Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 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

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. The inspector spoke to both. Another child had very recently moved out of the home, in a planned way.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2025 Full Good 04/03/2024 Full Good 04/01/2022 Full Good 21/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from the stability of living in the home, and they develop strong feelings of belonging and want to remain living there. Some of the children have lived in the home for over a year. Children live harmoniously together because the managers plan for new children moving into the home exceptionally well. Managers seek detailed information about each child’s needs and risks. They complete a thorough assessment to consider the potential impact of any new arrival.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Those children who have moved on are supported to do so in a planned and positive way. Staff maintain connections with children who have moved out and welcome them back to visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have a very happy and positive experience of living in the home. The staff make sure that the home has a homely and domestic feel. Mealtimes are a shared experience, with staff and children cooking and eating together. Staff show children love and affection, in line with children’s wishes. Children enjoy spending time with staff and experience a wide range of activities, such as boxing and swimming lessons. Children also enjoyed a holiday together at a summer holiday camp.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make and sustain excellent progress. Staff support children to develop increased emotional maturity and reflective skills. There are fewer incidents of concern due to the strong relationships that children have with staff and each other. A professional said that one child has ‘made tremendous progress since March. Staff have managed to build good relationships with him. Now he feels loved and cared for.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff emphasise the importance of education to children. Most children attend and engage in learning well. This includes children who have not attended any education setting for a significant time. When a child is finding school attendance difficult, staff work closely with their school to help them overcome this. There is clear communication with school staff. If required, staff go into school to help a child who may be struggling to keep calm. Furthermore, staff are proactive in helping children to develop their independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s life chances are enhanced by living in this home. This is due to the care and support given to them by staff.

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

Children feel safe in the home and staff keep them safe. Children rarely go missing and if they do, staff are proactive in following them to encourage them to return. Staff work with children’s family and friends, and professionals to find them and bring them home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 4 Children enjoy positive relationships with each other and staff. Leaders use restorative techniques to address any relationship difficulties. This ensures that children and staff feel valued and respected. Staff use a sensitive and caring approach. They are confident in their practice, supported by lessons learned from research.

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

Staff are consistent and clear in their boundaries for children. Risk assessments and plans are up to date and used to good effect. This has resulted in the reduction or management of risk for children.

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

Staff rarely feel the need to hold children to prevent harm. When holds are used, this is proportionate, and there is clear written justification. Staff have called police to help them manage situations. Leaders acknowledged that the use of police could have been avoided. Although this was effective in resolving the situation, this put children at risk of being criminalised.

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

Staff hold regular discussions with children on a range of topics relevant to their needs. They do this in both formal and informal ways. This helps children to keep themselves safer.

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

Staff lock the conservatory when not in use by children and there are restrictors on the ground floor windows. Leaders have not reviewed whether these measures are still required to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders are ambitious for children and confident in how to achieve this. They have a keen sense of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. They work together to make improvements and have taken on board feedback from the last inspection. They have met the previous requirements and recommendations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders seek regular feedback from children, their families and external professionals. They use this to develop the home further. They develop staff practice using research relevant to children’s needs, for example, learning about different physical and emotional reactions in a crisis. A professional supporting one child said that this is ‘the best home I have worked with throughout my career’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders promote a culture of high aspiration and positivity. The manager and deputy lead by example and model good practice. Staff work well as a team and there is an upbeat atmosphere in the home. Staff feel very well supported by leaders in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders adopt a reflective approach to the development of staff and their skills. They link this to the quality of care and experiences for children. Staff’s practice is consistently of a high standard, and leaders use supervision and appraisals to good effect. They hold staff to account and offer them a high level of support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders have very good oversight of children’s records. The manager and deputy work in close partnership. They develop strong connections to local services, which includes Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 5 inviting community police officers to visit the home. Children benefit from these fun and educational experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet their needs. Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: 1255746 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: Black Country House, Rounds Green Road, Oldbury B69 2DG

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Inspector

Sam Saxby-Brown, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1255746 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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