Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1256058 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation that operates several registered children’s homes. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024. She is currently away from the home and was not present at this inspection. An interim manager is in place.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 15 January 2025

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1256058 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2025 Full Good 06/09/2023 Full Good 06/02/2023 Full Inadequate 18/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1256058 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are provided with an exceptional quality of care and highly individualised support. This enables them to build strong and trusting relationships with the staff. Children are thriving and make extraordinary progress in all areas of their lives from the moment they move into the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is spacious and well presented, creating a welcoming atmosphere. Children actively participate in decisions about their living spaces, and their bedrooms are decorated according to their personal preferences, reflecting their individuality. Staff creatively design the children’s living spaces to ensure that they feel safe and comfortable.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of each child’s journey and presenting needs. They have developed effective strategies to help children to manage their emotions when they are upset or distressed. Daily discussions at the dinner table, along with planned one-to-one conversations, encourage children to actively participate in decisions and provide opportunities for them to share their thoughts and feelings. As a result, children feel valued and listened to.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make remarkable progress in school attendance and academic achievements. Children who previously struggled with regular attendance, or missed significant amounts of education, have successfully reintegrated into the learning environment. When children struggle to attend school, staff support the children and work with them, their family and the team around them to find ways to encourage attendance. One child shared her educational and career aspirations, expressing confidence in the support she receives to achieve her dreams.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff clearly promote and value equality and diversity. They show an excellent understanding of each child’s individual identity, background and culture. This is clearly reflected in all aspects of care planning and in each child’s daily routines. The staff provide a highly inclusive and nurturing environment, where difference is celebrated. Equality and diversity are embedded in the home’s ethos and underpinned by regular training and reflective practice. As a result, children feel valued, accepted and confident about their identity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have access to a wide range of activities that support their talents and interests. When they are at home, children are encouraged to do as much as they can for themselves, for example helping with cooking, shopping on a budget, preparing their own lunch and doing the laundry. When they are out in the community, the children are learning essential life skills that will help them now and in the future. Staff support these experiences, including budgeting, shopping, attending local events and holidaying overseas and in the UK, which allow children to enjoy learning and prepare for independence. Inspection report for children's home: 1256058 4 Support for children in building and maintaining relationships with their families is inspirational. Staff actively listen to children’s views and handle difficult situations with sensitivity. They provide support to the children and their families. This helps to

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

strengthen these relationships. As a result, children develop meaningful connections with important people in their lives, leading to transformative outcomes. One child has successfully increased time spent with their family, and another is having overnight stays with a family member.

p.4

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

Children feel safe and are safer due to the care and support that they receive. Staff know the children well. The positive relationships between children and staff consistently foster an open culture that encourages children to share their worries or concerns.

p.4

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

Managers and staff have a comprehensive understanding of how to ensure the safety of children. They encourage reflective discussions with the children about their behaviours and the importance of keeping themselves safe. This helps the children to develop strategies to understand and manage their feelings, ultimately making them safer. The commitment of staff to thoroughly understanding the underlying reasons, patterns and complexities of behaviours is evident. This approach ensures that behaviour is addressed, understood and appropriately acted on. This was clearly demonstrated during the inspection.

p.4

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

When safeguarding incidents occur, they are responded to appropriately and are thoroughly recorded. There was one allegation made by a child, and this was robustly investigated. Managers took action to work collaboratively with the child’s professional networks, and the child was spoken with to help them understand the outcome of their allegation. Additionally, restorative practices are implemented to support the relationships between staff and children.

p.4

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

Staff take pride in helping children to succeed, providing consistent boundaries and an open approach in their practice. They support children in taking age-appropriate and developmentally suitable risks, for example independent travel and time out with friends. This is because they recognise that well-managed risk is a crucial aspect of children’s development. Staff carefully balance the need for safety with the freedom and responsibility that are appropriate for each child’s age. Children feel able to tell staff what they have been doing, and this opportunity to be open and honest enables the children to feel safe and learn the consequences of their actions.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by an ambitious leadership team that strives to provide children with high-quality care. Although the registered manager is currently absent, a temporary manager has been appointed to cover her absence. The handover between the two managers was excellent. The temporary manager previously worked in the home and Inspection report for children's home: 1256058 5 knew the staff and the children well. This smooth transition helped create a sense of safety for the children and the staff team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have high expectations and are ambitious about the children’s futures. They speak passionately about providing exceptional care and working with children to unlock their potential. Their passion and commitment are evident in the progress that the children are making.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers place a strong emphasis on ensuring that staff feel well supported. To achieve this, they ensure that staff receive regular supervision, participate in team meetings and engage in reflective learning sessions. Staff are introduced to research relevant to their practice, which demonstrates the manager’s ongoing commitment to enhancing staff practice. This approach helps to maintain a high standard of care for the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has extensive oversight of the home through comprehensive monitoring systems. Records are clear and capture details of children’s engagement, experiences and achievements. Managers ensure that children are always held in mind when staff are completing records. Consequently, the documents are child friendly and easy to understand should a child wish to review them later in life. This is a real strength of this home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager recognises the importance of collaborating with health, education, therapy and social care professionals to support children’s various needs. Social workers, educators and families all report having positive relationships with the home. They feel that the staff communicate regularly with them and believe that the team provides strong support for the children. Additionally, they have praised the team for the significant progress that each child has made.

p.5

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: 1256058 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Black Country House, Rounds Green Road, Oldbury B69 2DG

p.6

Inspectors

Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Maria Calway-Kennedy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1256058 7 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.

p.6

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7