Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2704116 1 Registered provider: Homes2Inspire Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home and one child had recently moved out.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation that operates several registered children’s homes.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024. This was the first inspection of 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2704116 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a good-quality, homely and well-maintained house. The staff encourage children to contribute to the decoration of the house. One child was involved in the design and painting of murals on the wall. This offered the child a sense of belonging and ownership of their home. One professional commented, ‘The home is very homely and has a warm and nurturing feel.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved into the home in a well-considered way. The staff thoroughly planned this child’s move into the home. The manager worked closely with multiple agencies and ensured that staff had the necessary training to meet the child’s particular needs. One child moved into the home in an emergency. Leaders acted swiftly to understand the child’s needs and determine how best to meet them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff have developed positive working relationships with those who matter most to children. They promote family time and, when appropriate, welcome children’s family and friends into the home. A parent commented, ‘Staff are very engaging and really seem like they want to get to know them [the child].’ They said that the staff had made the family feel really comfortable, which then helped family time feel ‘normal’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have complex emotional and well-being needs. Staff support the children to manage their mental health and well-being. They try to help them better understand their emotions and responses to situations. The staff guide and help the children to develop strategies for managing difficult and emotional situations. Staff appropriately seek guidance from external professionals when needed. The children do make some progress, and staff celebrate every achievement, however small.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team’s work is child-focused and in the best interest of the children. Staff ensure that the children are able to voice their feelings and wishes and that these are heard and responded to. Staff have built positive partnerships with professionals to try to ensure that children’s complex needs are well met. Partner professionals speak positively about the care and support that the children receive. They are confident that the staff quickly share any concerns or issues.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children with their education. One child had not attended school for a significant amount of time due to their complex needs. Staff encouraged and supported them and drove them a long distance to their preferred education service. This helped the child re-engage with education and ultimately achieve a GCSE.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff model inclusive practice and incorporate respect for diversity and equality into all aspects of their work. The diverse staff team supports the children to explore their identity, develop a positive self-image and embrace them for who they are. The staff use the children’s preferred pronouns and support them to attend events that Inspection report for children’s home: 2704116 3 are important to them, such as Pride. The staff advocate for children to ensure that their preferred identity is respected by others.

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

The staff work effectively with the children to help them better understand risk and how to keep safe. Staff build trusting relationships with them; consequently, they feel able to talk to them about their worries and fears. Children know how to make a complaint and how to contact someone outside the home should they wish to.

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

The children who live, or have lived, at the home have some complex vulnerabilities and risky behaviours, such as significant self-harm. The staff are aware of the particular types and levels of risk the children may present with. Staff have managed challenging and risky situations well. They have remained mindful of children’s progress while balancing this effectively with managing risk. One professional said, ‘The staff were excellent and did an amazing job supporting a child with very complex needs while encouraging so many activities and learning opportunities.’

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

Staff know children’s particular triggers and use trauma-informed practice to manage difficult situations sensitively to support the children to feel safe. Children have sometimes been physically held by the staff to keep them safe. The manager ensures that such holds have been reasonable and proportionate, using no more force than necessary. The staff try to talk to the children after each incident to help them reflect.

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

Staff receive suitable training in safeguarding, including preventing and managing self-harm and responding to suicidal ideation. Staff’s knowledge is refreshed through regular discussions in team meetings, supervision and reflection circles. Consequently, staff show appropriate professional curiosity and consistently act to ensure that children remain safe. Children do not routinely go missing from this home. When children have gone missing, staff have known what to do. They follow the children’s individual protocols and ensure that the children are supported to return safely. Staff quickly respond and professionally manage incidents. On one particular occasion, they communicated with emergency support services and stayed with the child to maintain their safety in a high-risk situation.

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

Managers follow robust, safe recruitment practices to ensure that new and agency staff are suitably vetted. All staff, including agency staff, have appropriate training before working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a strong and effective manager. She works well together with the staff to support the children. The senior leaders’ vision for the children to live in a home where they thrive is shared and modelled effectively with the staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2704116 4 The manager maintains appropriate oversight of the home. She uses feedback and learning from events to further develop this new home. Feedback from professionals and parents is consistently positive, praising the care and support provided to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervision and training. This helps them to fulfil their roles effectively, including training tailored to meet the specific needs of the children. Supervision helps to support the well-being and professional development of the staff. One staff member said, ‘It is great to have the entire team working together to achieve the best outcomes for the young people we support.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The effective teamworking and commitment of the staff enables children to enjoy new experiences while they are supported to learn skills, manage their emotions and develop their independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works collaboratively with other professionals and children’s families. This helps to ensure effective communication and coordinated support for the children. Leaders demonstrate effective decision-making. They challenge other agencies when they do not agree with decisions made or decisions that they feel are not in the best interest of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed a reflective and learning staff culture. They use incidents as learning opportunities and encourage staff to learn from each other to improve the care they provide to children. This helps the staff to be responsive and focus on meeting each child’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations have been made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2704116 5

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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: 2704116 6

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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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Inspector

Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2704116 7 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

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