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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256610 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited Full inspection 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 private charity. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and no children have moved in.

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Information about this children’s home

An experienced registered manager oversees 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1256610 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2024 Full Good 10/10/2023 Full Good 27/03/2023 Full Good 21/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1256610 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children living at the home contributed to the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff have positive relationships, and staff want the best for children. Staff speak about children in a nurturing way and show this care when talking to them. The home is welcoming and decorated to a high standard. Children’s bedrooms are cosy, homely and personalised according to their likes and interests. Some fire doors in the home require repair, and managers have taken action to rectify this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported when preparing to leave the home. Managers work closely with professionals to ensure that children’s needs are understood and planned for as they prepare to leave. For one child, this meant they were able to return home successfully, and their parent said, ‘Staff could not have done anything better.’ The child’s social worker said, ‘[Name of child] has really strong relationships with certain members of staff, and this made [name of child] feel safe and secure.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s education, resulting in excellent attendance at school. Children’s education outcomes are good, and there has been positive progress for children in reading and mathematics. Children’s achievements in education, sport and their interests are celebrated by staff. Important photos and certificates are saved, which will serve as memories for children in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to participate in activities tailored to their interests, including holidays with staff. Children are involved in interviewing new members of staff during their recruitment. Regular children’s meetings provide opportunities for children to express their views and for staff to consult children about their needs and wishes. Key- work sessions are planned and unplanned, depending on the identified needs of children. Staff try to help children express themselves in positive ways, which supports their emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with those who are important to them. Staff work closely with parents and professionals to build and maintain strong relationships that support children’s emotional well-being. Staff encourage children to enjoy friendships and spend time with friends at home and in the wider community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans and behaviour support plans consider their needs and help staff think about triggers for behaviours. When specific information about children is unclear, leaders seek clarification from relevant professionals. However, this is not consistently recorded in children’s plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256610 4

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

Staff respond appropriately when children are absent from home or go missing from care. Positively, children rarely go missing from the home, and when they do, protocols are in place, which staff follow. Staff know children’s needs and are responsive to changes in their behaviour. Staff work with parents to locate children, which demonstrates the positive relationships they have with important people in children’s lives.

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

Staff only hold children when it is necessary to keep them and staff safe, and children are not held regularly. Children are provided the opportunity to discuss what happened and how they feel. Staff are offered debriefs so that they can reflect and learn from the experience. Managers have oversight of any hold, including identifying how staff could respond differently in the future.

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

Risk management plans for children are written in a way that matches their age and level of understanding. Staff involve children in the process so that they can help shape their plans. When risks are reduced, plans are updated to reflect this, and encouragement is given to children. When children receive consequences, managers review them to ensure that they are fair and appropriate. Staff talk to children afterwards to help them understand the reasons for any consequences, and these conversations help children reflect on their behaviour.

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

Recording of incidents is not always comprehensive, and there are gaps between online and paper records. At times, the response to children during incidents has been inconsistent. When a child made an allegation, it was not appropriately recorded at the time it occurred. Leaders have identified these shortfalls and developed a plan to provide training, along with carrying out a review of lessons learned. However, the outcome of the review was not read by all members of staff, and leaders did not have oversight of this. The management team has since taken action to rectify this. When incidents occur, managers support staff through opportunities for respite and reflective discussion.

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

Medication practice is in place, including safe storage and medication audits. However, children who are receiving regular over-the-counter medications do not have this written in their plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced manager and deputy, who care deeply about children. The manager oversees two homes and splits her time between both. The manager and deputy manager work well together, and both have good oversight and carry out regular audits. The management team identifies shortfalls in practice and makes plans to address these. The manager has aspirations for the staff team and promotes their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from a stable, experienced and qualified staff team. Staff speak positively about working at the home and feel supported by the management team. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: 1256610 5 feel valued and motivated, and they are enthusiastic about their work. Recruitment processes are thorough, and the necessary checks are carried out to ensure that staff are suitable for their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through regular team meetings, training and supervision sessions. Well-being supervision sessions are offered during challenging times to check in with staff. Supervision sessions are reflective and focused on the needs of children and staff. However, opportunities to use supervision to address specific shortfalls in practice at the time have not always been fully utilised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are proactive when communicating with professionals, and they advocate for children appropriately. Managers understand the importance of obtaining key documents related to children from external agencies. The management team collaborates well with parents and partner agencies to help achieve positive outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256610 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(v)(x)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff respond to children during and following incidents consistently.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, ensure that recordings are comprehensive and that managers provide specific support to staff to assist them in doing so when necessary. 27 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1256610 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that each child has permission for staff to administer first aid and non-prescription medication from a person with parental responsibility for them recorded in their relevant plan. For looked-after children, this permission should be sought and arranged by the child’s social worker. Where appropriate, the child’s family should be involved in supporting their child’s health needs and in providing permission for treatment. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.14)  The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children living at the home, including ensuring that staff read and sign all key documents in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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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: 1256610 8

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Carla-Marie Dore

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Inspector

Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1256610 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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