Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1254308 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire 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 run by a private company that is owned and operated by a national charity. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. These children contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1254308 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2023 Full Good 09/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/11/2021 Full Good 07/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: 1254308 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and staff enjoy spending time together inside the home. The home feels warm, friendly and welcoming. Children and staff arrange parties at the home and are excitedly planning how to use the freshly revamped outdoor area in the coming months. Children’s anniversaries of coming to live at the home are celebrated. Staff who aren’t scheduled to work choose to come in to celebrate important events with children. External professionals comment on the welcoming feel of the home and the relationships between staff and children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children are in education and are making progress academically and socially. The manager was a strong advocate for one child to return to full-time mainstream education in a timely way. Children’s learning is supported in the home by staff who are ambitious for them and incentives are in place to support attendance and punctuality. Children have extracurricular learning that supports their formal education. Additional tutoring is accessed to bridge any gaps in learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff help children with their preparation for adulthood. Children have independence plans, but staff equally understand and meet each child’s need for nurturing care and opportunities to play and feel loved and cared for. Staff understand the impact trauma can have on children’s development and respond accordingly to help children feel loved and cared for. There is much laughter and fun in the home and staff use their relationships with children when they need to challenge any unwanted behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are supported when they move into or out of the home. Care is taken to ensure that children’s needs are understood prior to them coming to live at the home. When children move on, staff support them and continue to keep in touch with them when this is agreed. Staff also ensure that children have memory books that are full of photographs to take with them, and items they need to help them settle in their next home. Staff are thoughtful and creative in how they support children to understand their backgrounds.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are encouraged by staff to have hobbies and interests. Children take part in activities inside and out of the home to help with their sense of well-being and socialisation. This includes going on holidays. Children’s friends are welcomed into the home. Children are supported to care for pets that live in the home with them. Children choose fundraising events to support and enjoy taking part with staff. They also enjoy celebrating and learning about multiculturalism and diversity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support children to be involved in decisions made about their care. Staff help children to understand the reasons for decisions being made, even when this is not what they want to hear. One child is now able to take part in interview panels for staff recruitment. Staff are strong advocates for the children and show a good understanding of each child they care for. Staff consistently speak about children positively and show Inspection report for children's home: 1254308 4 love and care for them. This is both in everyday conversations with and about children, and in children’s records. Staff are proud of children’s achievements and tell them this.

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

Children have plans and risk assessments that are individualised to their needs and are updated regularly. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and know how to support children and keep them safer. Children’s views are evident in their plans, including how they want or don’t want staff to respond to help them. Children can access and input information in their records via an app on their electronic devices.

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

Children feel they are listened to and see an advocate who visits the home. Children are spoken to about what has been done to address any issues they have raised. Children seek support from staff, which helps to keep them safer.

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

Staff and children have strong and trusting relationships that have developed over time. This helps staff to recognise early signs if children are struggling with their emotions. This has led to a reduction in incidents where children have gone missing or in physical interventions being used. When incidents do take place, children and staff are supported afterwards by managers who have reflective oversight of all records.

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

Children and staff have discussions that help to reduce risks. Children receive support from specialist external agencies when this is needed. Staff have training which helps them to meet the needs of the children living in the home. Staff have additional and specialist training that is identified to meet the needs of individual children, and learning is disseminated across the team and to new staff.

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

Any measures that could make the home feel less homely, such as door alarms on children’s bedroom doors and external doors, are reviewed regularly for each child to assess if they are still required. Children are involved in these decisions and there is a clear rationale for decisions made. Children can see when they have made progress and how risks have reduced over time.

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

The manager ensures that staff are up to date in their knowledge around issues and risks affecting children. This includes children living in the home, in the local community or further afield, as well as issues in the news. While there are not a significant number of incidents involving the children living in the home, the manager ensures that staff regularly update their skills and has strategies in place to test that their learning has been effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is aspirational for the children in the home. The care the manager has for the children is replicated across the strong and established staff team. Staff and managers refer to the children in the home as ‘our children’. The manager is supported by a strong deputy manager, who has the same aspiration for the children. Inspection report for children's home: 1254308 5 External professionals and family speak highly of the manager and deputy manager. They comment on the quality of care provided to children, the progress children are making, consistent approaches taken and effective communication. The manager challenges decisions effectively and escalates appropriately with external agencies when this is in the interests of a child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children have worked with staff to look at language they do or don’t want used about their care. Letters were sent to all external partners explaining this. External professionals commented on the positive impact of this for children and how they have further shared this strength-based approach as a great example of practice in their own organisations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager understands and follows safer recruitment and vetting procedures for new staff. New staff undertake an induction and training programme prior to coming into the home and then undertake shadow shifts. The manager has further developed the induction programme new staff undertake at the home. The home is fully staffed, and the rota is arranged to strengthen and develop the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have regular and effective supervision and team meetings. These are reflective and in depth, and staff find these supportive for their own well-being, their development and what they need to care for the children in the home. The manager and deputy manager have reflective oversight of all areas in the home and use this to strengthen and develop staff practice. There is a continuous culture of learning in the home to support staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff describe the manager and deputy manager as ‘the dream team’, who are supportive and go above and beyond to support the team and the children. Staff enjoy working at the home and comment on the family feel the home has. Staff have said the manager is the most supportive manager they have had in any role. Inspection report for children's home: 1254308 6

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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: 1254308 7

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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: Craig Whitchurch

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Inspector

Caroline Hose, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1254308 8 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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