Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1255744 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

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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 is registered to care for up to three children with complex needs who have experienced trauma and loss.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2020 and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1255744 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2024 Full Good 18/09/2023 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1255744 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children were spoken to by the inspector. Since the last inspection, three children have left and three children have moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff welcome new children warmly, and children already living in the home are appropriately informed and prepared for new arrivals. When children leave the home, even when placements end unexpectedly, staff manage these moves with sensitivity. Children are supported to understand the reasons for the move and, where possible, are involved in planning their next steps. Two children have moved from the home into foster placements. This is a notable achievement, demonstrating the progress staff helped them make while living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of the children’s individual needs and provide personalised care that promotes development and progress. They speak with genuine warmth and pride about the children and the home, reflecting a nurturing and aspirational culture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a high value on education and actively support children to engage with learning. Some children with histories of poor attendance have shown improvement and developed aspirations for their future. When progress has been slow, managers have appropriately challenged education providers and advocated for increased provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are innovative in their approach to helping children’s learning. This has included introducing qualifications from a nationally recognised provider that can be done at the home. However, daily plans for children not in full-time education or training do not tell staff what alternative learning activities they should be doing or how they will support these. This has affected how engaged children are in their learning when not attending full-time education. There are also no clear systems in place to review children’s progress in education when they have been reluctant to engage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to become more independent. This includes teaching them about budgeting, cooking and using public transport.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure children have access to a wide range of enjoyable experiences. Activities include go-karting, playing pool, swimming, visits to farms, shopping trips and celebrations of birthdays and seasonal events. All contribute positively to children’s overall well-being and sense of belonging. Inspection report for children's home: 1255744 4

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

Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of the children in their care and take effective action to keep them safe. They help children to recognise and manage risks appropriately.

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

When a child’s behaviour posed a significant risk to themselves and others, managers acted quickly. Despite sustained efforts to support the child, notice was given to the placing authority to end the child’s placement, to safeguard all the children.

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

Staff respond appropriately when concerns arise regarding children’s online activity. When necessary, referrals are made to relevant agencies, including the police. Staff also support children to understand online safety and how to keep themselves safe.

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

When children go missing from home, staff respond proactively. They engage with transport staff, including train guards and British Transport Police, and work collaboratively with local police to locate children. Staff search for children, share information as needed and collect them when found. On returning to the home, children are welcomed back, their welfare is assessed and any new concerns are shared with relevant professionals.

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

On occasions, staff have needed to use physical interventions to keep children safe. These are recorded in line with legislative requirements, and both staff and children are offered debriefs. However, on one occasion, the debriefs were undertaken by a staff member who was involved in the intervention. This is not good practice, as it limits opportunities for concerns to be raised with an impartial person.

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

The manager takes all complaints and allegations seriously. They are appropriately reported and thoroughly investigated, and outcomes are shared with relevant parties.

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

Medication is stored, administered and recorded in line with procedures. When children refuse medication, this is escalated to health professionals to ensure appropriate follow-up.

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

New staff are recruited in accordance with safer recruitment practices. This helps to ensure that children are cared for by suitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers demonstrate a strong commitment to children. They consistently go above and beyond to ensure children’s needs are met, particularly during periods of challenge. Managers provide hands-on support, including covering shifts and offering emotional and practical support to both staff and children. This proactive approach contributes to a stable and nurturing environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers build and maintain positive working relationships with families and professionals. When there have been challenges in those relationships, staff have sought Inspection report for children's home: 1255744 5 support from the placing authorities to help rebuild relationships. This has helped staff to provide consistency of care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training that is relevant to their roles. In addition to mandatory training, managers facilitate ongoing professional development through structured learning circle sessions. These sessions encourage staff to research topics and share their learning with the team. When additional training needs are identified, particularly in response to children’s presenting needs, these are addressed through targeted learning, literature and online modules. This has enhanced staff understanding of children’s needs and improved the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff benefit from a comprehensive induction programme that includes a range of training and opportunities to shadow experienced colleagues. Staff who do not yet hold the required qualification are enrolled on the relevant course following successful completion of their probation period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior staff are supported to develop their skills and knowledge through progression routes such as the level 5 qualification and exposure to leadership roles, including the deputy manager role. This supports career development and succession planning in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals. They say they feel well supported by managers and describe the home as having a family-like atmosphere. While the workforce plan outlines the supervision process, it does not specify the expected timescales, which may impact on consistency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and external stakeholders is overwhelmingly positive. For example, a foster carer spoke highly of the support provided by the home, noting that the child’s move to foster care was managed exceptionally well and contributed to a successful start for the child in their new home. Inspection report for children's home: 1255744 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. Specifically, that the discussion is with someone other than the person who carried out the intervention. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)  The registered person should ensure that when children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff support the child in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraph 20). The plan should detail the timescales for supervision of practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 1255744 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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Inspector

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1255744 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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