Children's Home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company that is owned by a national charity. This home is led by a registered and experienced manager.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were three children living at the home.

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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: 27 November 2023

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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: 2673339 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is very well presented and maintained to a high standard. It is a large building that provides children with a home they can be proud of. Children said they like living in the home and have nice bedrooms that reflect their interests and hobbies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said they like the staff and were able to talk about staff they trusted and could confide in. The staff interact with children with warmth, care and playfulness. The children respond well to this, and this enables them to develop bonds with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff are providing children with care, support and guidance which meets their individual needs. Children are provided with care and with practical resources and support to develop their identity and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure children are supported to acknowledge, understand and celebrate a variety of cultural and religious events. The home has a dedicated area with a good range of materials children can use to support their learning and access information which supports their well-being. At the time of this inspection, the home was positively promoting gay Pride events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children are accessing education which is tailored to their individual needs. Children are making significant progress in their attendance and engagement with education. In recognition of this engagement, one child received a certificate for improved attendance. Another child has identified a career path they would like to follow. This is good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are being met. Children who were reluctant to access health and emotional well-being services are being supported to engage. One child has been able to participate in a health assessment for the first time, which for the child signifies good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said they feel listened to and they are very confident in their interactions with staff. They said they know how to make a complaint and have been able to share their concerns in an open manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure arrangements are made for children to maintain their relationships with their families. There is good communication with children’s families, to promote children’s well-being and safety.

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

The staff and managers have a good knowledge and understanding of children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Children’s individual risk assessments are comprehensive and are subject to regular review by the manager and staff. Staff support children to understand Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 4 any risks they may be exposed to. This is achieved through regular one-to-one key-work sessions with children. Staff are creative with the methods they use to engage children, for example, they use child-friendly videos and other visual aids and information. Children are encouraged and supported to write down their views, wishes and feelings. Overall, these approaches have led to a reduction in children’s risks.

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

Staff are confident in their approach with children when children became frustrated. For example, staff remained calm when one child became upset. They helped the child to recognise their behaviour was inappropriate and helped to resolve the frustrations. As a result, the child was able to go to school with the incident resolved.

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

When children are missing or absent from the home, staff follow the required procedures and work with key safeguarding agencies and children’s families to keep children safe. Managers have commissioned a specific mentor for one of the children due to their vulnerabilities to exploitation. The child is responding positively to this support and their risks and more challenging behaviours are decreasing.

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

Children said they feel safe and well cared for. All are supported to contribute to and participate in their care planning and measures to keep them safe. Staff support children’s independence to have time in the community unsupervised. Children remain in contact with staff when out in the community, so staff know where they are and who they are with.

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

The manager has raised her concerns with the local authority over a delay in undertaking a risk assessment for one child who is choosing to stay away from the home for prolonged periods. She has ensured that when the child refuses to return to the home, they are supported and encouraged by staff to return. When this has not been successful, staff carry out regular safe and well checks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is very ambitious for the children, staff and the development of the home. She is supported by an equally committed deputy manager. The manager understands the strengths and areas for development for herself, the staff and the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with individual supervision, team meetings and annual appraisals. They are supported to maintain their professional development. The manager ensures staff are provided with mandatory and specialist training to ensure they have the skills to meet the needs of children. The manager has high expectations of staff and is proactive in addressing any shortfalls in their care practice, using formal processes to manage poor or unprofessional conduct.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak very highly of the manager. They say she has a positive leadership style and provides consistent and good levels of support. One member of staff said, ‘The management and support are unparalleled and I very much enjoy working at the home.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 5 Managers have good links with external safeguarding agencies. The home is a core part of a multi-agency team that supports the children. Staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe. The manager makes sure she is visible in the home and readily on hand to support staff and speak to children about any issues they might have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is open to learning and uses audits to maintain good oversight of the home. The manager also benefits from very good senior leadership support, which is complemented by regular meetings with other managers from the organisation. She is very motivated and enthusiastic in her approach for the development of the home, focusing on providing a home where children can develop and thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been no statutory requirements or recommendations made as a result of this inspection.

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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: 2673339 6

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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: 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

Angela Duffus-Palmer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 7 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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