Children's Home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2025 Full Good 13/08/2024 Full Good 31/10/2023 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making exceptional and sustained progress because they are cared for by a highly committed, nurturing and reflective staff team led by an aspirational registered manager. The home provides a warm, family-centred environment where children experience genuine belonging, stability and consistent care. Leaders and staff have high aspirations for children and relentlessly advocate for them to achieve positive outcomes in education, independence, emotional wellbeing and family relationships. Children’s voices are central to practice, and care is tailored to their individual needs, identities and future goals. The manager demonstrates strong leadership, effective partnership working and a culture of continuous learning and development. Staff morale is high, practice is reflective and children benefit from trusting, meaningful relationships with adults who do not give up on them. The home has made significant progress since the

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Summary of findings

last inspection and demonstrates outstanding capacity to improve and sustain exceptionally high-quality care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making exceptional and sustained progress from their individual starting points. They are cared for by a highly committed, nurturing and reflective staff team led by aspirational leaders who place children’s welfare, emotional wellbeing and future outcomes at the centre of practice. Staff provide children with a warm, stable and family- centred environment where they experience genuine belonging, positive relationships and consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Leaders and staff consistently promote a clear, child-centred ethos in their day-to-day practice. They adopt a ‘love-led’ approach, interacting with children in a natural, warm and caring manner. Staff show patience and understanding, particularly during times when children may be distressed or unsettled. Leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring that children do not become ‘lost in the system’. They model perseverance and unconditional positive regard, supporting staff to remain consistent and nurturing even during periods of challenge or instability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment is welcoming, spacious and highly personalised. Children’s photos, artwork, achievements and mementos are displayed throughout the home, creating a strong sense of identity and belonging. Memory boxes and personalised life- story books demonstrate thoughtful and emotionally attuned practice. Children are encouraged to take pride in their progress and contribute positively to the home environment. Children’s bedrooms reflect their personalities, interests and developmental needs. One child has personalised their room with plants and decorations, which reflects their growing pride, identity and sense of stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making strong progress in education from their individual starting points. Staff maintain high aspirations for children and work creatively and persistently to Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 4 remove barriers to learning. One child, who previously struggled with attendance and engagement in education, has now completed GCSEs, achieved improved attendance and is progressing positively in college with aspirations to join the police or armed forces. Another child successfully completed mathematics and English qualifications and secured a significant apprenticeship opportunity following a period of instability and disrupted education. Children who previously experienced limited or inconsistent education are now engaging positively in tutoring, college placements, vocational programmes and work experience opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Leaders and staff take a flexible and creative approach to supporting children’s education. They adapt learning arrangements, including providing face-to-face tutoring and tailored transport, and secure specialist support where needed. As a result, children are better able to engage in education, and their achievements are recognised and celebrated, reinforcing the importance of learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are developing strong independence skills and preparing positively for adulthood. Staff carefully prepare children for adulthood through practical opportunities for budgeting, cooking, shopping, household responsibilities, laundry and daily living skills in a nurturing and gradual way. One child’s bedroom has been adapted into a ‘mini flat’ to support semi-independent living, reflecting thoughtful and innovative practice in preparation for their transition into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are being supported successfully to rebuild and maintain important family relationships where safe to do so. Staff work sensitively and persistently with parents and family members to strengthen communication and improve relationships. Several examples during the inspection demonstrated the positive impact of this work, including children rebuilding relationships with parents and siblings following periods of estrangement and instability. This has resulted in improved emotional wellbeing and increased stability for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from a wide range of enriching activities and experiences that support confidence, social development and emotional wellbeing. Activities include youth clubs, charity events, outdoor experiences, family fun days and cultural celebrations. Diversity and inclusion are actively promoted throughout the home through cultural activities, diversity calendars and opportunities for children to learn about different backgrounds and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Importantly, children experience stability, consistency and enduring relationships with staff. Several children who have moved on from the home continue to maintain positive relationships with staff, regularly returning to visit or share meals with the team. This reflects the authenticity and strength of relationships formed within the home and demonstrates the positive and lasting impact staff have on children’s lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Overall, children are making exceptional progress because they are cared for by nurturing, aspirational and reflective adults who are wholly committed to helping them thrive. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 5

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

Children are effectively safeguarded by a vigilant, nurturing and reflective team of staff who understand children’s individual vulnerabilities, risks and emotional needs well. Safeguarding practice in the home is child centred, proactive and rooted in strong relationship-based care.

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

Leaders and staff demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of children’s risks, lived experiences and emotional needs. Safeguarding approaches are tailored to each child and informed by care plans, risk assessments, key-work sessions and reflective discussions. Staff recognise that behaviours are often linked to trauma, emotional distress or unmet needs, and they respond with empathy, curiosity and therapeutic support rather than punitive approaches.

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

Children benefit from clear boundaries, routines and structure, which help them feel safe and secure. Staff work consistently as a team and provide children with predictable care and expectations. The home operates using a family model of care where communication, consistency and shared responsibility are promoted positively. Mealtimes are valued as opportunities for connection and relationship building, with staff and children routinely eating together around the table.

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

Children are supported effectively to develop safer decision-making, emotional regulation and positive relationships. Staff complete targeted key-work sessions around emotional wellbeing, healthy relationships, exploitation, independence and identity. Staff also adapt their practice effectively in response to emerging needs and vulnerabilities. Following concerns relating to one child’s presentation, staff completed additional specialist training around suicide prevention, child criminal exploitation and emotional wellbeing. This demonstrates a reflective safeguarding culture where learning is used to strengthen practice continuously.

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

Children’s emotional and mental health needs are responded to proactively. Staff work effectively with specialist agencies to ensure children receive appropriate support. Where delays exist in securing external services, staff seek alternative resources and interim support to ensure children continue receiving emotional support.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of neurodiversity and additional needs. Children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism receive carefully planned support that reflects their developmental, emotional and sensory needs. Staff adapt routines, communication styles and activities appropriately and work collaboratively with professionals and family members to provide consistent care.

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

Children’s voices are central to safeguarding practice. Staff encourage children to express their wishes and feelings openly, and they involve them in decisions affecting their lives. Children are supported to feel heard, respected and empowered in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 6 Children benefit from a stable and committed workforce that understands the importance of consistency in safeguarding vulnerable children. Staff remained resilient during previous unsettled periods and continued providing consistent care and support to children. Leaders recognise the importance of staff emotional wellbeing and provide reflective support to help staff remain resilient and effective in their roles.

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

Overall, safeguarding practice is highly effective, reflective and rooted in strong relationships. Children are protected by staff who know them exceptionally well, advocate strongly on their behalf and remain fully committed to helping them feel safe, secure and emotionally supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership and management arrangements are highly effective, ambitious and child centred. Leaders have created a nurturing, reflective and aspirational culture where children’s welfare, progress and emotional wellbeing are consistently prioritised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is aspirational and deeply committed to improving children’s lives. The manager demonstrates excellent knowledge of each child’s individual needs, vulnerabilities, progress and aspirations. Leaders consistently advocate strongly for children and maintain high aspirations for their futures regardless of previous trauma, instability or complexity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The ethos of the home is deeply embedded throughout the staff team. Leaders promote a strong family model of care underpinned by unconditional support, consistency and perseverance. The manager advocates strongly for a value base of ‘not giving up’ on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders demonstrate strong safeguarding oversight, professional curiosity and exceptional advocacy for children. The registered manager consistently challenges professionals appropriately to ensure that children’s voices, wishes and lived experiences remain central to planning and decision-making. One particularly strong example involved the manager robustly challenging the presentation and language used in a child’s risk assessment, ensuring the child was understood more holistically. The manager advocated strongly with the placing authority and commissioners to recognise the child’s expressed fears and wishes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision arrangements are well established, robust and meaningful. Staff receive regular formal and informal supervision, reflective discussions and opportunities for professional development. Leaders use supervision as a tool for learning, reflection and emotional support. Reflective practice is embedded throughout the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders demonstrate strong oversight of the home and a clear understanding of its strengths and areas for development. The manager is reflective and receptive to feedback, using learning from incidents, visits from the independent person, internal audits and previous inspection findings to strengthen practice continuously. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 7 Recommendations from previous inspections have been addressed thoughtfully, resulting in strengthened practice across education support, safeguarding, care planning, staff development and partnership working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership working with professionals and external agencies is strong. One local authority assistant director said that leaders and managers had developed a strong, transparent and highly effective partnership underpinned by regular multi-agency oversight meetings, constructive challenge and a shared commitment to achieving positive outcomes for children. They described leaders as thoughtful, child centred and professionally robust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training and development opportunities for staff are extensive and responsive to children’s emerging needs. Leaders ensure staff receive both mandatory and specialist training, including training around child exploitation, suicide prevention, emotional wellbeing and neurodiversity. This helps staff feel confident and skilled in meeting the increasingly complex needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Overall, leaders and managers are highly committed, reflective and aspirational. They have created a stable and nurturing environment where children are cared for by adults who genuinely believe in their potential and work tirelessly to help them achieve exceptional outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 8

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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: 1256059 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire 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

Theresa Kambani, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1256059 10 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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