Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256404 1 Registered provider: Homes2Inspire Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company that is owned and operated by a national charity. It provides care for up to 5 children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager, who registered with Ofsted in August 2020. They were present for both days of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. One child had recently been supported to move into semi-independent living. All children were spoken to and contributed to this inspection.

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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 outstanding

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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

Date of last inspection: 3 December 2024

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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: 1256404 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2024 Full Good 19/02/2024 Full Good 07/12/2022 Full Good 26/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1256404 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children flourish in this exceptionally nurturing, child-centred and welcoming home. The atmosphere is warm, calm and highly supportive, creating an environment in which children feel safe, valued and genuinely cared for. Children clearly enjoy spending time both in the communal areas and in their own bedrooms. Their bedrooms are thoughtfully personalised to reflect their individual tastes and identities. This helps children feel a strong sense of belonging and emotional security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One child described how staff supported them to change the colour of their bedroom walls to help with sleep difficulties. The child was able to recognise and talk about the positive impact this has had on their routines, demonstrating the home’s strong commitment to responding sensitively and meaningfully to children’s emotional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from strong, trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. Staff offer highly consistent, predictable care which is skilfully tailored to each child’s needs. One child shared that they had never previously been able to trust adults in this way and attributed this change directly to the consistent, nurturing care they receive from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Care planning is exceptional. Planning is dynamic, proactive and firmly centred around each child’s individual needs. Staff are highly attuned to children’s emotional and behavioural presentation, enabling them to respond swiftly and effectively. External professionals comment that children feel unconditionally accepted and not judged. This has enabled children to make significant, sustained progress from often complex starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s educational progress is remarkable when considering their individual starting points. Two children have successfully completed their GCSE examinations and secured college placements. Another child has completed their mock exams despite experiencing high levels of anxiety. The manager has been tenacious in her approach to education, advocating robustly and working collaboratively with schools and professionals to ensure children receive the support they need to succeed. She has also ensured that children have access to enrichment opportunities that raise aspirations. For example, a carefully planned careers event is scheduled, with significant thought given to ensuring that the right agencies and businesses attend to maximise children’s opportunities. This is supporting the children to also think about their next steps.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are exceptionally well supported to sustain and build positive relationships with family and friends. Staff understand the central importance of these relationships for children’s emotional wellbeing and identity. As a result, children have developed confidence and social skills. For example, one child who previously struggled to form friendships is now building a secure social circle, attends a local youth club, and has begun taking part in meaningful social activities, including sleepovers with friends. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256404 4 Children have experienced memorable and enriching opportunities, including a holiday abroad. All children thoroughly enjoyed this experience, and for two children it was their first time travelling by aeroplane. This created special and lasting memories, further enhancing their confidence and broadening their life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Moves into and out of the home are exceptionally well planned and sensitively supported. One child has recently been helped to move successfully into semi-independence. From an early stage, staff prioritised the development of independence skills, enabling the child to feel confident, capable and well prepared for adulthood. Highly effective multi-agency working ensured that the move out of the home was smooth, coordinated and positive. The child said that staff continue to check in on them and that they plan to maintain contact with the home. This reflects the strength, depth and enduring nature of the relationships built with children , and the continued support they offer beyond the child’s time living in the home.

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

Children are kept exceptionally safe in this home because staff know each child’s vulnerabilities, triggers and protective factors extremely well, and they use this knowledge to plan ahead, offer the right support and prevent situations from escalating. They remain alert to changes in children’s behaviour and adapt their approach quickly, ensuring children feel understood, reassured and protected. As a result of this consistently strong practice, children experience a high level of physical and emotional safety. They receive timely, proportionate responses during incidents, which helps them to regulate, reduces the likelihood of further harm and strengthens their trust in staff.

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

Staff do not give up on children; their perseverance and commitment are exceptional. For example, when two children began to influence each other in ways that created additional safeguarding concerns, staff responded with sensitivity and careful planning. The manager monitored the situation closely, kept relevant agencies well informed and supported the team to develop thoughtful, well-considered strategies. This thoughtful and persistent approach enabled the children to continue living together safely.

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

Children who were previously at high risk of going missing have made exceptional progress. One child, who had been frequently missing, has now had no missing-from- home episodes for 10 months, representing a significant reduction in risk. Staff worked creatively and individually with the child, helping them to develop healthy friendships and reducing the influence of peers who had previously contributed to missing episodes. A professional described the child’s progress as ‘amazing’, noting that they have moved from having no free time due to risk concerns to now safely spending time with friends and riding their bike independently to and from school. Another child, who regularly went missing, has not been missing for more than a year, demonstrating sustained and meaningful improvement.

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

Concerns relating to a child’s potential involvement in knife crime were addressed immediately and effectively. Staff offered the child direct support, alongside completing additional specialist training to strengthen their knowledge and confidence in responding Inspection report for children’s home: 1256404 5 to this type of risk. This learning was reinforced through reflective team discussions, ensuring it was embedded in practice. As a result, the child’s risk in this area has reduced significantly.

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

Staff are also highly skilled in identifying and responding to risks relating to intimate relationships. When concerns were raised that one child may be involved in an unhealthy relationship, the manager worked tirelessly and collaboratively with the child and partner agencies to manage this risk. This included carefully planned multi-agency safety planning. The manager also undertook research around coercive control in teenage relationships and disseminated this to the staff team. This has strengthened staff insight and enabled them to provide sensitive, informed and targeted support to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is exceptionally well led. The registered manager is highly experienced, inspirational and relentlessly ambitious for every child in her care. Her leadership is described by professionals as ‘phenomenal’, and one professional reflected that the relationship the manager has built with a child was ‘beautiful to witness’. This reflects the depth of trust, respect and emotional attunement that underpin her practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is supported by a strong and capable deputy manager. Their partnership is highly effective, and together they have created a culture of high aspiration, warmth and professional curiosity. Staff consistently describe feeling motivated, valued and encouraged to develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and staff have developed highly positive and productive relationships with partner agencies. This collaborative approach has significantly strengthened the quality of care children receive and has directly contributed to their exceptional progress. Professionals described the home’s communication and partnership working as ‘exceptional’, highlighting the team’s commitment to shared working. These strong relationships ensure that interventions are well coordinated, risks are clearly understood across agencies and children’s needs remain central to all decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a tenacious advocate for children. She takes time to understand what matters to them and ensures their voices are heard and acted on. Children’s views influence practice in meaningful ways. For example, children expressed that they did not like the format of the existing ‘children’s meeting’. The manager listened, reviewed the approach and implemented changes that now allow children to express their views in a way that feels safe, informal and more authentic to them. This demonstrates excellent child-centred leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager leads by example. Her strong belief that children must be central to all care planning is evident throughout the home. Staff mirror this approach, ensuring that children feel listened to, respected and included in decisions that affect their lives. This empowers children, enhances their confidence and contributes directly to the progress they make. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256404 6 Management oversight is rigorous and reflective. There are robust systems in place to ensure that leaders and managers have a clear understanding of emerging themes, patterns and changes in risk. This enables timely and well-informed action to keep children safe. Staff benefit from high-quality, specialist training tailored to the children’s individual needs and risks. As a result, they are equipped with the skills, knowledge and confidence required to support children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256404 7

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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: 1256404 8

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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: Craig Whitchurch

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Inspectors

Becky Thompson, Social Sare Inspector Susie Vere, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1256404 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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