Children's Home run by Inspire Care (UK) Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 1 Registered provider: Inspire Care (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a newly registered manager. The manager has 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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: 9 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following the last full inspection, a monitoring visit took place on 5 January 2022. This visit found that managers had not taken sufficient action to meet all of the Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 2 requirements. As a result, one compliance notice was raised. This inspection found that the notice has now been met. Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2021 Full Inadequate 18/12/2019 Full Good 28/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the monitoring visit in January 2022, one child has moved in to the home and two children have left. At the time of inspection, one child lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are positive about the care that they receive and build positive relationships with staff. One child informed the inspector that he can talk to staff and knows who to go to if he needed to complain. Children are supported and encouraged by staff to participate in leisure activities and clubs. This enables children to improve their self-esteem while having fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and well-being are met by staff. Statutory health assessments have been completed and all children have attended required medical appointments. Staff demonstrate an ability to seek specialist help when necessary and undertake research to meet the specific needs of the children they care for. This multi-team approach means that children’s needs are effectively promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s life chances improve through a joined-up approach to their learning. Staff and education providers work together to ensure that children receive the right support for their needs. A pastoral manager at one child’s school told the inspector, ‘We have daily handovers with staff to discuss anything needed, [child] always arrives dressed appropriately and equipped for the day.’ Good collaboration supports children’s learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop their life skills in readiness for adult life. For example, children are encouraged to shop for their own food and to cook for themselves in line with their age and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff engage in conversations with children that are informal and planned. These sessions cover a range of subjects. As a result, children are able to express their views and feel listened to, and this has a positive impact on children’s outcomes. For example, one child’s views have been supported, leading to them successfully moving on to a new home that is closer to their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to stay in touch with the people who are most important to them. Children are able to visit family and arrangements are made for regular telephone contact in between visits. Staff advocate well for children to ensure that loved ones remain a constant presence in their lives. This supports children to continue to have positive experiences with family and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not always provide children with a homely and well-maintained environment to live in. For example, the inspector found that arears of the home appeared bare, with no pictures of children on walls, and areas of damage that have not been repaired in a timely fashion. This does not show a caring and proactive approach to meeting the children’s needs. Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 5

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

Managers and staff review and update risk management plans on a regular basis to include any new and relevant information. This ensures that staff understand each child’s needs and vulnerabilities and can provide them with safe care.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff make sure that a detailed record is made that reflects a rigorous response. Staff and managers are diligent in their efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of children by consistently searching for them. Staff will contact the police and other relevant agencies to share information and promote the child’s safe return. On their return to the home, children can discuss any issues with an independent person. This gives them the opportunity to discuss the reasons why they went missing, and for staff to take action to minimise the risk of this happening again in the future.

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

Staff ensure that the home environment is safe for children to live in. A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards that could pose risks to children. Children take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency.

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

Since the last inspection, three new staff members have joined the home. Managers continue to have a robust safer recruitment policy in place. This ensures that children are cared for by safe adults.

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

Staff respond to children’s challenging behaviours in a positive way most of the time, and they use praise and reward to promote positive behaviour. Staff are equipped to support children with their behaviours and are provided with good therapeutic tools to help support children with their emotional needs. However, these skills have not always been put to good use. Staff have raised with children the possibility of police intervention as a means of managing challenging situations. This does not support children to manage their emotions, and has the potential to criminalise children.

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good

A suitably qualified manager leads the staff team.

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good

Managers do not always plan well for new children moving into the home. For example, one child moved in to the home with known risks that could impact on the children living there at the time. The manager did not plan well for this as he failed to consider all known risks, which led to two children going missing from care together on occasion. This lack of effective planning has the potential to compromise children’s welfare.

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good

The registered manager does not ensure that systems for recording new medication brought into the home are clear. Information on one child’s medication administration chart does not match that of the prescription dosage. To date, the Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 6 child has received the correct dosage of medication. However, due to recording errors, there is the potential for mistakes in administration to be made.

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good

A variety of training and development opportunities help staff to further their knowledge to support children’s complex needs. The vast majority of staff hold the required level 3 diploma qualification. Staff are provided with a new induction file that provides them with additional learning around the organisation’s therapeutic model and ethos of care. Consequently, children are now receiving care from staff who are well informed and can respond to their changing needs.

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good

Staff and managers respond effectively when children raise a complaint or safeguarding concern. Staff are provided with the tools to manage allegations effectively. This good support enables staff to understand the impact of abuse and neglect, and how to respond to protect children.

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good

Staff enjoy working at the home and are positive about the support they receive. Staff report that they find supervision helpful and it allows them the chance to discuss development opportunities.

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good

The manager, along with members of staff, develop positive relationships with children’s families and professionals to ensure that children’s needs are met effectively. This partnership working results in the children receiving good-quality and coordinated care Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

Understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

Use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the home environment is well maintained throughout, damage is repaired quickly, and the environment is made to feel homely and welcoming for children. 15 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that impact risk assessments for new children moving in to the home are informative and assess the impact on all children. 15 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 15 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 8 This specifically relates to the recording of newly received medication in the home and updating documents when medical professionals advise to change dosages.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. They should also play a key role in shaping the ethos of the home through developing a culture of high aspiration for children, which is demonstrated through the care, resources and opportunities offered to the children. This specifically relates to the therapeutic model of care that is offered. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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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: 1271234 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Care (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 263 Nottingham Road, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG7 7DA

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Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 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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