Children's home run by Inspire Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2716801 1 Registered provider: Inspire Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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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: 2716801 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2716801 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy warm and caring relationships with staff who have a good understanding of their unique personalities and needs. Staff talk to and about children with care and respect. These positive relationships have helped children to feel cared for and make progress. For one child, who has had many previous placements, this has helped them achieve stability and plan for future independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they feel safe and that staff listen to them. They know how to raise complaints. Their views are sought through one-to-one time and regular children’s meetings. Children are involved in decisions about decorating and personalising their bedrooms. This helps children to feel secure and have a sense of ownership of their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend regular time with children to support them with things they need help with, such as managing emotions and building independence skills. Individual key-work sessions are sensitively recorded. This has helped children to build trusting relationships and feel cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to stay in contact and spend time with family members. Staff work hard to facilitate this and help to promote communication with family members for the benefit of children. This supports children’s important relationships and sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family members are positive about the care children receive, the relationships their children have with staff and the support given to family time. They can identify ways children have been helped by staff, such as reducing missing-from-home incidents and being more able to manage difficult emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Difference is embraced in the home. Children are cared for by a diverse staff team and are educated about their own and other cultures. Children’s unique identities are promoted, whether this be through attending church regularly or eating particular foods. This helps children to have a positive self-view and to understand others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to support children with their education and training and to explore alternatives when there are problems. This has helped one child to sit some GCSEs and begin a work placement. Another child has benefited from tuition and recently received a mathematics award. One education worker described the staff as ‘unbelievable’ in their support of education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have left the home in response to increased concerns about safety. Before this, leaders liaised with children’s placing authority regarding the concerns and risk management plans. Staff stayed in contact with each child, which helped them to move on in a positive way. However, for one child, the timing of their move was not agreed with the placing authority, which undermined joint working to support them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2716801 4 The home is comfortable and in good repair. Any necessary repairs are promptly addressed. The garden of the home is a little overgrown and needs to be cleared of building materials as this detracts from the homely environment.

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

Staff have a good understanding of each child and their individual vulnerabilities. Plans for children are regularly updated to guide staff, which helps to ensure that appropriate action is taken when there are safeguarding concerns.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow clear protocols. Staff are proactive in working with others to try and locate children and have good relationships with local police. Missing-from-home episodes are followed up with sensitive conversations with children to help them understand risks, and support plans are reviewed. This has helped to support a recent reduction in missing from-home episodes for one child.

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

Physical intervention techniques are used to support children only as a last resort and for the shortest time. Follow-up conversations with children and staff take place and there is prompt management oversight. Helpful conversations with children are held to follow up any incidents, which are aimed at promoting repair of relationships and learning.

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

Strategies are in place to promote and reward positive behaviour and progress. These help children to work towards their own goals. Consequences are used in response to some unwanted behaviours. However, on occasion, these have not been proportionate.

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

Concerns about staff practice or allegations are fully investigated in partnership with other relevant professionals, and action is taken to manage any potential risks. Children are supported well to understand actions and outcomes. This helps children to be safe and feel safe.

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

When children make complaints, these are thoroughly investigated by the manager. Children are spoken to about their concerns and action is taken to address them. However, the outcome of a complaint is not consistently explained to children. This is a missed opportunity to explore children’s views about these outcomes.

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

Electronic door alarms are used on children’s bedroom doors. There is a policy in place regarding the use of these alarms. The policy explains their use, and individual risk assessments are regularly reviewed. However, this was not observed in practice. Furthermore, there is no written consent from children’s placing authorities, and reviews are not carried out in liaison with other relevant professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. She is committed to her role and is focused on the support for staff and progress of children. The registered manager has a good understanding of the children and their needs and the areas of development for the service. She is open to feedback and learning and Inspection report for children’s home: 2716801 5 dedicated to making continuous improvements to the home. This makes the registered manager a good role model for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has taken thorough action to address the shortfalls from the last inspection. This has led to improvements for children. For example, the sensitivity of recording and the security of checks on new staff coming to work in the home have both improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about their roles and the support they receive from managers and colleagues. They say that managers are present and available and that there are positive relationships in the team. This helps to create a supportive and caring atmosphere in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported through regular one-to-one supervision and appraisal. Regular team meetings are used creatively to reinforce learning and to reflect on events in the home. These are supported by regular input from a clinical consultant and consultation with the therapist for one child. Both these professionals say that the team as very open, positive to work with and focused on children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff are up to date with mandatory training. This includes training that is relevant to the children’s individual needs. However, the registered manager and deputy manager are out of date with their supervision and appraisal training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of good working relationships with professional partners. Most professionals consulted are positive about the quality of care, professional relationships and communication. Two professionals provided some constructive feedback about aspects of care and communication. This has been shared with managers for them to consider. Inspection report for children’s home: 2716801 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)) 11 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)(d)) 11 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing, homely and supportive environment for children. In particular, managers should ensure that external areas of the home are suitably maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the response to complaints by children is in line with the company’s complaints policy. In particular, the outcome of any complaint Inspection report for children’s home: 2716801 7 raised by a child should be clearly communicated to them and their views about this should be sought and a recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 22 and 23, paragraph 4.13)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address unwanted behaviour are restorative in nature and help children recognise the impact

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Recommendations

of their behaviour on others. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that all staff, including managers, remain up to date with mandatory training. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2716801 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 71 to 75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ

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Inspector

Jacob Robson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2716801 9 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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