Children's Home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately run and provides care for up to 3 children with social and emotional needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home, and another child had recently moved out of the home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 28 January 2026

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: At the last full inspection on 28 and 29 January 2026, 2 compliance notices were served. At the monitoring visit on 23 March 2026, both compliance notices were met. Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2026 Full Inadequate 17/06/2024 Full Good 27/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Since the last full inspection, the provider has identified some shortfalls in care practices. Leaders and managers have produced a detailed improvement plan. There has been some progress against this plan, although some areas are yet to be fully embedded into everyday care practice. Since the last inspection, 2 children have lived at the home. One child has had a successful move back to their family. The child currently living in the home is yet to be fully settled. However, there is progress in terms of relationships with staff, engaging with activities and increasing independence skills.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently promote healthy lifestyles for the child. They have not established or maintained predictable daily routines, particularly when the child has spent extended periods away from the home. As a result, the child’s eating patterns have become irregular and sleep routines are poor, which impacts on their ability to access a structured day, including education. Staff do not always challenge behaviours that are socially unacceptable in the home. In addition, the child has missed several prescribed medications over a sustained period, and staff have not responded promptly to seek appropriate health advice.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff have not ensured that the child is consistently supported to engage in education. While the child secured a college place, staff did not take sufficient action to promote sustained attendance or address the barriers to engagement. As a result, the child’s participation in education has not been maintained, limiting their progress and future opportunities. Staff have also not provided enough targeted support to help the child build on emerging independence and employment opportunities. Although the child attended a job interview, there is limited evidence that staff have put structured plans in place to develop these skills further. As a result, the child’s progress is not consistently built on, and opportunities to improve confidence, resilience and independence are missed.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with their family when this is assessed as being in their best interests. They recognise the importance of family relationships. Staff also prepare children for returning home by inviting family members into the home. This preparation supports smoother moves back to family care and helps children to feel more confident and emotionally secure during this process.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s meetings take place in the home to allow the children to share their wishes and feelings. Staff have regular and detailed discussions with children to share information and gather their views. Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 4 The home is warm and welcoming. Staff have worked hard alongside children to make the home a nurturing and homely environment. There are lots of photos of the children. Some children display their artwork. The child has personalised their bedroom and it is lovely. They have created a comfortable and inviting space.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff are making increased efforts to build positive relationships with children. They take a patient and supportive approach, helping children to understand expectations and feel comfortable seeking support when needed. Staff encourage children to engage in positive activities both at home and in the local community, and they support the development of independence skills such as laundry, cooking and baking. They use incentives to motivate participation and are planning meaningful experiences, including a holiday.

p.4

improvement to be good

There have been several medication errors since the last inspection. These relate to a child not taking their prescribed medication for several days. Not all these errors have been identified, and no action was taken to improve staff competence.

p.4

improvement to be good

There have been several incidents of children going missing from the home since the last inspection. On one occasion, managers identified that staff did not follow agreed procedures, leaving a significant gap in efforts to contact and locate the child. This delay reduced the effectiveness of safeguarding actions and placed the child at increased risk. While staff generally make efforts to maintain contact with children and locate them, practice is not consistently applied. As a result, responses are not always timely or effective. However, staff are now showing better initiative in their efforts to prevent the child from going missing.

p.4

improvement to be good

The staff team recognises the importance of a coordinated response to children’s safety planning. There is a holistic approach to this, with some positive multi-disciplinary working relationships, especially around the risk of exploitation and going missing from home. This working together with other agencies has helped a child’s risk to reduce.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff build on their knowledge of the children and the most appropriate way to support them and keep them safe. The child has a detailed risk assessment. These documents provide staff with the necessary guidance on how to meet the children’s needs on a day- to-day basis and ensure they remain safe.

p.4

improvement to be good

When incidents occur in the home, staff are proactive in their response. Staff can de- escalate situations without the need to physically intervene. After incidents, staff engage with the children to explore their feelings about what happened through key working. The manager has improved how they oversee incidents, setting actions or identifying learning opportunities. The child is engaging well with their youth offending worker. Due to this positive engagement, risks are gradually reducing. Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 5 Complaints and allegations are escalated and investigated appropriately. They are formally acknowledged by a letter to children, and children receive a response.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The development of internal quality assurance systems is beginning to improve oversight of the home. Managers are starting to gain a clearer understanding of strengths and areas for development, and improvement plans are being introduced. However, these systems are not yet fully embedded and are not consistently effective in identifying weaknesses. For example, auditing has not identified shortfalls in medication administration practice. As a result, gaps in monitoring remain, limiting the manager’s ability to ensure safe and consistently effective care for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last full inspection, they have been supported by a manager from another of the provider’s homes and an experienced deputy manager. This additional leadership support has provided some stability and enabled progress against the action plan to begin. However, the impact of these improvements is not yet fully embedded. As a result, changes are not consistently reflected in day-to-day practice, and the full benefit for children is not yet realised.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff receive regular supervision and team meetings. Staff are qualified or working towards the required qualification. In addition, staff complete mandatory training and an array of additional online and face-to-face training. Managers now ensure that staff have the training they need to meet the current children’s care needs. In addition, staff are provided with guidance and support that contribute to their professional development.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff feel supported by the managers and enjoy working in the home. There is an ethos of teamwork and supporting each other in the staff team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have well-established working relationships with a wide range of professionals and partner agencies. Feedback from professionals is positive and commends their commitment to the children. Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This relates to children not having regular and healthy meals. This also relates to children not taking prescribed medication and staff not seeking appropriate medical advice quickly enough. 26 June 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 26 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 7 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This relates to staff not consistently following risk assessments in relation to when children are missing from home.

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that where children placed in the home are not participating in education because they have been excluded, or not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under Regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are being met). (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered provider should ensure that staff understand factors that affect the

p.7

Recommendations

children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the children’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)

p.7

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: 2673339 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Black Country House, Rounds Green Road, Oldbury B69 2DG

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Carla-Marie Dore

p.8

Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2673339 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9