Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 1 Registered provider: Homes to 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. This home is registered to care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home was registered.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel well supported and cared for in this home. One child said it was the best home they had lived at, adding, ‘I am happy here.’ Children trust the staff caring for them. Having trusting relationships supports the children to make progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of activities. Staff promote children’s interests and skills and support them to become more independent. Children get to see their family and other people who are important to them. Staff understand that family is important, and they do what they can to promote and support children to enjoy the time they spend with their loved ones.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are attending education. Relationships between care staff and school staff help to break down barriers to learning. Solutions are found when children struggle to attend. This has resulted in children having 100% attendance, which is excellent for supporting and promoting learning. One professional said, ‘Their attendance is the best they’ve ever had.’ Multi-agency working with other professionals is excellent. This ensures that other professionals are knowledgeable and can make good decisions based on up-to-date information about the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff continue to work with external professionals, who provide additional support and guidance in relation to children’s specific health needs. Healthy eating habits and lifestyles are encouraged and children enjoy regular opportunities to cook with staff. As a result, one child has lost a considerable amount of weight in the short time they have lived at the home. Staff continue to ensure children are receiving the help that they need to make progress and stay healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff want the best for children. They persevere through challenging times. Staff are committed and motivated. They always recognise the good progress that children make, no matter how small this might be. For example, one child is now making healthier food choices. Another child has improved personal hygiene and is taking pride in their appearance. However, the home does not currently have a rewards system in place to acknowledge children’s achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff undertake regular direct work with children. They talk to them about important issues, including health, online safety and becoming more independent. Some written records contain words and phrases which could be stigmatising for children. Although not intentional, this has the potential to have a negative impact on children’s self-esteem. The managers are currently supporting staff to develop their use of language to ensure that information is recorded more sensitively. Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 4

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

Children have individualised behaviour management plans and risk assessments. These are very detailed and reflect the complex needs of the children. Managers and staff review these on a regular basis and update them as required. These documents provide staff with the guidance they need to keep children safe.

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

Staff understand the risks posed to children very well. They know the children well and provide good support to help them understand their own vulnerabilities. For example, when there was an incident in relation to online safety, the child was able to discuss this with staff and appropriate action was taken to ensure the child’s safety. A social worker said, ‘The child was able to speak to staff openly and honestly because she feels safe here.’ Staff continue to educate children about online safety and weave safeguarding information into everyday conversations. This supports the children’s learning and helps them remain safe.

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

Incidents of aggression from children are few. When incidents do happen, children are helped by staff to de-escalate their behaviour and to calm down. Staff nurture children and show care through their responses when children are upset or angry. Risk management plans are in place, which staff follow. Children are supported with clear routines and structure, which helps them to feel safe and minimises incidents.

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

The selection of new staff coming to work at the home is carefully considered. This ensures that children are cared for by staff who are safe to work with children. New staff are supported by experienced and skilled staff and, together, they ensure that children are appropriately supported, supervised and kept safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is motivated and passionate about her role and providing good-quality care to children. She shows a real commitment to the children. Together with the staff team, she has created a warm and nurturing environment where children feel safe and well cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been significant changes to the staff team since the last inspection. Staff recruitment has been ongoing, and new staff have been appointed. However, a small, cohesive staff team has remained and ensures that children’s needs are well understood and met. The manager works in partnership with other agencies, including social workers and schools. Professionals say that communication is a strength in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is up to date. Staff have completed the required mandatory training and additional courses to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to meet the children’s needs. This means that they have a very clear understanding of how to support children to achieve good outcomes. Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 5 Staff have regular supervision meetings and team meetings with the manager. This provides them with the opportunity to discuss children and reflect on practice. Staff feel supported in their role. They enjoy coming to work and are passionate and motivated to do their best for children. One staff member said, ‘I really enjoy coming to work. I know we are making such a difference.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not thoroughly investigated a report of an alleged staff conduct issue, brought to her attention by the child’s social worker. Discussions with staff to investigate this matter have not been recorded and the manager was not professionally curious or rigorous enough in her approach. The manager has reflected on this during will ensure a thorough investigation is completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team knows where changes are needed to continue to improve quality assurance monitoring. Where the manager has already made changes, positive results can be seen. However, greater oversight of children’s day-to-day records is required, including children’s daily diaries, consequences and children’s weekly meetings to ensure standards of records are maintained. Inspection report for 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, The 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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) (2)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers embedding monitoring systems to improve the quality of care provided. It also relates to managers ensuring appropriate action is taken to investigate feedback when concerns are raised. 7 August 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.39)  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) Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 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: 2671651 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes to 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

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 9 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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