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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2719373 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There was a registered manager in post at the time of inspection. They resigned from their registration with Ofsted on 19 November 2025. The new manager of the home was present for the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2719373 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/10/2024 Full Good 15/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2719373 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were three children present during this inspection. All three children were spoken with during the inspection. They talked to the inspector about their pet hamster, what they enjoy about living in the home, what activities they enjoy and plans for their upcoming birthdays.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to providing stability for the three children in this home. They understand the children’s complex needs. Staff want them to achieve in all areas of their life, and promote their welfare. Because of this, the children have been able to develop trusted relationships with staff and have a sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support all the children to take part in children’s monthly meetings. Staff ensure that children’s preferred methods of communication are promoted. They communicate via text messages, verbal conversations and visual cues. This targeted approach to each child’s preferred communication method enables them to participate in their daily lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school in line with their own individual needs. Staff in the home communicate regularly with education staff and are ambitious for the children to make progress, taking into account their starting points. There is planning in place for all the children’s next education placements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in activities that they enjoy. The children in this home have enjoyed a vast range of activities, which include trips to railways, zoos, theme parks, the cinema and arcades, as well as special interest shows and nights away in holiday accommodation for those who want to.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning for the children’s futures is underway. There is a lack of consistency in how staff approach the developing of children’s independence skills. Support for children to progress in this respect is lacking.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat the children with dignity and respect. Staff are knowledgeable about children’s previous experiences, which allows them to respond to their needs sensitively. Staff recognise the need to continue to support each child to have a positive self-view and to increase their positive attitude towards others. Staff achieve this through curious discussions and without judgement.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Specialist help has been secured for staff to meet the children’s needs. The help was identified and promptly made available to staff. With this increased knowledge, staff have been able to improve their care of the children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The day-to-day care needs of the children are met. Staff promote routines that include a healthy sleep pattern and diet. They ensure that the children have space for themselves while encouraging a positive group dynamic in the home during shared Inspection report for children’s home: 2719373 4 dinners and children’s meetings. Alongside this, children are supported to spend time with those who are important to them; staff have worked proactively to progress this for all the children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to be in good health and to access local health services. However, the management of medication is not effective. One child’s medication plan was not updated in line with their prescription, and an incorrect dose of medication was given, medicine was found to be missing with no record of where it went and there have been errors in recording the doses and frequency of some of the prescribed medications. When this was identified, during the inspection, the manager was able to respond appropriately and to set out how this would be improved.

p.4

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

Staff are aware of each child’s vulnerabilities and work in a way to reduce any risk of harm. This is assisted by regular and effective communication with each child’s social worker and other external professionals. Staff in the home talk to the children about a wide range of topics, including matters which may be causing the children to worry. Staff listen to them and respond with curiosity, not judgement. Records of these discussions are recorded in a child-friendly way.

p.4

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

There are physical restraints in the home in the form of window restrictors, knives being locked away and the use of bedroom door alarms when needed. There is agreement from the children and their social workers for them to be in place. However, there is a gap in the way in which these restrictions are recorded in the children’s plans. Which restrictions apply to which child, and why, is not made explicit.

p.4

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

There have been two missing-from-home incidents since the previous inspection. There was a well-coordinated response. The plan in place was followed and staff looked for the child. Children are supported well after incidents. Plans are updated after the incident to consider ways to revise the approach to the child’s individual needs to reduce further harm.

p.4

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

Restraint of children in the form of physical interventions has been used to prevent staff being harmed in incidents. The manager recognises the need for these incidents to be captured in records so that they can fully reviewed. The two incidents were recorded accurately and reviewed by the manager. Children are provided with the opportunity to express their views after incidents.

p.4

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

Staff who work in the home are clear on what to do when there are concerns about the safety of a child. Concerns are shared with the local authority in a timely way. To help promote considered multi-agency care planning.

p.4

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

Proactive working relationships have been developed with the police to support and protect the children. Staff work with police to protect the children living in the home from unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system. Staff engage with the Inspection report for children’s home: 2719373 5 wider systems around the children, which has increased staff’s skills in managing incidents. There are still incidents; however, staff are more preventative than reactive, and this has seen a reduction in incidents and police involvement.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been managed by an experienced and qualified manager since the previous inspection. On the day of inspection, the registered manager submitted their voluntary cancellation form as they have been promoted within the organisation. There is another manager in post, who is planning on submitting their application to be registered. They were actively involved in the inspection.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows what is happening in the home. She monitors the quality of care through oversight of practice, being in the home, regular supervisions, team meetings and internal audits. These audits have included children’s own insights. She also works closely with the independent person to support effective monitoring of the home. Together, they highlight the strengths and areas for improvement for the home. They seek to continually improve, to enhance the experiences of the children in her care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built effective relationships with other professionals, which has resulted in positive outcomes for children. Staff report being well managed and supported in all areas of their work and personal life, and there is evidence to support this.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records about the children’s everyday lives reflect their time in the home. The child will be able to access their records in the future, should they want to, and it will give them an understanding of their experiences.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision that is focused on staff well-being, professional development and the ability of staff to meet the needs of children in the home. Staff speak positively about the impact of supervision on their practice. Team meetings are used to support an environment of shared good practice and to support the staff with the impact of their role on their well-being. Safeguarding is a focus in both supervision and team meetings.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager who is leaving this home has left a legacy of in-house development and nurture of staff skills. They have been committed to ensuring that all staff are ambitious for the children in their care. The manager has motivated staff to do a good job and to remain committed to the children throughout their time at this home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2719373 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all prescribed medication is provided in line with the prescription.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered manager must ensure that the record kept of the administration of medication is accurate and reflects the prescription. 20 December 2025

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care or moving to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that plans in relation to the use of physical restraints in the home must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and to respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of

p.6

Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2719373 7 each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

p.7

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: 2719373 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Hannah Spencer-Townesend, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2719373 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9