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

Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 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

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children who experience social and/or emotional difficulties. The home is run by a private company that is owned by a national charity.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is led by a registered and experienced manager.

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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 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care and support from a committed staff team. Children benefit from staff showing them emotional warmth and understanding. Feedback from a placing social worker is positive. They say that staff have good relationships with the children. This helps children to build trusting relationships with staff, which supports children to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are regularly encouraged to access a range of activities in the local area and beyond. They enjoy many positive experiences. One child has been involved in the wider development of other homes. For example, they assisted professionals in the interviews for new members of staff and supported fundraising at another home. This supports children to build their confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff motivate children to learn and encourage them to experience new educational experiences. However, children’s education placements have been minimal. The manager is taking swift action and is working with involved agencies to improve this. The manager understands the importance of children having good-quality education and remains focused on raising and escalating her concerns to leaders in the local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to express their wishes and feelings during regular meetings. However, children’s views and feedback are not always recorded. This limits children’s participation in their own plans and the day-to-day running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff provide children with a nurturing home environment. Staff speak about children with enthusiasm, warmth and care. The house is furnished and decorated to a high standard. The home environment reflects that children’s needs are put first. This supports children to feel safe in their home.

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

There are clear plans in place for when children are missing from home. There is a coordinated approach to this which involves children’s families and the professionals working with the children. Staff undertake visual checks of the children when they are absent from the home and persist with these checks. Staff have a good understanding of actions needed to ensure the safety of the children.

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

Children know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy with any aspect of their care. The positive relationships between children and staff mean that any concerns children have are managed before they escalate. However, the children would benefit from being reassured that appropriate action has been taken. Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 4 Risk assessments are clear and thorough, which enables the home to help keep the children safe. However, there is little evidence of the risk assessments being reviewed or quality assured. The safety and protection offered to the children would be improved by regular reviews and reflective discussions with staff.

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

The staff have received training in safeguarding. This training meets the needs of the children. However, safeguarding is not routinely discussed in one-to-one supervision meetings with staff. Safeguarding matters are not always discussed in team meetings. These omissions reduce the opportunities for staff to discuss and learn about specific and wider safeguarding issues.

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

Recruitment is managed safely. The principles of safe recruitment practice are followed. However, there is a lack of information about employment gaps and references being received.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the manager and have regular formal and informal supervision. This supervision includes feedback from the manager to staff members about their performance. Staff are encouraged to share their knowledge and experience. This helps the staff to progress their professional development. Staff supervision sessions are not routinely recorded. Therefore, there is no evidence of how staff are supported with their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some management systems in place. However, not all records have management oversight. For example, management oversight of the arrangements for the administration of medicines does not ensure that the procedure is as safe as it can be. Monitoring does not provide oversight or demonstrate understanding about the impact and effectiveness of care. As a result, continuous improvements are not made. However, plans are in place to drive improvements forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since the home opened and shows positive ambition to achieve good outcomes for the children. This attitude has positively impacted the staff team. Staff comment that they feel happy and appreciated and that young people have developed really positive relationships. Staff are motivated and work well as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective about developing the home and the staff to ensure good outcomes for the children. There are development plans that continually improve the experiences for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not always ensure that the home is run according to its statement of purpose. For example, not all staff are aware of a particular model of care identified in the statement of purpose, and the staff supervision arrangements are not set out correctly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular mandatory training. The induction programme for new staff is robust and thorough. Staff benefit from extra learning provided by Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 5 managers which is focused on their development. However, staff would benefit from updating their training regularly to ensure continued professional learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a genuine sense of commitment and loyalty to the home, the children and their progress. The staff build effective working relationships with professionals. As a result, multi-agency working is effective. Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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)(a)(b)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all records are reviewed and monitored by the manager. 12 December

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b) (5)) 12 December Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 7 This relates to ensuring that staff understand the home’s model of care as identified in the statement of purpose.

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that robust recruitment checks are completed and evidenced. 12 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to staff supervision taking place in line with the home’s policy of a minimum of monthly and every two weeks during induction. 12 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that prescribed medicines are only administered to the individual for whom they are prescribed. Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 8 they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  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

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Recommendations

processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which details the processes and agreed time frames for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training and includes the process and time frames for supervision of practice. Appropriate supervision records should be kept for staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2673339 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: Matthew Earnshaw

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Inspectors

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2673339 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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