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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1255139 1 Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to 6 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 6 children were living in the home. The inspectors spoke with 5 children during the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024 and was present during the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 2 September 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1255139 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/09/2025 Full Good 10/02/2025 Full Good 18/03/2024 Full Good 01/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1255139 3

p.2

Summary of findings

This is a large home that currently provides care for boys between the ages of 12 and 17. The busy and dynamic environment is well supported by a stable and enthusiastic staff team. Children report feeling part of a family-orientated ethos and often remain in contact with staff after they have moved on from the home. The home is led by an experienced manager with high aspirations for its development. The leadership team demonstrates a realistic understanding of the challenges faced and is embedding plans to improve responses, particularly in relation to maintenance and recording.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s needs and show genuine care and commitment to their wellbeing and progress. One child spoke positively about the support they received to better understand their emotions and make positive choices.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carefully prepare children before they move into the home by spending time getting to know them, understanding their needs and helping them to feel welcomed and reassured. This approach supports children to feel more secure and increases their ability to settle and become comfortable in their new environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move on from the home, staff provide consistent support to help them understand and prepare for the next stage of their lives, offering guidance and reassurance throughout. They remain committed to children beyond their time at the home, maintaining contact where appropriate. Two children approaching independence have expressed plans to return and visit, demonstrating the lasting positive impact of these relationships and the strong sense of belonging they have experienced.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to maintain contact with important people in their lives. Family members speak positively about the support provided and feel that staff work hard to help children make progress. Staff make efforts to strengthen family relationships, enabling children to develop a better understanding of their life stories and care plans.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff hold sensitive and age-appropriate discussions with children about important topics, such as sexual health, substance misuse and alcohol. They actively encourage children to attend healthcare appointments and engage with external services, ensuring that their physical and emotional health needs are met. As a result of the trusting relationships that staff build, children feel comfortable speaking openly about their emotional wellbeing and seeking support when needed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is currently engaging in a paid apprenticeship, with staff supporting them to develop budgeting skills and maintain a healthy routine. Some children experience challenges in attending education. While staff encourage attendance, there is scope for Inspection report for children’s home: 1255139 4 greater creativity in ensuring that children continue to engage in meaningful learning activities with staff when they are not in school.

p.3

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

There is a strong family dynamic in the home, where staff and children feel part of one team. This enables children to feel comfortable sharing their views on group dynamics and how rules and boundaries affect them. Staff consider children’s views and adjust plans where possible.

p.4

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

Staff provide effective support when children need help managing strong emotions. They are confident in making decisions about when physical intervention is necessary to keep children safe. When children are held, the intervention is proportionate, and incidents are accurately recorded.

p.4

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

Staff promote children’s independence by supporting them to take appropriate and measured risks. For example, one child is being supported to spend more time independently in the community, with staff maintaining regular contact to ensure their safety. This represents significant progress, as this level of independence was not previously possible due to the associated risks.

p.4

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

Allegations and complaints made by children are taken seriously, with appropriate action taken and relevant agencies notified. Where children frequently make allegations, staff maintain detailed records of behaviours and incidents.

p.4

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

Risk management plans generally address relevant areas of risk and include clear guidance for staff. However, there is a lack of assessment of one clear area of risk for one child. The absence of this information in the child’s safety plan means that staff may not be fully aware of the level of risk, which limits their ability to support children effectively to stay safe.

p.4

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

When children go missing from the home, staff take appropriate action to locate them and work with relevant agencies. One professional reported that staff practice has contributed to a reduction in missing-from-home incidents for one child, demonstrating the positive impact of their efforts. However, recording of missing-from-home incidents is not always sufficiently robust, and there have been occasions when staff have not notified the police promptly. As a result, information is not consistently shared in a timely manner, which may delay an effective multi-agency response and the safe return of children. Leaders have recognised these shortfalls and have begun to take action to strengthen staff practice and improve consistency; however, the impact of these actions is yet to be measured.

p.4

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

The shared areas of the home are warm, clean and welcoming, providing children with a comfortable environment in which to spend time. During the inspection, some outstanding repairs were addressed. While it is positive that these issues have now been resolved, there have been delays in carrying out necessary maintenance. For example, one child requires the exterior of their bedroom window to be cleaned. Delays in Inspection report for children’s home: 1255139 5 addressing maintenance tasks affect the quality of the environment and may affect children’s wellbeing and sense of pride in their home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a caring and committed manager, supported by a strong and effective partnership with the deputy. The management team knows the staff and children well and has high aspirations for the home. The manager reports feeling well supported by the responsible individual, both professionally and personally.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel happy and well supported in their roles. The manager addresses concerns relating to staff practice and relationships and provides regular supervision that focuses on children’s progress as well as staff wellbeing. As a result, staff are encouraged to reflect on their practice and deliver consistent, child-focused care, contributing to stability and continuity for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment practices are carried out in line with regulations to ensure that children are safely cared for. Robust processes are in place for all necessary checks and verification. For example, the start date for one staff member has been appropriately delayed by the management team until all overseas checks have been verified.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff support children with their health needs, including medication as necessary. Following a medication error, leaders took prompt action to address staff practice and understanding, including providing additional training and facilitating reflective discussions during a team meeting. However, there have been occasions when staff have administered medication without their training being up to date, and leaders have not had oversight of this.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a lack of clarity and consistency in the way records are maintained and organised. Key information, including reflections and follow-up conversations after significant incidents, is not easily accessible. In addition, some incident records lack clear evidence of managerial oversight. This limits opportunities for shared learning and has a negative impact on the consistency and quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1255139 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 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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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 specifically relates to ensuring that risk management plans cover all necessary areas of risk for children. 30 July 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.6

Requirement Due date

Use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that records of incidents and medication are clear, detailed and demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning. 30 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1255139 7

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing, welcoming and supportive environment that provides appropriate boundaries in relation to children’s behaviour. Staff should seek to meet children’s basic day-to-day needs and physical necessities in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met; doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for children and value them as individuals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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: 1255139 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: Holly Stringfellow

p.8

Inspectors

Patrick Rowell, Social Care Inspector Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1255139 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspectors

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

Inspectors

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

p.9

Inspectors

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

p.9