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

Inspection report for children's home: 2812978 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This children’s home is part of a large private organisation. The home is registered to care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children's home

This is the home’s first inspection. The manager has applied to be registered with Ofsted. They were present throughout the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2812978 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a bright but calm environment. There is ample space for children to enjoy activities and to relax. Lots of photographs show a glimpse of what day-to-day life is like for the child. The child has been involved in decorating the home, and their artwork is proudly displayed on the walls.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A family member and two professionals highlighted the excellent progress that the child has made. They attributed this to the care that staff provide. Progress has been made in relation to managing emotions and behaviours, building relationships and making positive decisions. Staff support the child to develop essential independence skills, such as budgeting, shopping and cooking.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to attend school and to celebrate their achievements. The child has gone from not attending l to attending regularly. A teacher said that staff understand the child's needs and communicate with them in relation to attendance and any barriers in the way of the child attending.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff acknowledge the importance of relationships for the child. They understand the complexity of loss and how this can impact on them. They have built a strong relationship with a family member, who said that staff go 'above and beyond' to meet the overall needs of the child. They said that staff communicate with them well and involve them in decision-making. Staff share vital information with family members, which promotes a positive, joined up approach to parenting. This has contributed to the positive outcomes that have been seen.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health needs of the child are understood by staff. Staff talk to the child about the benefits of attending health appointments. Their consistent approach in supporting the child's health ensures that the child takes their prescribed medication daily. As a result of this, the child is experiencing a better quality of life. Staff have supported the child to think differently about therapy and recognise that it could have a positive impact on them.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff implement clear and appropriate boundaries. While boundaries can be pushed, staff remain consistent, communicating effectively with each other to ensure that practice is replicated by the whole team. They explain the reasons for the decisions that are made to the child to support their understanding. This has contributed to the formation of the trusting relationships that have been observed.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views of the child are gained and used to inform decisions that are made about them. Staff share documents about the child with them and document their views. Conversations with the child are thought through and adapted to the individual situation. The recordings of discussions show how staff adapt their communication to meet the child’s needs at that time. They also document the child's responses and reactions. Inspection report for children's home: 2812978 3

p.2

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

The child chose not to speak to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home. However, they have told their family and other professionals who work with them that they like living in the home. Family and professionals are confident that staff keep the child safe.

p.3

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

Carers have a good knowledge and understanding of the risks that the child may experience. Guidance on measures that staff should take to support the child and reduce risks, such as developing healthy relationships and keeping safe in the community, is clear. Staff approach sensitive topics and discussions about risk with the child in a child- centred way, providing guidance, knowledge and advice. They have focused on supporting the child to understand the potential consequences of their actions, which has had positive outcomes. Incentives are used to promote positive behaviours.

p.3

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

There has been a reduction in the child going missing from home. The protocol for staff to follow if the child is missing is clear and informative. Occasional episodes of the child being absent from home are managed well. Staff search for the child and maintain communication with them until they return home.

p.3

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

The number of incidents of negative behaviour has reduced. Restraint has been appropriately used on two occasions. Staff know the child well and are guided by documents that detail how to support the child when they exhibit behaviours. Following incidents, staff attempt to engage the child in reflective conversations with the aim of exploring the reasons or triggers for their behaviours. If the child chooses not to engage in these conversations, or it is deemed inappropriate to have them, this is clearly documented.

p.3

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

Reports that document the actions of the child and the action taken by staff during incidents lack detail. Some language used is institutionalised. Management oversight has identified this as a concern and addressed this with the team. However, due to a reduction in incidents, the impact of this cannot be reviewed.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has been through several changes since opening. There is a new manager in place and there has been churn within the staff team; this has now stabilised. Staff have approached this in a trauma-informed manner. They have provided support to the child, preparing them before change takes place and supporting them during and after. This has minimised the negative impact on the child.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management team work effectively. They communicate between themselves, the staff team and the child consistently to promote consistently good care. The manager is child focused, reflective and enthusiastic about his role and is keen to develop practice and to support positive outcomes and achievements for the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2812978 4 The staff team is relatively new and inexperienced. However, they receive regular, focused and reflective support from managers. Supervisions, professional conversations and team meetings all focus on practice development and safeguarding. Staff have ample opportunities to raise concerns and have a voice. Managers listen to staff and respond to concerns that they raise. Staff said that they like working in the home and feel listened to and supported by leaders and managers. They said that that the running of the home has improved since the new manager has been in post.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work closely with other professionals. They attend multi-agency meetings and maintain good communication with the team around the child. Other professionals said that staff in the home, particularly the new manager, have formed positive relationships with them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff communicate about the day-to-day care provided to the child during daily handover meetings and team meetings. However, the quality-of-care planning is poor. Staff are not provided with a document that sets out the aims of the placement. There is no clear written guidance or planning which sets out the care that the child should receive and how this will be reviewed. There are no mechanisms in place to review the overall quality of the work completed with the child and how this has impacted on their outcomes.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is present on documents about the child. It is reflective and gives clear guidance and actions for staff to follow. The manager reviews the progress of the child. However, there is no analysis and evaluation of how the team have supported the child to make progress or how practice could be improved. This limits the learning opportunities for staff in relation to their practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment practice ensures that checks necessary to determine whether staff are safe to work with children are completed. Concerns in relation to staff practice have been thoroughly addressed. Inspection report for children's home: 2812978 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(ii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that planning to meet the needs of children and meet the aims of the placement is clear and directive. 1 July 2025

p.5

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child 1 July 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2812978 6 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.5

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that reports that document the actions of the child and of staff provide sufficient detail.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that they monitor and review staff practice.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that they evaluate the progress that children make.

p.6

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: 2812978 7

p.6

Children's home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: Lumonics House, Valiant Office Suites, Valley Drive, Rugby CV21 1TQ

p.7

Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2812978 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8