Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited Full inspection 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 organisation. It provides care for up to five children with a range of complex needs. The aim of the home is to stabilise children’s lives, nurture their potential and help them to progress to more independent living.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022.

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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: 1255746 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/01/2022 Full Good 21/08/2019 Full Good 19/12/2018 Full Good 14/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, eight children have moved in and four children have moved out. At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and have been supported to develop positive relationships with the staff. Staff recognise that connection is important to children. The younger children enjoy imaginative play with staff. One child said that the home is ‘amazing’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress with their education. Since arriving at the home, two older children have increased their education timetables and have secured college placements for the new academic year. One younger child attends school full time. The fourth child attends school on a reduced timetable, combined with a bespoke plan of learning that is tailored to the child’s interests and capabilities. This boosts children’s self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a wide range of activities such as days out at the beach, an indoor laser game and trips to the local park. Staff also arrange for children to celebrate traditional days. Photos of these activities capture children’s memories and experiences in a meaningful way. The staff keep important memorabilia stored safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff carefully consider how children move into the home. Before children move in, staff research children’s culture and preferences. This shows the children early on that staff take an interest in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with people who are important to them, when it is safe for them to do so. Staff are interested in children’s lives and their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are thoughtful about how best to communicate sensitive information with children. For one child, complex family circumstances have led to changes in family arrangements. The manager allowed the child to receive the information in a sensitive manner. As a result of this, the child was more able to accept the changes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house provides a relaxed and nurturing environment. There are pictures on the walls of children, past and present, having fun with staff. These provide children with a sense of belonging and pride in their home. There are some aspects of the building that need attention. The door to the education room and a child’s bedroom door are very heavy to open. A radiator in the bathroom gets too hot and parts of the building show signs of wear and tear. These minor issues detract from the overall warmth of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 4

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

The children are safer since moving to the home. Episodes of self-harm have reduced. Relevant referrals to health professionals have been made to support children with their emotional well-being. When a child has refused to see mental health professionals, the manager has been creative and sought out another therapist. This has provided the child with an alternative solution to supporting the child’s mental health.

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

The use of restraint has decreased. Restraint is only used as a last resort to keep children safe. All restraint records have had good oversight from the manager. Following restraint, the manager has debriefed the staff and children to talk about what has happened and what could be done differently in the future. This gives staff and children the space to reflect on their thoughts and feelings.

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

When concerns about staff are raised by children, leaders and managers respond swiftly to help keep children safe. The concerns are shared with the relevant external professionals and thorough investigations take place allowing for action to be taken.

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

There is detailed location risk assessment that acknowledges the known local risks. When hazards in the local area have increased, the manager has contacted relevant others to ensure that children are kept safe.

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

Staffing has not always been of a sufficient level. This has led to a situation when the police were called to keep children safe. On another occasion, core staff were supported by an agency member of staff. The agency staff member was not trained to restrain children. Despite this lack of training, the agency staff member was working as the lead member of staff with a young child who needed experienced and trained staff. This led to the police being called on a second occasion. The lack of experienced and trained staff has led to a young child being prematurely involved with police.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run by a qualified and experienced manager. She is child focused and dedicated to improving children’s life opportunities. She ensures that children receive good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains good oversight of children’s progress and is fully involved in all aspects of care planning. Internal monitoring is of a good standard and is used effectively to drive improvements. Through this monitoring system, the manager has identified practice issues, which have been discussed in team meetings and supervision sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are regular. They are used as a safe space for staff to talk about children’s needs. Through supervision, the manager supports the staff to think Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 5 about their own feelings and responses to children. This provides staff with the opportunity to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records provide insight into the child’s needs, progress and experiences. These are reviewed frequently and updated. However, neurodiversity and how this presents for individual children is not covered in plans. This means that staff are not provided with clear guidance on how to support neurodiverse children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been two occasions when notifications have not been sent to Ofsted in a timely way. This means that Ofsted has not been able to fully assess the incidents at the time they occurred. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 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

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

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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are enough staff on shift to meet the needs of the children.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all staff that are on shift are trained to work with the needs of the children.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that neurodiversity is fully explained in children’s placement plans. 15 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all aspects of the decorating, fixtures, and the side area of the garden are fit for purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that notifications to Ofsted are made without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.4)

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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: 1255746 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Homes 2 Inspire Limited, Lumonics House, Valiant Office Suites, Valley Drive, Swift Valley Industrial Estate, Rugby CV21 1TQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kathryn Scoltock

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Inspectors

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Deirdra Keating, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 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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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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