Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 1 Registered provider: Inspire Childrens Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. The manager was registered to manage this home in June 2019.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home. She was making good progress and settled. One child had recently moved on from the home. Staff supported him to move to his new home and continue to be in touch and provide support. As a result, children move on from the home in a planned and positive way.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and staff are a strength of this home. Observations were made of warm and caring interactions between children and staff in the home. The child said, ‘I know they take a piece of me home with them and I keep a piece of them here with me.’ Consequently, the child feels valued and well cared for.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently support children with their education. Children’s educational achievements and progress are celebrated. Staff are involved in plans for children’s education and attend all relevant meetings. This results in children making good progress in their education and recognising its importance.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a range of activities. Staff encourage children to take part in activities which support the children’s physical and emotional well-being, for example going to the gym, going on bike rides and having pamper or movie nights. Staff have collated photographs in scrapbooks for the children as memories.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly see their families and other people who are important to them. Staff work hard to build relationships with children’s families to promote and maintain positive family time. Staff will facilitate family time in line with local authority care plans. Staff will travel long distances and stay overnight to ensure that family time is a positive experience for everyone. This allows children to sustain a positive sense of identity and belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are physically fit and their emotional well-being is improving. Staff register children with all relevant health professionals and support children to attend planned appointments.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their independence. For example, children are supported to develop their cookery skills, budgeting and money management. This has increased the children’s confidence and supported their positive moves on to semi-independence.

p.3

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

There are clear and individualised risk management plans in place for children. Staff are knowledgeable about the children’s risks and the strategies to keep children safe. Plans contain children’s comments and the manager completes regular reviews. As a result, management and staff safeguard children living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 4 Incidents of missing from home are infrequent. However, when children do go missing the staff team responds effectively. Staff follow relevant plans for the children and document their actions clearly. Return home interviews take place swiftly and are completed by an independent service.

p.3

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

Staff implement strategies of de-escalation to promote positive behaviour. However, there have been occasions when staff have used physical intervention to manage behaviour. These incidents are well documented and evaluated by management. There is evidence that direct work sessions take place with children following these incidents.

p.4

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

Children are supported to make complaints to other safeguarding professionals. Staff advocate for the children in their care and challenge appropriately to ensure the child’s voice is heard. Staff complete good-quality direct work with children about their rights and the support available. Consequently, children feel listened to.

p.4

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

The child was able to identify members of staff that she could speak to if she is concerned or worried. She was also able to talk about how staff support her to keep safe, including conducting regular checks on her social media platforms.

p.4

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

Staff complete regular training and are knowledgeable around the risks identified for the children. For example, the team has completed specific training around eating disorders and domestic violence within teenage relationships. As a result, staff have a good knowledge and skill base to identify risks and safeguard the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who is child focused and has high aspirations for children. The management team ensures that it knows children well and it recognises and celebrates progress. Certificates are given to children to acknowledge their achievements. This supports positive outcomes and a sense of achievement for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they feel supported by the management in place. Feedback from other professionals is good, and the leadership team’s communication and commitment were highlighted as a particular strength.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy know the children well. The care plans in place for children accurately reflect their needs and the plans of the local authority. Leaders regularly review the care plans, and they include input from children and professionals. This results in the manager being able to effectively evaluate children’s progress.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision and yearly appraisals. Supervisions are of good quality and allow space for reflection. An electronic system holds the documentation which staff and management can access, allowing for both to obtain copies. Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 5 The registered manager holds monthly team meetings. Team meetings are utilised as opportunities to critically reflect on incidents and improve strategies for future occurrences. Furthermore, guest speakers, such as Team Teach trainers or psychologists, attend to complete refreshers of training or enhance staff knowledge.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes a regular review of the quality of care. This includes the manager reviewing children’s files to identify trends or patterns within behaviours. The review demonstrates good evaluation of the quality of care provided. This results in an effective plan to improve the service. Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The provider must demonstrate the hours that all staff have worked on rotas, including managers. 4 May 2022

p.6

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: 2536395 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Childrens Services Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3 Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

p.7

Inspector

Rose Maddocks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8