Children's home run by Homes2Inspire Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256060 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

This home is run by a private company that is owned and operated by a national charity.

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Information about this children’s home

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 October 2023. They were present for both days of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 4 children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Children contributed their views during 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: 4 September 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: 1256060 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/09/2024 Full Good 28/11/2023 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good 08/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1256060 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with stable and consistent care from staff who know them well. Children make consistent progress from their starting points. Staff develop trusting relationships with the children, and this is foundational for helping them make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into and leave the home in a planned and supportive way. Managers consider the individual needs of each child alongside staff skills and experience. Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved out. One child moved to semi- independent living and one child moved to a family member.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with families and professionals to support their pathway plans. All children receive support to develop skills such as cooking and independent travel. This approach enables children to be confident in their next steps. Children remain in contact with the manager and staff long after they have left the home. This shows the strength of relationships they have developed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with their education and vocational pathways. Managers advocate for bespoke alternatives when children cannot access school on a full-time basis. This ensures that children are being given opportunities to achieve and succeed. One child was proud of their progress in college and is working as a volunteer with horses. This enriches the child’s community experiences and opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers are aware of children’s medical needs. However, staff do not have access to updated health plans for children. This hampers the ability of staff to understand and meet children’s physical and emotional health care needs without up-to-date and accurate plans. Managers have appropriately escalated the concern.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to take part in activities in and out of the home. Children are encouraged to try new experiences. One child enjoys going to rugby club, theme parks and annual holidays. Staff create memory books filled with memories and achievements. These experiences help children develop their confidence and self- worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have recently increased the frequency of children’s meetings. This strengthens their approach to capture the children’s wishes and feelings. One social worker said, ‘[Name of child] feels happy and supported. Even if his key worker is not there, he can talk to others. He feels he has a voice and can express himself.’ Children’s voices are heard through external advocates and support services. Children benefit from multiple opportunities to share their views. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256060 4

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

Staff follow clear procedures when children are unwell. They seek appropriate medical advice to ensure that children receive the care they need. One child contracted a notifiable illness. Managers followed public health guidance. This ensured that other children in the home remained safe.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff work effectively with external professionals. Children feel safe to share sensitive information when they return. Staff understand their reasons for going missing and help children to recognise risks. Managers source professional advice for children to strengthen their support.

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

Staff receive training in an approved approach to behaviour management. An accredited instructor reviews records of any physical intervention. This oversight ensures that interventions are proportionate, safely applied and only used as a last resort. This contributes to safer care for children.

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

Children have informal conversations with staff about the risk and vulnerabilities they face. Children reflect on experiences and develop skills to keep themselves safe. Managers are developing proactive key work to explore age-appropriate topics with children.

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

Staff develop positive relationships with children who display self-injurious behaviour. One child feels more able to discuss their feelings with staff. This has led to a reduction in self-injurious behaviour and physical intervention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably qualified, very experienced and child-focused manager. He has a strong understanding of the children’s diverse experiences, personalities and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable, core group of staff who know the children well and provide good care to children. However, the home does have some staff vacancies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager develops positive and effective working relationships with external professionals. A collaborative approach supports coordinated planning when children move into the home. One social worker said, ‘They take their time to know a young person individually.’ Children feel settled and supported as they adjust to their new environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager. They are motivated to provide children with good-quality care. The staff receive individual professional supervision discussions with the manager or senior staff members. Staff benefit from and report that team meetings take place, and these are well attended and valued by staff. Information about children’s needs is shared clearly in writing. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256060 5 The manager has a good understanding of the home’s areas for development. The quality improvement plan sets out clear actions to strengthen practice and outcomes for children. The manager is highly child focused.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have oversight of serious incidents and take appropriate actions to safeguard children. However, following one incident, the manager did not notify Ofsted immediately. On 2 occasions, the manager did not send any notifications to Ofsted. Children were not at risk as the appropriate actions had been taken. However, delay or failure to notify prevents Ofsted from understanding what actions have been taken to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager developed an action plan to meet a recommendation made at the last inspection. At this inspection, it is identified that this recommendation is met. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256060 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to 2 incidents that the registered manager agreed should have been sent as notifications. 24 April 2026

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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: 1256060 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: Kathryn Scoltock

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Inspector

Susie Vere, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1256060 8 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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Inspector

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