Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

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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 provides care for up to five children with emotional and social difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 8 and 9 November 2022. Statutory compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. This monitoring visit was carried out to review the progress made by the managers and staff in meeting the actions as set out in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit found that progress has been made and that both the compliance notices have been met. Managers and staff continue to embed the positive changes into care practice and the leadership and management of the home. The statutory requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have not been assessed at this monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have attended training in relation to safeguarding children. Additionally, team meetings have included training focused on developing the knowledge and skills of staff in child protection, for example, ensuring that staff follow the correct safeguarding protocols if a child is missing from care. Improving the knowledge and skills of staff gives them more confidence and enables them to keep children safer.

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This monitoring visit

A senior member of staff now completes the staff rota and ensures there is an experienced member of staff on each shift. One member of staff, who is less experienced, commented, ‘I feel supported now.’ This gives less experienced staff Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 2 opportunities to learn from their experienced colleagues and provides children with more consistency of care.

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This monitoring visit

Staff take the correct action if they have any concerns for a child’s safety. The staff provide children with the support, nurture and care they need following an incident and quickly inform external professionals. Leaders and managers now have oversight of incidents, which helps them identify any practice issues. These processes are now in place but there has been insufficient time to assess if the changes are embedded in practice and can be maintained.

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This monitoring visit

Children live in a home that is warm and comfortable and decorated to a good standard. One child said, ‘I think the house is a lot cleaner now.’ The bathroom has recently been refurbished and is significantly better. This is a home that children can be proud of.

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This monitoring visit

The management structure is now clearer. The manager has not yet applied to become registered. Leaders and managers understand the areas that require ongoing improvement and they are committed to making improvements. Managers and staff are now working effectively as a team, and this is leading to more positive outcomes for children. Managers and staff are committed to making a positive difference to children’s lives and getting this home on a firm improvement trajectory. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2022 Full Inadequate 14/07/2021 Full Good 08/07/2019 Full Good 23/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 4

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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; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff work within the home’s model of care, as identified in the statement of purpose. 20 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; 20 January 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 5 help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities, and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children accessing education consistently, and robust challenge to the local authority about education provision.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; 20 January 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 6 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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to shortfalls in the way that children are helped and protected. This also relates to issues of poor performance of some members of staff, resulting in safeguarding concerns.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; 20 January 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 7 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all records are reviewed and monitored by the manager and that the team works together effectively. This is also in relation to staffing arrangements, which have not been adequate at times.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that— medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the children are given their prescribed medication. Medication practice was the subject of a recommendation at the last inspection. 20 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to shortfalls to the home’s arrangements for fire prevention. 20 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

does not satisfy regulation 28; or 20 January 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 8 is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is an appropriate person who is responsible for the leadership of the home.

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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 specifically relates to ensuring that staff have regular supervision that is reflective of practice. This was a recommendation at the last inspection. 20 January 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 9

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

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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: Craig Whitchurch

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Inspector

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1258134 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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