Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 1 Registered provider: Homes2inspire Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company which is owned by a national charity. They provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since October 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 25 January 2022

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2022 Full Inadequate 09/11/2021 Full Inadequate 02/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff know the child in the home well. One professional said ‘Staff are instrumental in providing a stable and supportive environment for [child’s name]. Consequently, this child has formed trusting relationships with staff.’

p.3

improvement to be good

Independence work has been carried out with this child as they approach adulthood. This has focused mainly on mental health and education. The manager recognises this and is making plans to further support independence work in other areas, such as budgeting. This has left a gap in some independence skills that this child will need in order to succeed when they leave the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child’s educational progress is exceptional. Managers and staff are fully committed to ensuring that they are supported to attend school and revise at home. These positive efforts are recognised by the deputy headteacher of the school. Staff also ensure there is a balance between studies and fun, offering activities and a distraction when needed.

p.3

improvement to be good

Records of medication administration contain errors that lack scrutiny by the manager. As a result, it is unclear if medication has been administered as prescribed. Furthermore, the risks associated with mixing alcohol and prescribed medication were not considered when there were indications that alcohol might be featured in eighteenth birthday celebrations for this child.

p.3

improvement to be good

House meetings take place in the home. However, consultation with the child does not impact on the development of the home or quality of care. This is recognised by the manager, who has a plan on how to improve practice in this area.

p.3

improvement to be good

Incidents of risk for this child are reducing. However, on occasion, the risk mitigation plan was not followed by staff. The child’s plan says that they can go out for five minutes before being contacted by staff, but on one occasion this plan was not followed, and the child went missing. While there was no harm to the child, this oversight has not been picked up by the manager and acted on to ensure staff follow children’s plans.

p.3

improvement to be good

Incidents of self harm for one child have declined. However, on one occasion, the child was able to access a sharp item which should have been removed by staff and they were able to use this to self-harm. This has impacted on this child’s experience of being safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 4 Staff do not always act in children’s best interest. A recent incident involved a member of staff driving at excessive speed, with the child as a passenger in the vehicle. While the provider has taken appropriate action with the member of staff, they have not considered the impact on the child, who is currently learning to drive, nor did they communicate this to the child’s family, who have parental responsibility. This is a missed opportunity to provide restorative practice with the child and families when staff are at error.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home is a pleasant environment. Concerns raised regarding fire evacuation procedures were resolved during the inspection.

p.4

good

The manager has a clear vision and ideas to support improvements in this home and bring about positive change. She is supported by a small staff team who provide continuity of care and who are positive about the management arrangements. The manager has submitted an application to Ofsted to be registered.

p.4

good

Staff are positive about the progress that has been made in the home and are committed to the children. However, they are unable to demonstrate they understand the home’s ethos and statement of purpose. The manager also demonstrated that that her understanding of the statement of purpose needs to improve.

p.4

good

Some written records lack oversight by the manager. For example, a senior staff member had written in one child’s records that there had been an argument between a child and another staff member. This has not been explored by the manager. In another example, there has been a lack of scrutiny by the manager of supervision records undertaken by delegated staff. This is a shortfall in the manager’s use of monitoring systems to scrutinise practice and explore experiences for children.

p.4

good

The manager has a plan agreed with the local authority to reduce the use of waking night staff. However, on one occasion this plan was not followed. While this has not impacted on the care experience for children, the rationale for not following the agreed plan is unclear.

p.4

good

Team meetings are not held frequently. This is a missed opportunity for staff to come together and share practice. Furthermore, notes from previous team meetings have not been shared in a timely way. This means staff who were unable to attend meetings are not aware of any actions arising and do not benefit from shared discussions. A team meeting that was observed as part of the inspection was of good quality and staff benefited from the learning in the meeting.

p.4

good

Staff benefit from regular supervision with the manager. However, delegated responsibilities to senior staff who lack experience in supervising social care staff have left a shortfall in some staff’s experience of supervision. Consequently, some Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 5 staff have not received quality supervision that enables them to reflect and improve on their practice.

p.4

good

Most staff do not have the relevant qualification. Furthermore, one staff member’s training in the use of physical intervention has not been refreshed in line with the provider’s standards. There is no risk mitigation in place regarding this issue should a child need to be restrained while they are working with them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.6

Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(vi))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should:  demonstrate that the team and herself have the appropriate knowledge of the homes ethos and how this is embedded in practice.  Ensure staff are aware of children’s risk mitigation plans and implement them  Prepare the child to live independently in readiness for her transition. 29 July 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

that staff— 10 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 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

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

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)(v)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider should:  Ensure staff have the skills and knowledge of children’s plans to keep them safe and such plans are implemented by staff.

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.7

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)(c)(f)(h)) 29 July 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 29 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(c))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.8

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,

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

p.8

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

p.8

Requirement Due date

the level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the level 3 Diploma”); or

p.8

Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 Diploma.

p.8

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

p.8

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual— 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 9 does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

p.8

Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

p.9

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listed to and acted upon. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

p.9

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 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes2inspire Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lumonics House, Valiant Office Suites, Valley Drive, Swift Valley Industrial Estate, Rugby CV21 1TQ

p.10

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Angela Muchatuta

p.10

Inspectors

Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Jessica Forshaw, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2515370 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.

p.10

Inspectors

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.11

Inspectors

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

p.11

Inspectors

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

p.11