Children's home run by Nirmal Homes Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 1 Registered provider: Nirmal Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children with a range of complex needs. The aim of the home is to maximise children’s independence, health and well-being.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 30 August 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the home has been through an unsettled period. The previous manager failed to provide effective management and maintain good standards of care. This was not initially recognised. The manager had not considered the additional training and development staff required to support new children. This had a negative impact on staff’s confidence and team morale, which affected the positive atmosphere at the home. Improvements have been made and children benefit from the small and consistent staff team. Staff are building a greater understanding of children’s specialist needs under the leadership of the new management team.

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improvement to be good

Two children are living at the home. They are settled and benefit from regular routines. Both children are making good progress in developing the independence skills they need to prepare them for adulthood. Staff work closely with children’s educational professionals and understand the importance of consistent support. This helps children to manage their anxiety and build their emotional resilience.

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improvement to be good

Children have ample space and personalise their bedrooms. This helps them to settle and feel secure. However, some areas of the home are not maintained well. The doors and door frames need repainting, and the garden area requires work in order to provide a pleasant outdoor space.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to take responsibility for household tasks and prepare for living independently. Children are encouraged to cook for themselves and take pride in making meals for staff. Staff encourage children to consider and plan for the future. Staff have helped one child to explore the possibility of obtaining a provisional driving licence and start driving lessons.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children enjoy regular and varied activities. These include community clubs, such as boxing, Army Cadets and local gyms. Children are regularly asked what they would like to do and to discuss how they felt about previous activities. Children’s individual needs and autism spectrum disorders are considered when planning activities.

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improvement to be good

Children lead healthy lifestyles that include regular exercise and outdoor activities. Staff encourage children to eat a balanced diet. Managers and staff understand children’s healthcare needs very well. The staff anticipate the impact of health appointments on children’s emotional well-being. Children returning from these appointments are provided with sympathetic reassurance from staff.

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improvement to be good

Children keep close relationships with their friends and families. This maintains important family and social connections outside the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 4

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improvement to be good

The home is modern and has safety and security features to help to protect children. However, some minor maintenance actions identified in the annual fire risk assessment have not been completed.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment processes are not comprehensive. The manager has not explored the gaps in employment history to ensure that potential staff are suitable to work with children.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they feel safe living at the home. All staff undertake training in safeguarding, self-harm and identifying risks to children from exploitation. All staff know how to report concerns to the provider or external agencies to help to protect children. The provider’s assessment of risk in the local area is very detailed and includes extensive research of the community.

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improvement to be good

The frequency of children going missing from the home is low. Detailed plans are in place that follow local police and local authority guidance. The staff are familiar with the guidance and act quickly to safeguard children. However, on two occasions, the previous manager failed to review the incidents to identify any learning or reasons for the incident. The records do not show whether children were offered an interview with an independent person on their return.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to form positive relationships with each other. There are clear expectations of behaviour and mutual respect. Positive behaviour is encouraged and rewarded.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks posed to children when they use the internet and electronic devices. Staff help children to remain vigilant through good levels of supervision and talking with to them about internet safety in key-work sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager of the home left without notice in July 2022. The previous manager failed to register as a manager and failed to provide good leadership to the staff team. These failures have resulted in several management shortfalls. Since then, the responsible individual and interim manager have provided management oversight of the home. They both have ample experience and know the children well. Since the departure of the previous manager, they have implemented an action plan to address the shortfalls identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

External monitoring is poor. Monthly visits have not been completed on four occasions since the last inspection. The visitor has not always included regular consultation with children, families or placing authorities. This does not drive improvement and reduces the additional safeguards intended. There is a lack of Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 5 oversight of this process by the provider to challenge and monitor the quality and the frequency of these reports.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Monitoring and assurance systems have not been completed, as required, to review the quality of care provided and measure the progress made by children. The provider has recently addressed this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have sourced additional specialist training to meet the emerging needs of children. However, one member of staff has not achieved a relevant level 3 diploma within two years of working in the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers work alongside the staff to support children and identify areas for development. The managers model skills using their experience, which reassures staff when managing challenging situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive a comprehensive induction. The management team has put in place regular and thorough supervision sessions for staff. This has focused on rebuilding standards and expectations for staff to follow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management shortfalls have not negatively affected the care provided to children. The responsible individual and interim manager are child centred and provide strong support to staff. This has restored staff’s confidence and motivation. Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 6

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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)(a)(i)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, evaluate the missing-from-home incidents to identify any gaps in the staff’s training and knowledge. 7 October 2022

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 7 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 7 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, recruit a suitable manager who has the skills and experience to lead and develop a team of staff to meet the needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the actions from the annual fire risk assessment are completed. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate 7 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 8 qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b)) 7 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. 7 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 9 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should provide a nurturing, homely and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. In particular, the garden, office floor and door frames should be maintained to a consistently good standard. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 10

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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: 2565542 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nirmal Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 73 Francis Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Warwickshire B16 8SP

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Inspector

Jamie Cousins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2565542 12 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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