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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 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

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 3 children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Their views were sought 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/04/2025 Full Good 23/04/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 3

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Summary of findings

Children live in a welcoming and nurturing home where their identities, interests and achievements are promoted. They receive individualised care and develop positive relationships with staff. As a result, children make good progress in their emotional wellbeing, education and important relationships. Safeguarding concerns are responded to promptly and children receive appropriate support following serious incidents. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed to reflect children’s emerging needs and risks. However, staff have not consistently worked in line with these. The manager is child- focused, reflective and works effectively with families and professionals to improve outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress from their individual starting points. For example, one child moved into the home after spending several months in a specialist healthcare setting. As a result of this move and the support provided by staff, the child has experienced greater stability and has become increasingly confident in communicating with staff, expressing their feelings and sharing their views. As a result, the child is emotionally more secure and continues to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a strong emphasis on the value of education and have high aspirations for children. Staff recognise that progress in education is different for each child. For one child who had a period out of education, the team implemented a tailored plan, appropriately focusing on developing independence skills and preparing them for adulthood. This provides the child with opportunities to strengthen practical skills for their eventual move to adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to explore their interests and participate in activities that they enjoy. Staff plan activities with children, acting on each child’s individual wishes and preferences. Children’s achievements and experiences are recorded in their individual memory books, which showcase and celebrate what they have achieved. These books provide children with positive memories and help them to recognise the progress they have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly seek children’s views through key-work sessions and individual conversations. This helps children to build trusting relationships and become more confident in talking about their experiences. Children generally say that they feel well supported by staff. However, one child said that, historically, they felt unsafe around another child. The manager and staff were not able to resolve the difficulties between the 2 children and action was taken to support one child to move on from the home in a planned way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 4 Staff actively support children to maintain relationships with family members and other significant people in their lives. Family time is promoted and valued, with families and professionals receiving regular updates. Staff have successfully supported children to rebuild important relationships and develop an understanding of changes in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This strengthens children’s sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are strong advocates for children. When decisions are not made in children’s best interests, they appropriately challenge these to ensure that children’s views are heard and remain central to decision-making. This demonstrates the team’s commitment to promoting children’s rights and outcomes.

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

Staff respond promptly when children share safeguarding concerns. They notify the relevant professionals and police when necessary and ensure that children have access to appropriate support. Staff regularly speak to children to help them understand harmful experiences and learn how to protect themselves. This coordinated response helps children feel listened to and supported.

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

Staff take appropriate action when children go missing from the home. Each child has their own missing-from-care procedure that staff follow to reduce incidents of this nature. When children have been reported missing, staff have provided a coordinated response that minimises risks. Staff follow individual plans as part of a multi-agency response to support locating children and reducing any risk of harm. As a result, missing-from-home incidents have ceased for the child.

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

The manager ensures that all staff have received fire safety training, and fire evacuation drills take place regularly. When a fire occurred in the home as a result of an overloaded extension cable, staff followed emergency procedures and acted promptly. Staff ensured children were protected from immediate harm, and alternative accommodation was arranged without delay. Following the incident, the manager has made changes to the home, with additional wall sockets added to reduce the risks of recurrence.

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

The manager takes complaints and allegations seriously. She ensures these are responded to appropriately to safeguard all involved. However, records do not consistently reflect that children have been informed of the outcome of the investigation or how their views influence decisions, limiting the opportunity for learning and reflective discussions.

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

Incidents have significantly reduced in frequency and there has been no need to use physical intervention since the last full inspection. Consequences are also used rarely. However, these are not always restorative in nature or clearly linked to the child’s behaviour.

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

The manager completes risk management plans for each child. These plans identify known risks and provide guidance to staff on the actions needed to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 5 While these assessments are regularly updated to reflect children’s changing needs, there have been occasions when staff have not recognised early warning signs of children becoming unsettled and have not responded to triggers in line with the guidance set out in these plans. The manager has identified this shortfall and has taken action to address this with the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who registered with Ofsted in October 2025. Prior to their registration, they were the deputy manager of the home. This has enabled them to maintain positive, trusting relationships with the children and staff, providing stability and consistency during this leadership transition.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate and dedicated to children and staff and demonstrates a clear commitment to improving the quality of care. There is a clear, child-focused vision for the home, and the manager recognises areas of practice that require strengthening. The manager is working alongside the responsible individual to address identified shortfalls, with additional support and oversight in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been considerable staff turnover since the last inspection. The manager is committed to maintaining a stable workforce. She has recruited staff and there is now a full complement of staff. New staff receive a thorough induction and opportunities to work alongside experienced colleagues to develop their practice. However, not all staff have developed a comprehensive understanding of children’s individual needs. As a result, there have been some inconsistencies in staff practice and approaches when responding to and meeting those needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak warmly about children and describe strong and supportive relationships with them. They report feeling well supported by the manager, whom they describe as approachable and available to provide guidance when required. Staff enjoy their roles and feel valued. This contributes to a positive team culture in which staff are motivated and committed to providing good-quality care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a number of auditing and monitoring systems to support their oversight of the home. Team meetings also provide a forum where staff are able to reflect on their practice and on any incidents that have occurred, collectively updating plans to reflect children’s emerging needs and risks. However, patterns in incidents have not always been identified. This hinders the team’s ability to work proactively and intervene at an early stage.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight of admissions to the home is inconsistent. Placement assessments identify important risks and the compatibility of children. However, the manager has not always fully considered the skills required within the staff team to meet the child’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 6 The manager ensures that safer recruitment checks are completed prior to any new staff member starting in their role. However, the manager had not identified inaccuracies within employment dates for one staff member. Action has been taken to address this, and it has not had an impact on the quality of care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 unable to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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 your relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand and follow children’s plans and assessments. The manager must also ensure that relationships between children are managed effectively to ensure that children are protected from harm. 26 November 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment safeguards children and minimises potential risk to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, Page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person is responsible for leading a team that provides high-quality care for children living at the home. This includes ensuring that the team provides continuity of care for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should ensure that children feel safe. This includes sharing with children the outcomes of investigations regarding complaints they have made. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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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: 2765360 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kathryn Scoltock

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Inspector

Jibin Vakanil, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2765360 10 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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