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Social care · Children's home inspection (SCCIF)

Children's Home run by Inspire Care (UK) Limited in Staffordshire

Inspected 23 Sept 2026 · URN 1280478

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Summary

What we read, and from where

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  • Group verified

    Inspire Care (UK) Limited

  • Inspection date verified

    23 Sept 2026

  • Inspectors verified

    Reshma Kodampur

  • Helped and protected verified

    Good

  • Leadership and management verified

    Good

  • Overall effectiveness verified

    Good

  • Name on report verified

    1280478

  • URN verified

    1280478

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Hollow rings show the previous inspection, 2025.

  • OverallGood
  • Helped and protectedGood
  • Leadership and managementGood

70% of comparable inspections in the last three years were graded Good (12,870 inspections).

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+25Mostly positivemore positive than 34% of reports of this type graded Good
OutstandingGoodRIInadequate

In line with other reports of this type graded Good.

Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.

Praiseeffectivetrusting relationshipsexcellentoutstandingfeel safepositivemake good progressconsistent
Criticismconcernsnot consistentlylimitednot metconcernseriouslynot positivelynot robust

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings983w+24
  • What needs to improve162w+25

Strengths

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Concerns

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Next steps

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What the report dwells on

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Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
8
Words of findings
1,123
about usual (typical 1324)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 43, typical 50
Average sentence
14 words
Next steps
6
typical 4
Hedged sentences
1%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 65%What needs to improve 11%About the inspection 24%

Full report text

Inspection report for children’s home: 1280478 1 Registered provider: Inspire Care (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in November 2019 and is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with all the children.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023 and is experienced and suitably qualified.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 29 September 2025

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1280478 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/09/2025 Full Outstanding 01/07/2024 Full Outstanding 20/09/2023 Full Good 25/01/2022 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children’s home: 1280478 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children receive warm and nurturing care from staff who know them well. They feel safe and have developed trusting relationships with staff. Children benefit from stability, positive routines and support, which enables them to make good progress.

p.3

Summary of findings

Staff understand children’s individual needs well. They promote children’s health, education, relationships, identity and culture. The registered manager and deputy manager are committed to providing children with a family home where they feel valued, listened to and supported.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with stability and have developed trusting relationships with staff. They feel safe and benefit from staff who are consistent and responsive to their needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s backgrounds and support them to maintain important relationships. Children’s identity and culture are valued, and their achievements are recognised and celebrated. Their bedrooms are personalised to reflect their individuality.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent care to meet children’s individual health needs. For one child, consistent treatment at home resolved a health problem and prevented the need for surgery. In addition, children have access to art therapy and creative activities to support their emotional wellbeing. One child said that art therapy helps them talk about their feelings. The child also said that they have a ‘chuck it’ box in the home where they can discard their worries.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have routines that are part of their everyday lives. Two children spoke about their visual routine charts and how they use them each day. Staff support children to develop independence skills and take increasing responsibility for themselves.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to recognise their own progress. They choose personal targets to work towards and can earn rewards when they achieve them. Children enjoy a range of activities and are encouraged to develop their interests. Staff recognise their achievements and provide opportunities for children to experience success.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to education, although their experiences are different. Staff continue to work with professionals to secure suitable education provisions for 2 children and are supporting one child’s learning through a tailored and creative programme.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved from the home because staff were unable to engage them sufficiently with the support provided, which limited the effectiveness of the care provided. The child did not take this decision positively at the time because it was not managed well. Inspection report for children’s home: 1280478 4 However, staff supported the child with the move and helped them prepare for independence. The child continues to maintain contact with staff from the home.

p.3

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

Children are safeguarded effectively. Staff understand children’s individual risks and know how to respond when concerns arise. Children are kept informed about what happens following disclosures and are supported through difficult experiences.

p.4

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

When children go missing, staff follow their individual safety plans and consider the risks for each child. Staff take action to locate children and support their safe return. The registered manager reviews incidents to understand what happened, identify patterns and consider what further action may be needed to reduce future risks.

p.4

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

Physical interventions are used appropriately and only when needed to keep children and others safe. Following incidents, managers reflect on children’s experience to identify learning and improve practice.

p.4

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

Staff help children understand online risks and the impact of their digital footprint. Children are supported to make safer choices when using technology and the internet.

p.4

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

Management promotes an open culture where staff can raise concerns about practice. A whistleblowing concern was taken seriously, investigated, and action was taken. The child also received feedback about the outcome. These systems help to reassure children that they are valued and listened to.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment practice is not consistently robust. The quality and relevance of references vary, which limits the information available to assess staff’s suitability to work with children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has created a strong family culture in the home. Staff described the team as an ‘extended family’ and said they feel supported by management. This positive culture is reflected in the good care that children receive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager supports staff to develop their knowledge and skills. This promotes consistency in the care that children receive. Staff receive regular supervision, and bespoke training is used to help them understand and respond to children’s individual needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the children well, including their interests, preferences and the things that are important to them. Children’s views influence their care, including the activities they take part in, and staff adapt these as children’s interests change. Children also participate in detailed memory and life-story work to capture their memories and experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 1280478 5 The registered manager has effective oversight of the home. She uses audits to review practice, identify areas for improvement and monitor the quality of care provided to children. Professionals receive weekly updates about children’s care, keeping them informed about their progress, with one professional describing communication as ‘excellent’.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager advocates for children and works with other professionals to secure support for children. She has worked with education professionals when arrangements have not met children’s needs and advocated for suitable provision. However, some partnership working was not consistently effective in relation to the decision to move one child on from the home. This affected how well the child’s views and experience were understood and considered. Inspection report for children’s home: 1280478 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that effective working relationships are maintained with relevant professionals and family members, particularly when significant decisions are being made about children’s care. Children’s views, wishes and feelings should be meaningfully considered, and they should be supported to understand and participate in decisions about their future. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)  The registered person should ensure good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, all required recruitment information, including appropriate references and relevant information about previous employment, should be obtained and clearly recorded before staff are appointed. Leaders should ensure that those responsible for recruitment understand the

p.6

Recommendations

requirements and can demonstrate how the information obtained has been considered when assessing a person’s suitability to work with children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

p.6

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: 1280478 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Care (UK) Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keystone Chartered Accountants, 263 Nottingham Road, Nottingham NG7 7DA

p.7

Inspector

Reshma Kodampur, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1280478 8 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.7

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 .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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

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