Children's Home run by Inspire Childcare Ltd in Slough

Inspection report for children's home: 2787666 1 Registered provider: Inspire Childcare 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

This privately run home provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager has been in post since July 2024.

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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: 29 January 2025

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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: 2787666 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2787666 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff, who treat them with care and respect. There is a sense of fun and warmth in everyday interactions. The relationships that children form with staff have helped them to make progress from their original starting points. For example, they manage difficult feelings more safely, gain social confidence and learn independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show an interest in children and their experiences. They spend regular one-to-one time with children to provide them with guidance and support on issues that matter to them, such as family time and peer relationships. This helps children to feel cared about and to approach challenges in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to express their views, wishes and feelings. Children are routinely involved in decisions, such as planning meals and activities, and helped to participate in meetings about their care plans. Regular children’s meetings and feedback opportunities support children have a voice, including in the process of recruitment and appraisal of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with appropriate guidance and boundaries. Strategies are in place to encourage and reward positive behaviour and achievements, and staff understand these well. Negative consequences are used rarely and are subject to close management review. Children are helped to have a say in the nature of the consequence. This promotes children’s sense of responsibility for their own behaviour and awareness of their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are well planned and supported. Staff work with others involved to plan moves. They ensure that children are prepared as well as possible and given information about the home. Staff and managers are flexible about how moves are managed, which helps children to have a positive experience of moving in. For example, the involvement of one child’s parent in settling them into the home helped the child to manage understandable anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children have moved into the home since the last inspection. Before decisions were made for children to move in, managers considered a suitable range of information about the children alongside the needs of those already living in the home. In most cases, the information gathered about children was comprehensive and helped staff to have a good understanding of their needs from the start. For one child, there were gaps in information, which were not followed up. This contributed to a lack of clarity and delay in implementing plans in relation to therapeutic support and keeping in touch with family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff effectively support children with their education and learning. They work well with education colleagues to progress plans and encourage children to engage in educational Inspection report for children's home: 2787666 4 activity if they are not in school. This support is helping two children who are currently out of school to engage more with education and begin to make progress with learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is in good repair and furnished in a child-friendly manner. Staff help children to personalise their bedrooms and support them in age-appropriate ways to keep their rooms tidy and clean. However, there are missed opportunities to celebrate children and their achievements in the communal areas of the home.

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

Staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and of the individual vulnerabilities of children. Systems for communicating new developments and changes to safety plans work well. As a result, staff respond appropriately if there are concerns about children’s safety, such as concerns about their emotional well-being or vulnerability to exploitation.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been significant concerns about one child frequently going missing from the home. When the child goes missing, staff are proactive in responding. They work closely with others, such as police, social workers and family members, to try and ensure the child’s safety. Managers and staff review the child’s safety plans regularly with the wider network, and work hard to help the child understand the risks involved. As a result, these incidents are managed as safely as possible.

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

Managers take allegations and complaints seriously. Suitable action is taken to manage risks and support the children involved. There is timely consultation with other professionals, such as the local authority designated officer and, where appropriate, managers help the staff involved to learn and improve practice.

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

If children are distressed or show behaviours that challenge, staff seek to understand and help them manage their feelings safely. Physical intervention is only used if required to protect children or others. There is timely management oversight of incidents of concern, and discussions with the children and staff involved take place to provide support and time for reflection.

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

Managers conduct safer recruitment checks before new staff are employed in the home, which help to protect children from unsafe people. These cover most of the requirements of regulations. However, the reasons for leaving previous employment with children or vulnerable adults are not always verified with past employers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. The manager is knowledgeable about children and aspirational for them. They are actively involved in the day-to-day running of the home and staff speak positively of their guidance, support and availability. This provides good modelling for staff and underpins a positive culture of care for all. Inspection report for children's home: 2787666 5 There is a stable core staff team, with prompt recruitment to vacant posts. There has been no use of agency staff since the last inspection, with any required cover provided by staff from the organisation’s other registered children’s home. As a result, children receive care from staff who know them, and this helps them to build trusting relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported through regular supervision and appraisal in line with company policy. Team meetings, with external therapeutic input, provide structured time to help staff reflect and consider different approaches. This helps to ensure that children receive care from well-supported staff who understand the model of care outlined in the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete a range of training to support them in their roles. The required training is relevant to the needs of children and includes essential training, such as first aid and safeguarding. Managers have effective oversight of training to make sure that staff are up to date, which means that children receive care from well-informed staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers understand the importance of effective working relationships with children's professional and personal networks. They have nurtured good relationships with children’s placing authorities as well as specialist agencies relevant to children’s needs. Social care professionals and one parent provided positive feedback about the care of children, safeguarding and communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have ensured that monthly visits by an independent person have taken place. The manager finds the input of the independent person helpful and responds constructively to their recommendations. Improvements have been made to the process since the last inspection, with external feedback now regularly included. However, managers have not ensured that all monthly reports are sent to Ofsted, which means the regulator has not been kept fully up to date. Inspection report for children's home: 2787666 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)(d)) 20 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff celebrate children and their achievements by displaying them in the home for all to see. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 31, paragraph 6.7)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the recruitment process for staff includes verifying the reasons for leaving any previous roles with children or vulnerable adults, as far as reasonably practical to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that reports by the independent person are sent to Ofsted in line with regulation 44. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 65, paragraph 15.5) Inspection report for children's home: 2787666 7

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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: 2787666 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Inspire Childcare Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ

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Inspector

Jacob Robson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2787666 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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