Children's Home run by Sprinkled With Hope Ltd in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: 2773954 1 Registered provider: Sprinkled With Hope Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation owns this home and provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since January 2025. A new manager started work in April 2025 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first full inspection of the home since registration. An assurance inspection in January 2025 did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2773954 2

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home and spoke with the inspector. The child reported feeling safe and being able to maintain contact with people who are important to them. However, the child expressed dissatisfaction with their experience of living in the home, scoring it two out of ten. This reflects the child’s limited positive relationships with staff. The child identified only one member of staff they felt close to. It was not evident what action staff were taking to strengthen relationships and improve the child’s experience.

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improvement to be good

The child does not consistently receive care that is tailored to their current needs. Placement plans are outdated and do not reflect the child’s current circumstances. This limits staff’s ability to provide stable and personalised support and has, at times, contributed to conflict between the child and staff.

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improvement to be good

The child’s educational progress has been insufficiently promoted. While some attempts have been made to encourage learning, such as sourcing tutoring and trying to create a routine, staff have not worked effectively with children to promote meaningful engagement. Despite recent developments such as college enrolment and exam participation, educational needs have not been met, and key opportunities have been missed.

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improvement to be good

Children’s physical health is not consistently promoted. Staff have arranged appointments, but key work to address attendance and health-related behaviours, such as vaping, is limited. This means that health risks are not sufficiently explored or reduced.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with people that are important to them, such as their family and friends. Family members are assured that the child is safe, living in the home, and can identify some progress in the child’s ability to manage their own emotions. However, they feel the child’s lack of positive relationships in the home means that they are lonely.

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improvement to be good

Children live in a home that is clean, welcoming and provides pleasant spaces to relax and spend time in. The environment supports children’s comfort and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Since the last monitoring visit, two children have moved into the home, and one has moved out. Transitions into the home were carefully planned. Leaders worked collaboratively with external professionals to ensure that children’s needs were understood and met. When one child returned to the care of their family at short notice, staff supported a positive ending by helping the child to celebrate their time in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2773954 3

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improvement to be good

Staff do not have the skills to support a child who is at risk of exploitation. They demonstrate limited professional curiosity about the child’s whereabouts and the individuals they spend time with. This, combined with the lack of positive relationships between the child and staff, undermines the home’s ability to develop a clear understanding of the risks the child faces. As a result, plans to keep the child safe are not sufficiently informed by their lived experience.

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improvement to be good

A lack of professional curiosity extends to children who are not living in the home but who may be affected by events there. For example, when a child’s friend brought alcohol into the home, leaders and managers did not adequately consider the safety of the visiting child. This represented a missed opportunity to safeguard another child.

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improvement to be good

When children make allegations or complaints, leaders and managers respond appropriately. Concerns are taken seriously, and prompt action is taken to safeguard all involved. Relevant professionals are informed, and outcomes are shared, which contributes to children’s sense of safety and trust in the adults caring for them.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand their responsibilities when children go missing, including the actions required to keep children safe. However, records do not consistently reflect the steps taken by staff. Weak documentation limits managerial oversight and hinders the ability to evaluate and improve safety strategies. Leaders and managers have recently taken steps to improve the quality of records, but it is too early to assess the impact of these changes.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise that physical restraint should only be used as a last resort. When restraint is necessary to protect children or others, staff follow appropriate procedures. Children are given meaningful opportunities to discuss these incidents with senior staff, which supports reflection and reassurance.

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improvement to be good

Children’s achievements are acknowledged and celebrated. Staff use positive reinforcement routinely, and consequences are proportionate and linked to specific behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Not all serious incidents are notified to Ofsted, which impairs regulatory oversight. Following incidents, children’s assessments and plans do not always accurately reflect risks to children or provide clear guidance to staff on how to keep children safe. Fortunately, this has not resulted in harm to children, and during the inspection leaders and managers took steps to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Strategic oversight is underdeveloped. Systems to support robust monitoring, such as audits, are in the early stages of implementation. In critical areas of safeguarding, Inspection report for children’s home: 2773954 4 including the use of physical intervention, there is insufficient analysis of trends and patterns. This limits leaders’ ability to evaluate practice and drive strategic improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The leadership team is aspirational for both children and staff. Staff speak positively about the visibility and support of managers and value the high-quality training they receive. Training is tailored to meet the specific needs of children and contributes to staff confidence and competence. Supervision is regular, reflective and focused on continuous improvement, which helps to foster strong team morale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children benefit from consistent staffing. Leaders and managers ensure that recruitment processes are robust and that induction procedures are thorough. This supports staff to deliver improved care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers work collaboratively with external professionals involved in children’s lives. Professionals provide positive feedback, identifying strong communication and the nurturing approach of staff as key strengths. Inspection report for children’s home: 2773954 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v) 31 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 18 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2773954 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff are actively working with the child to understand barriers to them engaging with health services, to overcome such barriers, and promote the child’s engagement with health appointments. Also, that staff work with children to address harmful habits.

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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

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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b)) 18 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2773954 7 Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff demonstrate appropriate professional curiosity in response to children at risk of exploitation. Also, that staff understand their responsibility to safeguard all children.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that they have systems in place to monitor effectively all aspects of children’s care. 18 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons about serious events. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.4)

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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: 2773954 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sprinkled With Hope Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Tilston Drive, Brierley Hill, DY5 3DR

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Inspector

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2773954 9 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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