Children's home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 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 by a national charity. It is registered to provide care for up to 5 children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2025.

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Information about this children's home

There were 4 children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Three children were spoken to as part 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: 10 December 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2024 Full Outstanding 16/01/2024 Full Outstanding 31/01/2023 Full Outstanding 16/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is welcoming and well maintained. The environment is thoughtfully presented and creates a strong sense of safety and comfort that children enjoy. Children are meaningfully involved in decisions about their home, and their views influence how the space is organised and decorated. Children's personal belongings and photographs are displayed throughout, helping them to feel valued and promoting a clear sense of identity and belonging. One child proudly showed their drawings, which were displayed in the hallway.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they feel safe in the home. Children can identify trusted adults, including the manager, who they can approach if they are worried or need support. Staff invest time in building nurturing relationships with children. Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of each child's individual needs and experiences, which helps children to feel listened to and well cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children make complaints, staff respond promptly and take appropriate action to ensure that children's views are fully heard and understood. Staff provide clear feedback to children about the steps taken and the outcomes achieved. This transparent approach helps children to feel respected and satisfied that their concerns have been taken seriously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions for children moving into the home are, where possible, well planned and thoughtfully coordinated. Children benefit from opportunities to visit the home prior to admission and to spend time with the staff and children they will be living with. This supports them to become familiar with routines, expectations and relationships, helping to reduce anxieties and promote a positive start.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move on from the home, staff are proactive in seeking and understanding their views, wishes and feelings about the transition. Staff provide sensitive and consistent support throughout the process, ensuring that children feel prepared for the next stage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making positive progress in their education. They attend learning provisions that are well matched to their developmental needs and individual circumstances. Children take enjoyment in going to school, and their engagement in learning is improving as a result. When children experience difficulties in school, staff act promptly to advocate for their needs. They ensure that children's voices are heard and that the right support and resources are put in place to help them succeed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain and develop positive relationships with the people who are important to them. They recognise the value of these connections and work sensitively to promote safe, meaningful family time. Staff take time to build trusting relationships with family members and significant others, demonstrating their Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 4 commitment to involving important people in their care. One family member said that 'staff go above and beyond'.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children's risks. Support plans provide clear guidance on the actions that staff should take when there are concerns about a child's safety. These plans are reviewed and updated as needed to ensure that they remain relevant to each child's evolving needs.

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

When incidents of worry arise, staff respond promptly and take appropriate action to ensure children's immediate safety. Staff offer support that helps children to feel safe in the moment and provide the care required at the time. Staff also speak with children after incidents to help them reflect on what happened and consider ways that they can keep themselves safe in the future. However, these conversations are not consistently sustained over time, and the approach is often reactive. As a result, children do not always receive the ongoing, meaningful support they need to develop a deeper understanding of ways to keep themselves safe.

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

Management oversight requires further development. While incident reviews are completed by the manager, this is not consistently applied across all incidents. Additionally, current oversight does not always include a thorough evaluation of how staff supported children during these situations.

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

When physical intervention has been used, it has been appropriate and applied for the minimum amount of time necessary. However, children are not consistently given the opportunity to discuss the intervention afterwards or explore how it made them feel. In addition, management oversight remains inconsistent, particularly in relation to reviewing whether the use of physical intervention was appropriate and how well staff supported the child during and after the event.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff take prompt action to locate them. This includes attempting to make direct contact with children, searching relevant local areas and liaising with individuals who may have information about the child's whereabouts. When children return, staff engage with them to explore the reasons for their absence and to identify any needs to support children in future.

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

Concerns raised by children about staff are taken seriously and responded to without delay. Children are spoken to in an age ‑ appropriate and sensitive manner, with clear explanations of the actions that will follow. Appropriate individuals, including the local authority designated officer, are notified to ensure robust external oversight. Thorough investigations are undertaken to promote the safety and wellbeing of all children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an ambitious manager who consistently places the children's best interests at the centre of their practice. One staff member described the manager's Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 5 approach to the children as being delivered with 'so much love and compassion'. Staff report feeling well supported by the management team and feel comfortable raising any worries or concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager can identify both the strengths of the home and the areas that require further development. When areas for improvement are recognised, the manager is proactive in implementing strategies to strengthen the home and, in turn, enhance the quality of care provided to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training that is appropriate to meet the needs of the children they care for. Staff also benefit from learning circles, which further support their ongoing learning and development. Staff have regular supervision sessions and team meetings where children's needs and progress are discussed in detail. This helps staff to continually build their knowledge and skills, enabling them to implement this into practice to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff are strong advocates for children. Children's voices are central to decision ‑ making, and staff ensure that these views are clearly shared with professionals. The manager is confident in challenging professionals when decisions are not being made in the best interests of the children. As a result, children feel listened to by adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals highlights the high standard of communication consistently maintained by both the staff team and management. This strong, coordinated approach to information ‑ sharing ensures that plans for children progress effectively. Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 6

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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 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— that staff—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children are provided with regular and meaningful opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge they need to keep themselves safe. Staff should support children proactively, not only during or following incidents, but also through planned and informal discussions. 13 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 13 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 7 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children are spoken to following incidents of physical intervention to explore how it made them feel. The registered person should also ensure that all incidents are subject review to consider if they are appropriate. Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 1274093 9

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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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Inspector

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1274093 10 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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Inspector

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