Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 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

The home is run by a private company that is owned and operated by a national charity. The home provides care for up to two children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 3

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improvement to be good

This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered on 21 February 2022. Since opening, one child has lived at the home. The child arrived at the home in May 2022, so is still in the process of settling in.

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improvement to be good

The child’s overall care requires improvement. They have been out of education since 2021. Upon moving to this home, arrangements were made for a home tutor. However, the child did not engage in these lessons. Despite efforts made by the staff team to find alternative education provision, this child has continued to miss out on learning. Staff have failed to promote informal learning opportunities at the home. In addition, there is a lack of structure and routine in place. As a result, the child spends long periods of the day in bed asleep or in their bedroom. There is also a lack of routine around the child’s mealtimes. These shortfalls have an impact on the child’s chances of engaging in meaningful activities, achieving her educational capability and being ‘school ready’.

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improvement to be good

Managers failed to put in place a detailed care plan quickly enough to be effective. The care plan was not put in place for four weeks after the child’s admission. The care plan is basic and does not provide staff with clear information on all aspects of the child’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Regular key-work sessions take place. Staff use these opportunities to speak with the child about her experiences, behaviours and difficulties. The staff approach these conversations with sensitivity and in a way that promotes the child’s engagement.

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improvement to be good

The child receives care from a consistent staff team. As a result, the child is starting to build trusting relationships with staff. The registered manager and staff team are supporting the child to access mental health services and the other specialist services she needs. This promotes the child’s emotional well-being.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide care in a clean, comfortable, family-like environment. The home is newly refurbished to a high standard, which the staff and child are proud of. The child’s bedroom is welcoming and personalised.

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improvement to be good

There has been a lack of professional curiosity from the staff team on some occasions. Staff have not taken effective action when the child shared potential safeguarding concerns about her friends. The lack of effective action has the potential to leave the child at risk. Staff have not always shared relevant information Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 4 with the registered manager, which has hindered the manager’s ability to monitor, review and improve the child’s care. For example, staff failed to inform the manager that the child had a smoking vape.

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improvement to be good

Room searches have not always taken place when required. On occasion, staff have failed to remove items that present a risk. As a result, the child has been able to engage in self-harming behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are in place. However, these are not all up to date and sufficiently detailed, and they do not always reflect all known concerns. For example, there are no risk assessments in place for the child’s access to lighters, for the child’s free time, or for the use of bedroom door alarms. This has not yet compromised the child’s safety, but these shortfalls do not ensure that the staff members supporting the child are adequately informed about how to keep her safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff impose consequences to help the child to understand her negative or undesirable behaviours. These have not all been recorded. The registered manager does not always review the use of consequences to assure herself that these are appropriate and effective. As a result, the child may be having inappropriate or unnecessary consequences imposed on them.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff manage the child’s behaviour well. The number of incidents requiring staff intervention is low. However, on some occasions, staff have failed to record sufficient details in physical intervention documents. The registered manager has begun to address this in their review of the care provided to the child.

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improvement to be good

Ofsted is notified of serious incidents in good time. This helps the regulator to have oversight of incidents in between inspections.

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improvement to be good

Despite the shortfalls, the child has everything that she needs. The child is in the process of building trusting relationships with the staff. The staff are in the process of learning how best to respond to the child when she is struggling or presenting with risky behaviours.

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good

The shortfalls identified at this inspection show that the registered manager does not yet monitor all aspects of the home effectively. However, the registered manager is working hard to make improvements and was aware of most of the shortfalls highlighted during the inspection.

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good

The registered manager has failed to ensure that essential paperwork relating to the child is in place quickly enough to be of use. There is no local authority care plan or health plan. The placement plan is out of date. This has had an impact on the quality of the home’s paperwork. As a result, there is a lack of clear planning in place for the child. Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 5 The staff are new and mostly inexperienced. However, the registered manager has worked hard to develop the staff team. There is a comprehensive range of training available to staff who have completed key training for their roles. This means that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to care for the child safely.

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good

Staff report that they feel supported by the new manager. Staff receive regular supervision sessions and have access to monthly team meetings. Newly recruited staff are provided with a thorough induction and probation process that helps them to understand their roles and the children they care for.

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good

Despite the shortfalls identified, the registered manager and the staff team are passionate about their roles and are motivated to make improvements. Staff feel supported in their roles and enjoy working at the home, and this was evident during the inspection. One professional told the inspector that the child is settling at the home, that staff provide ongoing therapeutic support and communication has been excellent. Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child’s placing authority provides the home with all the relevant paperwork to meet the child’s needs. 7 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider ensuring that risk assessments are up to date and providing staff with effective strategies to help children. This also relates to ensuring that room searches take place when indicated by risk. In addition, this is in relation to staff taking effective action if there is a concern about a child. 7 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 7 November 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 7 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider ensuring that children’s care plans are in place quickly and provide clear guidance on children’s care arrangements.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the effectiveness of any consequence is reviewed within the required time frames and that all consequences are recorded. 7 November 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children who are not in full-time education are supported and provided with informal learning opportunities to sustain or regain their confidence in education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are provided with nutritious meals and provide opportunities for children and staff to eat together as a family. Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 8 (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.8)

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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: 2671651 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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Inspector

Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2671651 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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