Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 1 Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company and provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2023.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Good 04/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm home, which is clean and well maintained. Children have the opportunity to personalise their bedrooms, and there are photos of children around the home. Children like living here, with one child describing the home as ‘fun and happy’ and another saying it is ‘chill and relaxed’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are strong advocates for children and have fought to get children the right support for their education. One social worker said, ‘It’s the best and most supportive placement I’ve seen if I’m honest. They’re [staff] very supportive of him [child] in every way.’ As a result of this, children are making positive progress in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop good relationships with people who are important to the children and encourage children to spend time with their family and friends. Staff have supported children to improve relationships with family. One family member said, ‘I think they [staff] do a tremendous job’. As a result of this, children have been able to spend time with people who are important to them, and better understand their family identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to try new activities and visit new places. They support children to engage in hobbies that they enjoy, and children say that they get to try new things. This helps to improve children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff complete regular sessions with children to help them to understand emotions, positive behaviour, and boundaries. However, this work is mostly completed in response to incidents in the home. Staff do not regularly provide proactive work that is planned based on the children’s presenting needs.

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

Children feel safe living in this home. Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and advocate strongly for those needs to be met. One family member said, ‘They [staff] don’t just care for [name of child], they care about him. They listen to what he has to say. They make him feel safe.’

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

Staff are consistent in their responses and provide firm boundaries along with nurturing care. All necessary safeguarding procedures are followed when children are at risk. Staff regularly update children’s risk and support plans. This ensures that staff understand and adapt to children’s changing needs.

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

Staff have developed positive relationships with key people who are involved in keeping children safe. Professionals consistently comment on how well staff communicate with them. This enables all adults to work together to best support the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 4 Staff use physical interventions as a last resort. They have developed close and trusting relationships with the children in their care and have learned to recognise when children have worries. This enables staff to support children before they become overwhelmed.

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

Staff working with the children are appropriately qualified, and safer recruitment practices are followed. The manager is clear in her expectations of staff employed in the home. This ensures that all staff are suitably knowledgeable and safe to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified. One professional described her as ‘like a mum; she fights for these kids and cares about them like a parent’. The manager is supportive of the staff team. One staff member said, ‘Management support is really great. She’s so approachable and always willing to listen.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and knowledgeable. Staff receive regular supervision and attend monthly team meetings, which they find helpful. Those providing supervision are suitably trained to do so effectively. Supervisions and team meetings provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and continue their learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff develop their practice with appropriate training and benefit from an annual appraisal, which helps to identify further learning opportunities. The manager challenges staff practice that does not meet the standards that she expects. This ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills to care for children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good internal monitoring systems and continuously adapts these to better improve the care of the children. The manager makes good use of independent monitoring to ensure that staff provide consistently good care to the children. This oversight promotes the safety and well-being of the children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers have a good understanding of each child and their individual needs. They celebrate children’s accomplishments and support them through difficult times. One staff member said, ‘The children have had a rough start and need all the love and care we have.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children receive proactive direct work, targeted to their specific needs, to help them understand how to keep themselves safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 42, paragraph 9.7)

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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: 2536395 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3 Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2536395 7 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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