Children's Home run by Inspirations Leicestershire Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2780208 1 Registered provider: Inspirations Leicestershire 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

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a manager who has been registered with Ofsted since June 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home. One was absent at the time of the inspection. Three children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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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: 26 November 2024

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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: 2780208 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2780208 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff have developed strong and trusting relationships. Staff know the children very well and this helps them to provide good, consistent care. As a result, they feel safe and confident to share their worries or any concerns they might have with staff. Children receive reassurance and praise when they confide in staff. This serves to reinforce their sense of being listened to. Staff take time to understand each child’s individual needs and experiences, helping children to feel valued and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have adapted the home environment to meet the individual needs of the children. For example, a sensory room has been created to support one child’s specific sensory needs. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, helping them to express their identity and feel at home. However, the overall appearance of the communal areas requires some improvement. The managers have recognised this and have already put plans in place to redecorate and enhance the living environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of education in securing positive outcomes for the children’s futures. They consistently advocate for children to access education that is tailored to their individual needs and stages of development. As a result, some children have successfully re-engaged with education after extended periods of absence, and one child is now preparing for and sitting their exams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to advocating for the children. When managers are not satisfied with the responses from external agencies or professionals, they appropriately challenge and escalate concerns to ensure that children’s needs are met to a good standard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support children to maintain relationships with those who are important to them. If the manager has any worries about family time, they will inform the local authority, who will then review how to promote family relationships in a safe and supportive way. Staff involve families where appropriate. For one family member, staff provided a tailored guide to help them understand how the home supports their child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop a strong sense of identity. Staff encourage children to be themselves, which helps them feel comfortable, secure and included in the home. Staff also consider children’s early life experiences and provide support to help them understand their personal journey.

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

When children raise concerns about staff, immediate action is taken to ensure their safety. All the relevant professional agencies are informed very promptly. Thorough internal investigations are carried out. However, the outcomes of these investigations are Inspection report for children’s home: 2780208 4 not always clearly recorded. This is an area for development. Children are informed in an age-appropriate manner about the actions being taken to address their concerns and are also spoken to about the outcomes of any investigations.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff take proactive steps to locate them, including searching known areas and contacting relevant individuals. On their return, children are spoken to in a supportive manner, giving them the opportunity to share the reasons for going missing and to identify any support they may need. However, on one occasion, staff did not follow the agreed missing-from-care protocol. In addition, this lacked key information about the actions staff should take in relation to a specific risk for the child. This is an area that requires improvement to ensure children’s safety is consistently promoted.

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

When physical intervention is used, it is proportionate, appropriate, and for the minimum amount of time necessary to ensure safety. Following such incidents, children are spoken with to check on their welfare and to help them understand why the intervention was required. Each incident is reviewed by the manager to ensure that the use of physical intervention is appropriate and in line with the child’s care plan.

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

The manager maintains effective oversight of safer recruitment processes, ensuring that only individuals deemed safe to work with children are employed in the home. When concerns arise regarding staff practice, appropriate action is taken, including formal investigations where necessary. As a result, children are consistently cared for by safe and suitable adults.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of the risks children may face, both within and outside the home. They engage children in regular conversations about areas of concern, helping them to recognise risks and make informed decisions. Even when risks originate outside the home, staff remain proactive in identifying how best to support and protect children. For one child at risk of exploitation, there is strong multi-agency working with the wider professional network to provide coordinated support. Risk assessments are in place and consider how any transferable risks may impact other children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

During this inspection period, the home experienced a change in registered manager. While the post was vacant, senior leaders provided sufficient oversight and support to ensure continuity of care. As a result, there was minimal disruption to the children’s day- to-day experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling well supported by the manager and the wider management team. They feel comfortable raising any concerns and know they will be listened to. Staff also support one another well and report good team morale. This strong team dynamic helps to ensure consistent and effective care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780208 5 Staff receive regular supervision and attend team meetings, where children’s progress and any safeguarding concerns are discussed. These sessions also prioritise staff well- being, providing a space for reflection and support. This is further strengthened by the support of an in-house assistant psychologist, who offers guidance and assistance to the whole team in delivering a consistent therapeutic approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers maintain a strong focus on learning and development for staff. This is supported by the use of research-based practices that enhance the training and skills of staff. Staff feel confident that they receive appropriate training to meet the needs of the children effectively. When children’s needs change, additional training is sought to ensure staff knowledge stays current and responsive to these evolving needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are strong relationships with the wider professional network supporting the children. External professionals highlight effective communication with the staff. Any incidents of concern are quickly shared with staff and external professionals and managers will request meetings to ensure coordinated responses from all agencies involved with the child. This ensures that everyone is focused on delivering positive outcomes and meeting the individual care plans of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780208 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s missing-from- care protocols contain all relevant information relating to children’s risk and how to mitigate this. This also relates to ensuring that staff follow missing-from-care protocols when children go missing from the home. 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2780208 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home provides a nurturing, supportive and homely environment that meets the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children are listened to and enabled to report any allegations at the earliest opportunity. Staff should report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager within the home. Any allegation of harm or abuse must be addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy. When internal investigations have been completed, the outcome of these should be clearly recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 44, paragraph 9.17)

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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: 2780208 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspirations Leicestershire Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 131a London Road, Oadby, Leicester LE2 5DP

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Inspector

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2780208 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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