Children's Home run by Inspire Scotland Limited in Cumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2782903 1 Registered provider: Inspire Scotland 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

The home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children were seen and spoken to by the inspectors.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2782903 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first full inspection since the home registered with Ofsted. Two children have moved into the home since it opened. Both had a considered and thoroughly planned transition. Leaders and managers dealt with several challenges during the children’s transitions into the home, with dates and plans being changed by one placing local authority, and a lack of the correct documentation being provided for the other child. This was managed well and demonstrates the competency of the management team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the children’s individual needs. Individualised care plans reflect children’s social and emotional needs. Due to staff following these plans, children are thriving, feel heard, and they are safe and secure in their home environment. Professionals spoken to say that staff are caring, available and are good advocates for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and emotional needs are prioritised. Staff support children to attend routine health appointments and specialist appointments. Therefore, children remain in good health and their well-being is promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is in full-time education and is said to be thriving and progressing well in the environment. Staff continue to advocate actively for the other child to obtain a school place in the area. They have employed a tutor to support the child with core subjects until they can resolve this matter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff capture the children’s views during key-work sessions and direct work. The children attend a local nature reserve weekly for bike rides and outdoor activities. They are supported to try new activities whenever they show an interest. This means they undertake individual activities they have specifically chosen, such as motorbiking, art and beauty.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance and the dynamics of family and friendships for the children. They support the children to spend time with their family members and friends. They offer them opportunities to spend time at the home and away from the home together. A family member said that communication is regular, they are kept up to date about the child’s life and made to feel welcome when they visit the home. This demonstrates that the children are supported to maintain their identity and relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. It is decorated and furnished to a good standard. Photos of the staff and children sharing positive times together are displayed. At the time of the inspection, the home was decorated for Christmas.

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. They demonstrate their knowledge of the children’s risks and vulnerabilities and how best to respond to these to Inspection report for children’s home: 2782903 3 ensure that the children remain safe. Staff follow robust risk management and support plans and provide good-quality care, which has resulted in risks reducing for the children.

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

Due to the positive relationships that staff and the manager have built with the children, they are able to successfully de-escalate incidents effectively before it is necessary to physically hold a child to keep them safe. Staff and the manager speak to the children after every incident to help the children to reflect and to share any worries, concerns or ideas about how the situation could have been managed better. This helps the children to manage their feelings and emotions.

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

The known risks for both children have reduced since they moved into the home. There have been no incidents of the children going missing from home, which was a key risk for one child before they moved into the home. Another child’s behaviour is significantly improving. The children have a reward chart for positive behaviour and enjoy making plans for how they will spend their additional money. This shows that the children are heard, known by staff and motivated to achieve.

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

Staff receive training in child protection and safeguarding practices. They also receive tailored training on topics such as internet safety and self-harmful behaviours. Staff have access to a therapist to support them and the children in their care. Additionally, this helps the staff to gain a more in-depth knowledge of the children so they can support them further.

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

The manager has detailed oversight of incidents and acts appropriately when serious incidents occur. This enables the manager to make swift changes in the care provided for the children as necessary. Information is shared with family members and professionals, and notifications are made to Ofsted in a timely and effective manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is encouraging and confident. She advocates strongly for the children in her care. She leads an enthusiastic, motivated and committed staff team. Children are extremely fond of her, and this is reciprocated. The manager demonstrates strong leadership of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child-focused and ensures that children receive a model of care that meets their individual needs. She recognises the importance of staff needing to feel valued, trusted and listened to. This means that staff are happy in their roles, which enables them to provide good-quality care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong managerial presence in the home. Children and staff benefit from this supportive day-to-day oversight. The manager leads by example, takes on tasks and works directly with the children. Due to this proactive approach, staff feel supported, valued and have confidence in the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions, team meetings, training and a yearly assessment of their performance. This provides the manager with information for them to remain confident in the abilities of the staff team to meet the needs of the children. One member of staff said, Inspection report for children’s home: 2782903 4 ‘I have been treated very well, I really enjoy coming into work, management have really supported me. Management and the staff are always happy to help if you are ever in need of some advice or guidance.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the home. This could be improved further by obtaining feedback from family, professionals and staff and during the independent person visits on a regular basis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and a parent is extremely positive and indicates that the manager and staff consistently have the children’s needs and safety at the forefront of their decision-making and practice. The social worker for one child said, ‘[name of child] is now accessing specialised support, which I haven’t been able to achieve in 5 years of working with them, the home has worked wonders.’ The headteacher for another child said, ‘I would say [name of child] is thriving at the moment, for the first time in a long time.’ The manager and staff can clearly demonstrate the positive impact that living at the home has had on stabilising the children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff nurture positive working relationships with external professionals. The manager contributes to multi-agency planning meetings. This informs decisions about the children’s care. As a result, the children’s needs are met well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager welcomes independent scrutiny of the home. An independent person visits monthly. The manager takes action on any recommendations made. This supports the development of the service. Inspection report for children’s home: 2782903 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should seek to gain feedback from each child’s placing authority and with other relevant persons which may include services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations and establishments that work with children in the local community, e.g. police, schools, health, and youth offending teams. Feedback should also be gathered from the staff working in the home to support the development of the service. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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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: 2782903 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Scotland Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Red Tree Magenta, 270 Glasgow Road, Rutherglen, Glasgow G73 1UZ

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Inspectors

Deborah Turner, Social Care Inspector Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2782903 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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