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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2812467 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in 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: 2812467 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child who lives at the home was present for this inspection and was spoken with. The inspector spent time talking to them about their current exams, understanding how they were getting on. They also learned about the opportunities the child has to record some of their music, and how important this is to them. The child spoke about their job, about how much they like to earn their own money and about the sense of pride this gives them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child in the home has built trusted and secure relationships with staff. The staff team has spent time to getting to know the child. Staff listen to them invest in them and are learning how to promote their best interests in a considered way. The staff team’s ability to do this has enabled the child to feel safe, have positive experiences and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This child is making progress with their education. Saff have created a bespoke plan to ensure the child is able to access education which is in line with their needs. The child is taking their exams and is being supported through this well. The staff are ambitious for the child and want them to do well. This has translated into the child having the confidence to apply for further education in line with the career path they are interested in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child in the home is treated with dignity and respect. The staff know what they have been through and see the child’s unique and wonderful self beyond the possible stigma of their childhood experiences and being in care. This is translated in the way staff write about the child and in their ability to have meaningful conversations about a range of important topics related to the child and the way the child responds to them. This nurture has assisted the child to overcome previous experiences and become more settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise that the child has been through a vast number of changes in recent months, staff are therefore approaching support for the child to gain independence skills in a considered way. The child takes part in cooking, takes pride in the meal planning and has secured themselves a part-time job that they are proud of.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported by staff to have their health needs met, in terms of both their physical and mental health well. They have access to local and specialised health services. Staff have developed positive relationships with health professionals and the child engages with these. This helps the child to understand the importance of this in later life. The child also has positive sleep and diet routines in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are considerate of the best way to welcome children into the home. This has predominantly been led by the children’s own wishes and feelings. The manager ensures she takes a multi-agency approach to this and gathers the information required Inspection report for children’s home: 2812467 3 to understand if the staff team can meet the needs of all children. There is a live moving-in plan for the child arriving next week. Although the manager can articulate the staff team’s skills to meet the needs of the new child, the written plan lacks clarity and a clear evaluation of the impact on the child already living in the home.

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

Staff have a strong understanding of the risks for the child living in the home. They are proactive in putting support in place to minimise these risks. The child can identify trusted adults to whom they can talk. The child’s safety and well-being are fully considered by the manager, who has placed a tracking device in the child’s shoe, with their consent, to enable them to track their location.

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

When children go missing from the home they receive a robust response. Staff are proactive and persistent in their attempts to locate them, in line with individual support plans. Families and relevant professionals are kept up to date throughout. When children return home, they are welcomed back in a nurturing way. Staff ensure the child can speak to an independent person when they return home. Recordings are clear, with good management oversight and reflection evident.

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

Restraint is used in the home as a last resort. There has been one restraint to safeguard a child since the previous inspection. Staff used de-escalation techniques in line with support plans, which proved ineffective. The use of restraint was therefore proportionate to ensure the safety of the child. Restraint records are descriptive and contain management oversight. Reflective discussions take place with the child and the staff. These discussions enable the manager to identify key learning opportunities and, as a result, staff have recently undertaken restraint refresher training.

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

Restrictive practice was observed in the home. The child has window restrictors on their bedroom window, and external door alarms are used at night to alert staff should they leave the home. Most sharp items such as Knives are accessible in the home, although some remain locked away, despite this not being a recorded risk for the child. The manager has not reviewed the use of this restriction to ensure they are proportionate, and the child’s views, wishes and feelings have not been sought.

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

Any concerns regarding staff practice are dealt with promptly. Internal investigations are completed in a timely manner, and outcomes of these are shared with the relevant professionals. In one instance, the manager made a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service, which was necessary to safeguard all children. Overall, staff know the processes and procedures for responding to issues of concern around staff practice, and the steps they need to take to ensure the safety of the child. However, not all staff were able to provide a clear overview of the external agencies that need to be notified at such times. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812467 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager of this home is inspirational to her staff team. She is confident in her approaches and ambitious for the child in her care. The manager leads by example, modelling care and practice while supporting the team to achieve the high standards she prescribes to. The manager knows the areas of improvement in this home. The managers comprehensive oversight means that staff feel supported and safe to meet the nest interests of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed effective working relationships with partner agencies. They work collaboratively with professionals to provide consistent and stable care. The manager has built positive relationships with the parents of the child in her care. The manager is supportive and empathic while, at the same time, being a strong advocate for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly reviews the quality of care provided. The manager has sought to learn from the child, the staff and external feedback to improve the experiences of the child in her care by improving practice. The ability to listen to others, to be reflective of what has happened and to be curious to what may happen in the home ensure the child’s needs are always central.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is robust and the manager ensures she takes the time to fully explore all aspects of the role and impact of the role on staff. Well-being, development, safeguarding and the role are all discussed. The manager has had challenging conversations when needed to support the running of the home. Actions from the supervisions are targeted to what has been discussed. Clinical meetings and consultations complement the work the team is doing and ensure that staff have explored all the ways they can try to care for the child effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812467 5

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review. (Regulation (7) (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child’s views around restrictions on the physical setting of the home are gathered regularly as part of the home’s review process. 1 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2812467 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure all staff are aware of the internal and external procedures in place to protect children from abuse or neglect. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraphs 9.19, 9.21 and 9.22)  The registered person should ensure that effective care planning documents are regularly updated prior to children moving into the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraphs 11.2, 11.3 and 11.4)

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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: 2812467 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Jessica Shelton-Smith

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Inspectors

Hannah Spencer-Townesend, Social Care Inspector Carly Parry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2812467 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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