Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1255747 1 Registered provider: Homes2Inspire Limited

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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 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

There were 3 children living at the home at the time of the inspection. All were spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since November 2025. A manager was appointed but has since left. The provider is actively recruiting.

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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: 22 October 2024

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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: 1255747 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/10/2024 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Good 13/09/2022 Full Good 08/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1255747 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they feel safe and happy living in the home. They are able to identify staff they would approach if they felt worried or needed support. They can recognise the progress they are making, with one child saying, ‘I am more confident now.’ Children say they enjoy living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from well ‑ structured and planned transitions, both when moving in and when leaving the home. Leaders work closely with children and external professionals to ensure transitions are tailored to children’s needs. Children receive focused independent ‑ living work that prepares them for the move to semi ‑ independent accommodation. They are supported to develop key life skills, including shopping, cooking and managing everyday tasks essential for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Plans for children are detailed and include clear actions and evidence of progress, tailored to each child’s individual needs. However, these plans are not consistently updated, which results in conflicting or outdated information remaining on record. This is an area for development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff hold regular conversations with children to support them in their everyday lives. These discussions remain responsive to children’s evolving needs, ensuring support is relevant and meaningful. Staff are creative in how they engage children in conversations about important matters. This ensures children are better able to manage day ‑ to ‑ day challenges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are gathered on a daily basis, giving them regular opportunities to express how they would like their home to be. When children share their opinions or preferences, staff respond promptly and act on them when it is appropriate. This supports children to feel heard and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals and family members speak highly of the support provided to the children. They report that children are making good progress and praise staff for their effective communication. Professionals also express confidence that children are kept safe and feel that staff advocate strongly for children.

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

Plans to keep children safe are detailed and tailored to each child. Staff understand current risks and have clear guidance on the strategies they should follow. Children’s individual triggers and the support that helps them during vulnerable moments are clearly recorded. Children are encouraged to comment on their own plans, and they say they are happy with the support they receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255747 4 When children make a complaint, their views are taken seriously, and staff respond proactively to resolve the issue. Children are reassured that they are listened to, and they receive written responses from managers outlining the outcome of their complaint and any actions to be taken.

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

When children raise concerns about staff practice, managers respond by following internal procedures and ensuring that professionals involved with the child, including the local authority designated officer, are kept informed. However, the support offered to children following these concerns is limited. Children are not consistently updated in an age ‑ appropriate way about what is being done to ensure their safety.

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

When children harm themselves, they actively seek support from adults. Staff respond promptly and effectively. After an incident, staff spend time with children to check how they are feeling and talk things through in a calm and supportive way. Children are also offered further conversations to help them understand their emotions and explore what might help them feel safer in the future.

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

Staff take appropriate action when children go missing from home. They search local areas and follow each child’s individual missing-from-care plan. When children return, staff spend time talking with them to understand their reasons for going missing and to explore what support may help them in the future, to reduce further incidents.

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

When physical intervention is used by staff, it is proportionate and focused on keeping children safe. Staff support children with care and sensitivity throughout the intervention. After an incident, children are given time and space to talk about how they are feeling and to ensure there wellbeing. There is clear management oversight in place to review the appropriateness of each intervention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left the home in November 2025. A new manager was appointed but has since left the home. During this period of change, staff report that the deputy manager has provided consistent leadership and support. One staff member said, ‘[Name of deputy] has been the person who has kept the home running.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The frequency of staff supervision has improved since the last inspection. However, the quality of these sessions remains inconsistent, with records not always demonstrating reflective discussions about children’s experiences. Although reflective practices are beginning to be introduced, they are not yet fully embedded in everyday practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff have relevant knowledge to meet the needs of the children they care for. Children’s individual needs are considered carefully, and targeted training is provided to help build staff confidence and skills. When shortfalls are identified, learning circles are completed, enabling staff to reflect on incidents and improve their understanding. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255747 5 Managers have thorough oversight of the home, supported by regular reviews of incidents and ongoing quality audits. In the absence of a registered manager, the responsible individual has maintained oversight to ensure continued monitoring and support in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff communicate effectively with the wider professional network around each child. Staff also advocate strongly for children to access the support they need from external agencies to ensure children receive the right help at the right time. Professionals highlight communication as a strength.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and families is not consistently recorded. In addition, the point ‑ in ‑ time survey is not routinely completed. As a result, opportunities for the home to learn from feedback and drive improvement are limited. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255747 6

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Statutory requirement

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 spoken to after they have shared worries about staff, and their welfare is considered. The registered person should ensure that children are informed about actions being taken when they raise concerns. 24 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1255747 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. In particular, ensure internal plans are updated and consistent with risk assessments relevant to children’s current needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should work in partnership with relevant people as appropriate to ensure that each child is provided with support to communicate their views, wishes and feelings. The home should enable children to share their views with other

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Recommendations

services, such as through point-in-time surveys. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)

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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: 1255747 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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Inspectors

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Louisa West, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1255747 9 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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