Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 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

The home is run by a private company that is owned and operated by a national charity. It provides care for one child who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: n/a

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first inspection since being registered in September 2023. The home has been commissioned by a local authority to provide bespoke care for a child with very complex needs. This child has transitioned from a secure children’s home and, since moving in, has made some excellent progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s transition into the home was exceptional. Each member of staff providing the child with a video message prior to admission, the child’s involvement in choosing the decor for the home, the child being involved in developing their own positive behaviour support plan, and the child meeting the team beforehand, resulted in the child feeling welcomed, respected and invested in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has developed excellent relationships with a consistent, empathetic, nurturing and understanding staff team. The child describes the staff as being like a family and said, ‘I am the happiest I have ever been, I have got my life back on track.’ One professional commented that this is the most settled the child has been, stating that ‘they have been given a real sense of belonging’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is engaging in a bespoke package of education and is making very good progress from their starting point. Alongside this, staff support the child to learn informally to develop confidence and important life skills. Since moving to the home, the child has developed a thirst for learning and now has career aspirations for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and a multi-agency team of professionals meet the child’s physical and complex emotional health needs well. Staff promote healthy living and have helped the child to develop structured daily routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote participation in a wide range of new experiences and activities, which the child thoroughly enjoys. This is providing the child with a sense of achievement and self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff welcome the child’s family into the home. Family members regularly come for tea and enjoyed their Christmas dinner at the home. A parent explained how welcomed they feel by staff. The parent said, ‘I am very grateful for the care provided. It is the best home my child has lived in.’

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

The child feels safe because of the trusting and positive relationship they have with staff. The child explained, ‘It feels nice to know that there is always someone there who can and will help me.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 4 Detailed positive behaviour support plans, regularly updated and followed by staff, help to keep the child as safe as possible.

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

A well-co-ordinated multi-agency support package is in place. This has resulted in a significant reduction in serious incidents occurring, including violence and criminal activity, and the level of risk very recently being reduced to medium. This is significant progress.

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

Proactive behaviour support strategies, used by staff, are effective. The positive and nurturing approach staff take help the child to feel calmer. The child said, ‘I used to kick off straight away, but because staff talk to me, listen to me, and explain why I cannot do things, I have learned to understand risky situations and to stay calmer.’ As a result of the staff’s approach, there has never been a need to use physical intervention.

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

Incidents of the child going missing have also significantly reduced since they moved into this home. When incidents have occurred, staff have been proactive in following protocols, resulting in a prompt and safe return home. Incidents of the child being away from home without permission do, however, continue to occur. When this happens, staff keep in touch with the child to monitor their safety. Despite the manager making requests for independent return home interviews when the child is absent without permission, these have not been taking place. This is a missed opportunity for staff to learn, understand and plan to reduce such incidents.

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

Managers and staff understand safeguarding procedures and what to do if an allegation is made about a member of staff. However, on one occasion, when the child made an allegation about a member of staff’s conduct, while there is no evidence to suggest that the child came to any harm, a lack of clear recording of the incident and the actions taken in response made it difficult to monitor and track the effectiveness of the response to the allegation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team holds the manager and her deputy in high regard. The manager and her deputy are enthusiastic, child focused and ambitious for the child. They lead by example and the staff share their drive to continually improve the child’s life and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Excellent pre-planning prior to the child coming to live in the home, in partnership with the local authority, has resulted in the child being suitably placed in a home that meets their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Bespoke recruitment and a bespoke and comprehensive induction programme for staff appointed to work in this home meant that when the home opened, staff were well prepared to undertake their roles. Morale in the home has remained high and the staff team has remained consistent. This has contributed greatly to the child feeling settled. It has provided the child with a secure base from where they have started to flourish. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 5 Regular one-to-one supervision, team meetings and learning circles, as well as a range of mandatory and bespoke training, are helping to continually develop staff skills and their understanding of the child’s needs. Managers have identified that some one-to-one supervisions could be more reflective and impactful. In response, managers have arranged training for senior staff to address this. This is work in progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working is a strength. Feedback from professionals working with the child has been unanimously positive about the quality of communication and multi- agency working taking place. As a result, the child has a very effective team around them, and staff are working together to improve the child’s experiences, safety and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems, both internally and externally, provide managers with a good line of sight in terms of the quality and impact of practice. Managers are reflective and learn from incidents. They know their strengths and areas for development. For example, they know that there remains work to do to consistently embed the quality and impact of key working and recording. Plans are underway to address these areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is a warm, welcoming and a physically safe environment. Regular health and safety checks promote this. The records of some fire drills, however, lack clarity and detail. This limits the managers’ oversight of the effectiveness of these fire drills. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 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 prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)) 3 May 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of the information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  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. This is in relation to staff consistently recording clearer details in fire drill records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 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: 2744185 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: Cherelle Robinson

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Inspector

Rachel Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 2744185 10

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