Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 1 Registered provider: Homes2Inspire Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home is led by a registered manager, who was present for the duration of the inspection.

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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: 5 February 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: 2671651 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2025 Full Good 05/07/2023 Full Good 05/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive and meaningful time with staff. Children's individual interests are actively nurtured through a wide range of activities, such as motocross and horse riding. Children enjoy experiences that broaden their horizons, including holidays and days out. These special moments are captured in photos and presented in scrapbooks, providing children with lasting memories and a strong sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support children to spend time with their families. Children see their families in the community, and, where appropriate, family members are welcomed into the home. Staff communicate well with parents and work hard to make arrangements for family time. One parent said that they felt listened to by staff, which helps to build positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take an active interest in children's diversity and prioritise supporting them to explore their identity. When one child wanted their hair styled like a family member, staff arranged for them to visit a culturally specific barber, helping them to feel connected. Another child enjoys exploring and cooking food from their parents' country of origin, which provides comfort and a sense of familiarity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote children's access to education and support them to attend meaningfully. They anticipate barriers to inclusion and respond in a practical and sensitive way. For example, staff encourage children to attend school, they provide transport, and they maintain regular contact with education professionals. This helps one child feel safe enough to attend more regularly. The designated safeguarding lead for education values the home's consistent and effective communication and the support offered to encourage their attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to meet their health needs. Space is provided for children to talk openly about their needs. Physical, sexual and mental health is considered in children's plans, with staff showing they know children well.

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

Multi-agency working is strong when children go missing. Staff make persistent efforts to locate them. One child has begun to share information with staff about where they have been, which helps professionals understand risks. Information is shared promptly with relevant agencies. When children return, staff welcome them back and check their wellbeing. Risks associated with being missing are regularly reviewed to inform ongoing safety planning.

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

Specialist support is sought for children where drug misuse presents a risk. Staff receive bespoke training tailored to individual needs, so they understand the potential impact on children. They spend meaningful time with children to increase their knowledge and Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 4 safety around drug use. Staff take opportunities to engage children naturally, helping to break down barriers and build trust.

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

When children experience distress and hurt themselves, staff respond with care and sensitivity. Children's plans set out how they may communicate their feelings and the actions staff should take to help them feel calm. These plans are reviewed regularly to ensure that staff know how best to support children. On occasions when children are held to keep themselves and others safe, this is proportionate and in line with agreed strategies.

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

Children's previous life experiences and how these may influence their behaviour are not always reflected in staff responses or incident records. This limits opportunities to deepen understanding and inform future support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager. They describe her as approachable, with one member of staff saying, 'You can raise anything with her and don't feel judged.' Regular team meetings are well attended, and staff contribute openly to discussions about safeguarding and the support of children. The manager is consistently present in the home and offers informal supervision alongside formal monthly sessions. Her open availability and commitment to staff development help staff feel valued. This results in a stable and consistent team, which provides children with continuity and security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is well targeted to support children's care. There is a comprehensive induction to the home, which staff describe as building their confidence. One staff member said they felt 'confident and strong because of it'. The manager seeks specialist training to develop knowledge and skills in meeting children's individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Relationships with professionals are strong. Communication from the manager is consistently noted by professionals to be effective. These relationships enable the best possible opportunities for children to engage. Professionals are welcomed into the home to develop meaningful connections with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective systems to monitor the quality of recording. While records are accurate and factually correct, the language used is inconsistent and does not always reflect that children are carefully considered. Further training has been identified to ensure that language demonstrates that children are understood and valued. This shortfall has not had a direct impact on the care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background.

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Requirement Due date

that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care. (Regulation 6 (1)(b) (2)(b)(iv) (3)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this is in reference to an understanding of children's experiences and how this is reflected in recording. 27 March 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about a child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 6

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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: 2671651 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Homes2Inspire 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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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Carla-Marie Dore

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Inspector

Rebecca Barker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2671651 8 regulates and inspects 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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