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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home works in partnership with a placing authority to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since December 2024.

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Inspection date: 27 November 2025

Date of last inspection: 15 October 2025

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Inspection date: 27 November 2025

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 27 November 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The inspector saw and spoke with the child.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff avoid conflict and do not provide challenge. Some boundaries and rules, such as no vaping or smoking cannabis in the home, are consistently not enforced. When there are incidents or concerns around behaviours, staff do not appropriately intervene. Staff do not have the training, confidence and resilience needed to provide the child with clear and consistent boundaries. The number of incidents in the home has reduced. However, it is not evident that this is as a result of positive practice by staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers do not provide staff with clear guidance and strategies on how to meet the child’s needs. This relates to planning to meet their overall care needs, providing behaviour support and managing and reducing risks. This has led to staff allowing the child to enter potentially risky situations and to unsafe behaviours being allowed to continue.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers identify the need for multi-agency input into care planning. However, they have missed one vital planning meeting, which has delayed essential information gathering and mapping that would inform safety planning and risk management for the child.

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Findings from the inspection

The quality of written recordings is poor. Essential information about staff and the child’s actions is not recorded. This prevents the reader from gaining a good insight into what has taken place and prevents managers from assessing whether any action is required. In addition, it prevents the child from accessing a true narrative of their time in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not show curiosity when speaking to the child. There have been many missed opportunities to gather information or to gain a better understanding of the child’s risks, behaviours, wishes and feelings. As with incidents, staff avoid challenge and do not encourage the child to share information. Work to support the child to understand their risks and to keep themselves safe is rarely completed.

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Findings from the inspection

There is a lack of clear and evaluative management oversight of the home. This includes written oversight of incidents. When information about or from the child is gained, it is rarely reviewed by leaders and managers. Essential information has not been considered, analysed, evaluated and used to inform ongoing practice and to promote the safety of the child. On one occasion, an incident notifiable to Ofsted was not made. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 3 Leaders and managers have begun their planning to address the concerns raised at the previous inspection. They are more visible in the home and have gained a better knowledge of the practice that takes place and the concerns that have arisen. However, the action needed to address significant shortfalls has not been taken with the urgency needed to ensure the protection and safety of the child living in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have made changes to the staff team that aim to provide the child with the consistent care and support that they need. This has led to the child forming some positive relationships with staff. However, there are plans for some of the staff who have been transferred to the home to return to or move to other homes in the future. This will lead to the child experiencing the loss of emerging trusted relationships. There is still a high reliance on agency staff to make up shortfalls in staffing. This has meant that the child continues to experience inconsistencies in care and staffing.

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Findings from the inspection

Achievable actions coming from a review of a safeguarding incident have not been implemented in a timely manner. Required changes to care planning and the supervision of staff to review and reinforce their safeguarding practice have not been completed.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have identified the learning needs of the team. Planning for training has been devised. However, support to upskill staff in fundamental areas of their practice, including safeguarding, managing incidents and enforcing boundaries, has not been finalised.

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Findings from the inspection

One professional has highlighted concerns about the communication from staff at the home and how information is shared throughout the staff team. Leaders and managers accept this and are planning to address it.

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Findings from the inspection

Work to improve the home conditions is ongoing. The child has had a say in the decoration and colour schemes. They have moved to a different bedroom and have had it decorated to their taste. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/04/2024 Full Good 18/07/2023 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 5

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should use monitoring and review systems to ensure that records are accurate and can be used to share learning with staff and children.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that there is a consistent, permanent, adequately trained and skilled staff team in place that can meet the needs of the child.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that there is a sufficient number of permanent staff working in the home. 9 January 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 6 In addition, the registered person must ensure that changes and actions necessary to promote safe, positive and child- focused practice are implemented as a matter of urgency.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that information about children is recorded in a manner that allows for effective care planning and provides a clear narrative of the child’s experiences.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff intervene appropriately during incidents to ensure a safe ending and to reduce the risk to the child and others.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that there is clear and robust planning in place for staff to follow. This must include guidance on risk management, intervention and reduction, behaviour management and overall care needs.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that they work effectively with other agencies and professionals to communicate, gain and share information that is essential for effective safeguarding and care planning. 9 January 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 7 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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take immediate action to ensure that staff have the skill and confidence to establish consistent boundaries and to build healthy relationships with children based on respect and trust.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must take immediate action to ensure that staff have the skill and confidence to communicate with children and complete meaningful direct work with them.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff take action to disrupt and address negative or harmful behaviours. 9 January 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 8 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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)) 9 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they provide a safe, homely and comfortable home environment for children. Repairs to the home should be completed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lumonics House, Valiant Office Suites, Valley Drive, Rugby CV21 1TQ

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Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2719389 10 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 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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