Children's Home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 1 Registered provider: Homes2inspire Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company that is owned and operated by a national charity. It is registered to care for up to three children with complex needs who have experienced trauma and loss.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/02/2020 Full Good 04/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. This child has been living at the home for over a year. Staff have formed positive relationships with the child. As a result, the child is more settled and is progressing well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have created placement plans which help them understand the child’s needs and how to provide consistent care. However, some elements of the plans are not clear or up to date. For example, the social worker’s details are not up to date, the missing-from-care plan did not have family contact details and there is no clear plan as to how staff will help the child become more independent. As a result, staff do not have up-to-date information, which could result in inconsistent approaches and the child not progressing as quickly as they could.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have begun to seek out opportunities for the child to socialise, so they feel less isolated. The child attends ballet classes and has been involved in a show. However, the group of children there are younger than them and the child does not currently attend any other groups with children of a similar age or cultural background. As a result, the child continues to feel isolated and there is a risk of losing the connections they have with their culture and language.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are good at making sure the child has opportunities to choose familiar foods, by shopping at an African food store. As a result, the child can enjoy items not normally available in the local supermarket.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have encouraged education and, as a result, the child’s attendance has improved and so has their interest in learning. The child’s end-of-year school report was glowing. During the inspection, the inspector saw that the child wanted to continue with their learning and was engaged in working through numeracy workbooks. This shows commitment by the child to their education and an understanding of its importance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions carried out by staff are of good quality. The child engages well in the sessions. Sessions are on a variety of topics and provide a positive learning opportunity.

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

Staff have put in place robust risk management plans and staff are fully aware of the risks the child poses to themselves. Staffing ratios are high, to support the child through periods of crisis. There are robust plans and consistent approaches by staff, which have meant there has been a significant reduction in incidents.

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

Staff have developed positive and trusting relationships with the child. The child now feels more comfortable talking to staff about their feelings and listens to advice and Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 4 support from staff with regard to strategies. As a result, there are fewer moments of crisis, with the child having been supported to find other ways to manage their emotions, such as going to their room to relax and calm.

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

Medication is safely stored, administered and recorded. However, other health information and concerns are not well documented in the child’s health records. For example, there are no details of immunisations or the action staff are taking to find out about or help the child get the appropriate immunisations. There are no details about how staff keep the child well in relation to their food intolerance. Managers have not included details of investigations into a health condition. As a result, the child’s health could be at risk.

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

Staff have undertaken key-work sessions to help the child understand risks online and risks from others who may want to take advantage of their vulnerability. However, the child is yet to be tested on these skills, due to not having any free time or access to the internet or a mobile phone without supervision, as it not currently safe for them to do so.

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good

The manager is a child-focused practitioner and passionate about providing good- quality childcare.

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good

The home has at times struggled with sufficient staffing levels and as a result the manager has worked several shifts to support the care of the child. This has affected the managerial oversight of the home.

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good

The manager has had oversight of records and incidents. However, he has not always checked that staff have fully updated records. The manager has not always recorded his oversight of incidents and any further action that needs to be taken. Consequently, some records are poor and provide limited evidence of the manager’s professional curiosity or challenge to staff of actions they have taken.

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good

The manager has implemented a no-consequences policy. However, the inspector found staff imposing consequences which they recorded as natural consequences. For example, the child’s tablet was removed following inappropriate use, until a key- work session had taken place. This is a form of consequence and should be recorded so that the manager has oversight of appropriateness.

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good

Staff are positive about the home and feel supported by managers. New staff receive a comprehensive induction. All staff receive regular supervision. However, records from supervisions are brief. They do not always detail staff’s reflection, who has undertaken the supervision, or the date or duration. This may mean staff are not getting good-quality, reflective supervision which supports their learning. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 5 There is good multi-agency working. The manager has called on the skills of other professionals to develop staff’s skills and knowledge in caring for the child placed at the home. As a result, staff feel more confident about how to best help the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 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 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and 14 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 7 make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s plans are accurate and up to date and that proactive plans are in place to help children make progress.

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to supporting the child to develop their cultural and social interests. 14 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 14 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 8 that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s health plans containing information about immunisations and health conditions, and dates of health appointments and action taken.

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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 the manager’s monitoring of incidents, children’s plans and the quality of records completed by staff. 14 October 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Specifically, that these records are detailed and show who has carried out the supervision and the actions set. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’,

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Recommendations

page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 9  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. This specifically relates to consequences which may be seen as a natural outcome. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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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: 1256135 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes2inspire 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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Inspector

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1256135 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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