of the staff team’s skills and needs, or that they have a clear and measurable plan to provide effective leadership. These significant omissions in response to the compliance notice mean that, on the provider’s second attempt, the notice is still not met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Records for the use of physical intervention lack management oversight in several areas. The records viewed either lack the required information or fail to demonstrate that children have had the opportunity to discuss the intervention. Consequently, opportunities to learn from incidents are being missed and the child’s views are not always considered. This shortfall has led to missed opportunities to learn from such incidents and inform future care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The interim manager has made progress with regards to the regularity of staff supervision and team meetings. However, she has not notified the local authority that a child has moved out of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 6 The overall findings of this inspection raise concerns about the provider’s fitness to operate this children’s home. Despite being given more time to address the serious concerns about the safety of children, similar shortfalls in respect of risk management, the skillset of the staff team, leadership and management arrangements, and safer recruitment, continue to be repeated. The failure of leaders to meet two compliance notices, despite being given an extension, adds further concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ofsted will consider the next steps, while the restriction notice remains in place as a protective measure to prevent any further admissions of children into the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 7

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 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; 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)(b)) 9 March 2022

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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— promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(c)(h)) 9 March 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

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; 9 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 8 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)(a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provides for the suspension from work of an employee if necessary in the interests of the safety or welfare of children. (Regulation 33 (2)(a)) 9 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 9 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 9 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify, without delay, the local authority for the area in which the children’s home is located of every admission of a child into the home and every discharge of a child from the home. (Regulation 41 (1)) 27 May 2022

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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: 2515370 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: Angela Muchatuta

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Inspector

Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 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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