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

Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 1 SC432966 Registered provider: N H Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for four children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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

Date of last inspection: 18 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2020 Full Good 11/12/2018 Full Good 24/01/2018 Full Good 23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make positive progress at this home. Staff understand the individual needs of each child and tailor their care accordingly. Staff take time to build relationships with children and get to know their likes and dislikes very well. This informs how they work with children and how children experience the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have left the home and one child has moved in. Staff have been successful in ensuring that one child received a well-planned transition into adult care. The registered manager provided her with a video recording with positive affirmations recognising her achievements from the staff, parents and the social worker. This helped the child have a positive ending at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with families to achieve each child’s goals. One parent told the inspector that communication is excellent, they receive monthly progress reports and their child is a different person since living at the home. Staff understand the importance of family relationships to children and extend their support to families, to the benefit of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The deputy manager is a strong advocate for children’s educational needs. The managers have established positive working relationships with professionals and children’s family members. Managers are proactive in planning for children to address issues as they arise. This includes reviewing plans for education to provide children with the coordinated support that they need to help them attend and feel confident in lessons. One social worker shared with the inspector that the care the child receives is phenomenal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s cultural and religious needs. Staff support children with worship and provide personal care with their cultural needs in mind. This has improved children’s self-esteem and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager advocates effectively for children and is not afraid to challenge other agencies’ decisions to promote the child’s needs. One teacher shared that the multi-agency working with the staff and manager is strong. Because of this, children are thriving in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use sensory objects to help some children, who may otherwise struggle, to express their views. The registered manager uses recorded video clips as another way to engage children and communicate with them. This ensures that children have a good understanding of the care they receive and allows their views to be listened to and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s vocabulary and ability to express themselves with words have improved since living at the home. Communication passports for children are effective and Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 4 provide clear guidance to staff. Staff provide children with specialist communication tools. Because of this, staff have developed a better understanding of the children’s needs and children know they are listened to. As result, children’s self-confidence has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the children enjoyed stimulating activities that supported their overall development. The children are encouraged to explore their interests, whatever these may be. For example, children enjoy singing, trampolining and swimming. Children thoroughly enjoy their time together and with the staff. The inspector observed positive interaction between children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When staff print children’s electronic records, they are not easy to read or understand due to the poor quality of the printing facilities in the home. This means that on some occasions, staff are not able to understand the children’s plans without referring to the original electronic records. The registered manager took action to resolve this at the time of the inspection.

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

The registered manager and her team are good at keeping the children safe. All staff have completed specialised safeguarding training for vulnerable children with learning difficulties. Despite this, on one occasion, there was a delay in staff reporting a safeguarding concern to the registered manager. The registered manager took immediate and effective action in response to this incident. Learning from this has been acted on to reduce the likelihood of this happening again.

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

Staff and managers complete in-depth reviews of all significant incidents. They try to understand why situations escalated and look for ways to improve their practice. This helps to promote a consistent, nurturing and compassionate approach to supporting children who may be anxious or upset.

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

Staff have identified that some children struggle at certain times of the day, particularly when transitioning from one activity to another. Staff use music to help children understand that a new activity is about to start. This approach has been successful and has helped children reduce their anxiety and engage with the daily routines. As a result, children’s behaviours are generally settled and incidents of physical intervention and aggression displayed by children are rare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been high staff turnover and staff absence. There are many factors that have contributed to this, including the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months, staff vacancies have been covered with staff from other homes within the organisation and agency staff. This has meant that on some days, over half the staff on duty were non-permanent staff. This has not had a significant influence on children’s care. Furthermore, this is an improving picture as new staff have been recruited and the need to use non-permanent staff is reducing. Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 5 The registered manager is a strong leader with high expectations and aspirations for staff and children. She is supported by an equally competent deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is effective in her oversight of the day-to-day operation of the home. She conducts a regular review of staff practice and the quality of care provided to children. As a result, the registered manager has a good understanding of the home’s areas of development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the registered manager. The registered manager uses reflection in her supervision and some research to improve staff practice. This has strengthened staff resilience in providing care to children. Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that more than 50% of staff on duty are suitably trained and permanent members of the team, to care for children who are non-verbal with learning disabilities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.17)  The registered person should ensure that all records are written in a legible format so that anyone with a legitimate need to view them can do so. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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 children’s home: SC432966 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 69, Steward Street Business Lofts, Steward Street, Birmingham B18 7AF

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Inspector

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 8 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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