Children's Home run by N H Care Limited in Birmingham

Assurance visit report: SC467264 1 SC467264

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Information about this children’s home

A private company own this home. It is registered for up to four young people aged eight to 17 who have social and/or emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home had been closed for a substantial period of time and recently reopened. An acting manager is in place who is in the process of applying to be registered by Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 2 January 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Declined in effectiveness

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC467264 2

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The care of children

No young people had lived in this home for over 18 months. The home reopened in August 2020, and the first young person moved into the home in September 2020.

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The care of children

The young person has not yet established consistently positive relationships with staff. This is reflective of both the young person’s short time in the home, and because the young person says that they do not wish to be at the home. However, staff are beginning to engage constructively with the young person. Early indicators of success have included the young person beginning to take part in activity sessions with staff.

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The care of children

Staff are making efforts to build trusting relationships with the young person, but this is a slow process. Staff do not have a strong understanding of the potential impact of children’s previous experiences on their ability to form new and trusting relationships. Staff have not been provided with enough support or training to be confident in the steps they should take to form a nurturing relationship with the young person.

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The care of children

Prior to moving into the home, the young person was attending education regularly. However, staff have not been successful in maintaining his engagement with education. The young person is currently refusing to attend. Staff have attempted to support him to re-engage, but without success at this early stage of his placement.

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The safety of children

There are safeguarding procedures in place to keep young people safe. Staff understand these procedures. Although staff are inexperienced, they are child-focused in their approach. During the early stage of the young person’s placement, they have worked hard to provide him with a sense of safety and security. Because of this, the young person has begun to make progress. The young person’s individual risks and vulnerabilities have reduced since being placed at this home.

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The safety of children

Despite risks being understood, staff do not always understand the need to share and follow up information with a broad range of safeguarding agencies. As a result, opportunities to keep young people safe might be missed. For example, the manager had alerted the police to a safeguarding matter, but when she did not receive an appropriate response, she did not challenge or escalate this.

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The safety of children

The manager has not ensured that the location risk assessment reflects the known risks in the area. This is a missed opportunity to consider opportunities to reduce risks to young people.

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The safety of children

Staff have not received training about criminal exploitation of young people. The manager’s training plan has not identified this gap. This means that staff may not have the skills to identify and respond to the signs that young people may be subject to exploitation.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments are in place and regularly reviewed. The acting manager has identified some shortfalls in the home’s safety plans since being in post and has addressed these. Assurance visit report: SC467264 3

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Leaders and managers

There has been no registered manager at the home since May 2019. A new acting manager has recently been appointed and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Leaders and managers

Because the home has recently reopened, a number of the staff are relatively inexperienced. Despite this, not all staff have received supervisions since the home has opened. New staff have not received enough supervision to equip them to manage the complexities of the role.

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Leaders and managers

Staff training is planned and implemented in some key areas. However, training systems are not yet fully developed. For example, some staff do not have a sufficiently clear understanding of the reasons why young people display behaviour that challenges.

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Leaders and managers

The home’s independent visitor is completing quality assurance visits. Their reports are detailed and offer scrutiny of the service. The visitor provides a realistic assessment of the improvements that will be required for the staff to provide a consistently high quality of care.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) and (2)(b)) 04/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC467264 4 The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi) and (b)) 04/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 04/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC467264 5 seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Shetland Close, Birmingham, Warwickshire B16 0RF

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Inspector

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC467264 6 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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