Children's Home run by Inspirations Leicestershire Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children's home: 2504494 1 Registered provider: Inspirations Leicestershire Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 outstanding

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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: 2504494 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/07/2021 Full Good 24/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2504494 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living at the home and have bedrooms which are personalised to them. The home is spacious and is maintained to a high standard. There is a designated area where children can complete their schoolwork or use the computer quietly. Children can therefore choose to spend time together or apart in the shared areas, lessening long periods of time spent in bedrooms. Children are involved in deciding the way the home is decorated and this encourages a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supported to get to know children through comprehensive care plans. Staff spend time with children. They understand the impact of children’s historical experiences and how best to connect with them. Staff can engage children effectively in conversation and children value staff’s opinions. Consequently, warm and trusting relationships develop between children and staff. One child has recently had his talent for baking nurtured and he has established a small business.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly undertake key work with children that is of an excellent standard. This is either through formal sessions relating to planned topics or thorough informal conversations with children throughout the day. Staff support children to reflect on incidents and their responses in an emotionally supportive and non-shaming way. Children are beginning to identify their feelings and find better strategies to cope in the future. This is acknowledged and celebrated by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s health and promote their emotional well-being. There is a culture of helping children to progress while they are at the home. Children are prepared meaningfully for independence where appropriate or when they have other achievable goals to work towards. Staff and children have regular access to psychologists, and this helps to embed staff’s therapeutic approach with children. As a result, children make progress in many aspects of their lives. One child has recently made significant progress with their toileting because of the considered and empathetic input from staff.

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

Risk assessments are thorough. They enable staff to understand children’s behaviours in the wider context of their traumatic experiences. Risk assessments are child centred; they use language which focuses on how staff can help children, rather than just manage behaviours. Staff are curious with children during incidents, understanding that behaviour can sometimes be used to express a feeling. Children therefore understand that relationships can be repaired following incidents and that the care offered to them is unconditional.

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

Managers and staff confidently manage risk. They work effectively with other professionals to respond to new risks and devise safety plans. Where appropriate, children contribute to their plans, in line with their age and level of understanding. Inspection report for children's home: 2504494 4 Children feel that they can trust staff and understand how staff are trying to keep them safe.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home, because staff are proactive in engaging them in enjoyable activities and in creating a home environment where they want to be. On the rare occasions when children do go missing from the home, staff respond appropriately and inform the necessary professionals. Attempts are made by staff to try to understand children’s reasons for going missing and their experiences while missing. However, more detailed recording of incidents of going missing, to ensure the recording reflects all actions taken, particularly when staff have searched the local community more than once, would further strengthen practice in this area.

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

Children at the home feel comfortable enough to make disclosures about their past experiences. These are responded to sensitively and recorded clearly by staff. When children have made allegations against staff, managers robustly investigate them and take appropriate action. When a child makes multiple allegations, the manager works closely with the therapeutic team to understand and monitor the reasons for this. Children at the home feel that they are listened to and can see that staff and managers’ actions help to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has a dynamic management team. Managers know the children well and care deeply about them. They are aspirational for children, recognising their individual potential. Children are making impressive progress, and this is acknowledged by professionals involved in their lives and family members.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff love working at the home and feel inspired by the manager. One team member described his recent employment at the home as like ‘joining a family’. Staff receive regular supervision that gives them time to discuss the children and their well-being. Staff feel that their development is prioritised and nurtured by the manager. Consequently, a number of staff members have been promoted to more senior positions in the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive an excellent induction. Managers support new staff to understand the preferred model of care and provide them with opportunities to shadow more experienced staff. The manager prioritises ongoing learning for staff and has a clear system to ensure training is up to date and impactful. Training is responsive to the specific needs of children at the home. One staff member has recently learned a unique language programme to enable better communication with a child. Children are cared for by staff who understand and respond effectively to their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is ambitious for children in the home. She has plans to further develop a therapeutic parenting model in the home, recognising the benefit of clear boundaries for children. She is keen to continually develop her leadership skills, drawing effectively on peer supervision. The manager’s willingness to be creative in Inspection report for children's home: 2504494 5 how she works with children has allowed for warm relationships to develop. Children identify her as someone on whom they can rely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager understands the importance of insightful and reflective auditing of the functioning of the home. Her monitoring demonstrates each child’s journey and what progress they are making. This informs care planning for children and the setting of new targets. Staff know the targets that children are working towards and how to support children to achieve them. As a result, children receive care that is consistent and that helps them to thrive and achieve. Inspection report for children's home: 2504494 6

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Recommendation

 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. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2504494 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspirations Leicestershire Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 131a London Road, Oadby, Leicester LE2 5DP

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Inspector

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2504494 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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