Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 1 Registered provider: Homes2Inspire 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. It is registered to care for up to three children with complex needs who have experienced trauma and loss.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2020 and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2023 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good 05/11/2019 Full Good 15/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and furnished to a high standard. Staff go out of their way to provide a family home that is warm and nurturing. Children can personalise their bedrooms to their individual tastes. For example, one child has accumulated a large collection of car wheel hubs. Another child has a free-standing boxing punch bag in his room. This helps children feel valued and helps promote a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they are happy living in the home. They get on well with each other and have developed trusting relationships with those who care for them. This is because staff play and spend time with children. As a result, children feel listened to and respected. This helps them to grow in self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in the home. For example, one child does not go missing from the home as frequently as before; he is settled and increasing in confidence. Children are encouraged to eat a healthy diet and enjoy a wide range of activities both in the home and in the wider community. They have recently been on an activity holiday together to Wales and participated in a 5k muddy runner for charity. Children regularly engage in activities such as boxing, going to the gym, swimming and cadets. This supports children to develop their self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although the children in the home are currently without a school placement, this has only been for a short period of time. Managers are proactive in chasing up local authorities and advocating on the children’s behalf to secure a local school placement. Staff ensure that children have structure to their day by combining a range of fun and educational activities into their daily routines. One child is also completing a boxing qualification with the help of a tutor who visits weekly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop age-appropriate independence skills. Children enjoy baking and are having increased unsupervised time in the community. One child, who particularly enjoys gardening, regularly maintains the garden in the home, keeping it looking neat and tidy. This supports children to develop skills they will need in their adult lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to maintain strong family relationships. Families can visit the home and feel they are kept fully informed about their child’s care. This helps children to develop a strong sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s records are reviewed on a regular basis. However, these are not stored on children’s files to enable children to have easy access to their records. Local authority care plans are not always reflective of their current placement, and children’s records do not clearly reflect the required information necessary to provide consistent care for children. This may compromise the effectiveness of children’s care over time. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 4

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

The manager’s thorough consideration of children’s needs before living at the home has helped ensure that children settle in well and thrive. As a result, children do not regularly place themselves at risk of serious harm. This is because staff are focused on the best outcomes for the children in their care.

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

Incidents of children going missing from the home have reduced. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and their responsibilities should any issues arise. They act appropriately to ensure children’s safety by following them and conducting regular welfare checks.

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

There have been no incidents requiring the use of physical intervention. The use of consequences to bring about desired behaviour is rare. This is because staff provide clear and consistent boundaries to ensure that children know what the expectations are. Staff work closely with children to help them develop positive relationships with staff and with each other.

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

Risk assessments are in place to ensure that staff are aware of known risks to children and the strategies to keep them safe. Children’s bedrooms have door alarms fitted. However, these have not been assessed to determine whether they are still necessary to ensure children’s safety. This means children may have unnecessary restrictions placed on them.

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

Recruitment procedures for permanent staff are thorough. However, managers do not fully satisfy themselves that the recruitment of agency staff covers all areas required by legislation. The current impact on children is low, as the home rarely uses agency staff and has not done so for several months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff team are child focused and share a clear ethos within the home. The manager has good oversight of the running of the home. This ensures that she knows and understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses well, taking effective action when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are motivated. They receive a wide range of training opportunities to meet the needs of the children. The manager further develops staff knowledge and practice through encouraging learning circles. These encourage staff to research a topic and share it with the rest of the team. Staff feel supported and receive a good level of supervision that supports their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed effective working relationships with placing social workers and other external professionals. Placing social workers, parents and police are positive about the home and the quality of care given to the children. They feel the support that staff offer is instrumental to the progress children are making. One parent told the inspector that ‘Staff are all brilliant.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 5 The location risk assessment for the home is regularly reviewed by the manager. However, this is not thorough, as it does not include all potential risks in the town, such as the local parks and nearby bridges. This does not help to inform staff about the area, particularly if children go missing. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s records are kept on each individual child’s file, that local authority care plans are up to date and that records include all the information, as listed in schedule 3, that is needed for consistent care practice. 17 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the recruitment of staff, including agency staff, safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and the strategies for managing them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that any modifications to the environment of the home, including the use of door alarms, are only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be

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Recommendations

kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10) Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 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: 1255744 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes2Inspire 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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Inspectors

Suzanne Young, Ofsted Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1255744 9 regulates and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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