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

Inspection report children’s home: SC365366 1 SC365366 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

The home provides care for three children with learning disabilities. It is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was appointed on 13 December 2021 and has submitted his application to register with Ofsted. He is currently awaiting his suitable person interview.

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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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC365366 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/03/2020 Full Good 22/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC365366 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live at this home. Since the last inspection one child has moved in and one child has moved out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and make good progress. For example, all children have improved their communication skills, one child has improved aspects of their personal health, and another child is developing his independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children enjoy attending school and are making good progress. One child struggles to attend school. However, the manager has worked proactively with other professionals and there is now a clear plan in place to enable him to return to full- time education. One teacher told the inspector:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘[Name of child] has made so much progress while living at [the home]. He is more independent, speaking more, sleeping better, eating a wider range of foods and more tolerant of others in his space. The collaboration between [the home] and school has been instrumental for [name of child] and his progress.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a good range of activities both inside and outside of the home. This includes completing puzzles, using the home’s sensory room, going swimming and trampolining. All three children recently enjoyed a holiday to Devon together. Their experiences are captured in the form of video and photos that staff have carefully edited to help remind the children of all the fun they had.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s meetings are used to help children to understand more about the world around them, such as the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the changing seasons. Children are also helped to understand more about themselves and others. For example, children have taken part in a charity Jubilee event and have been to a sensory disco . The children really enjoy these experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A parent told the inspector how she is happy with the care that her son receives and the level of support she is offered. She feels that she and the staff work well together and this has helped her son to achieve his targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have clear plans that help staff to understand their individual needs. However, the home’s statement of purpose requires updating as it highlights communication aids that are no longer used at the home. This could cause confusion for those reading about the home and the services it offers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have personalised their bedrooms. Ongoing improvements have been made to the home environment. However, there are still areas for improvement. For example, a bathroom unit was found to have mould in it, the carpet is ripped in the lounge and the kitchen cupboards require cleaning. Inspection report children’s home: SC365366 4

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

Children do not go missing from this home. There have been times when children have walked out of the home in an unplanned way. However, staff are quick to follow them, and the children return quickly and safely.

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

There has been one allegation about staff and one complaint. These have both been managed well. There is clear documentation about the actions taken and this has been shared with other professionals.

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

Staff understand children’s individual needs. They are skilled in calming children when they are anxious. As a result, the need to physically restrain children to keep them and other people safe has reduced over time. It is now rare that physical restraint takes place.

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

The manager has brought in a new rewards system for children. Children now get to pick a reward from a ‘treasure chest’. This not only offers choice but also helps children to instantly recognise when they have done something well.

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

One child uses a mobile phone. Safety measures are in place to ensure that he can only access age-appropriate materials. He also takes part in discussions with staff about how to stay safe online.

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

Children take medication that is prescribed for them. Staff are clear about the storage, dispensing and record-keeping of these medications. They are quick to notice any inconsistences with doses from the pharmacist and take prompt action. As a result, there have been no medication errors.

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

Staff hold the necessary level 3 qualification or are on track to achieve this within the necessary timescales. They take part in a range of training to ensure that they can support the children’s individual needs. However, the manager does not have a clear understanding of the training needs of agency staff. This is an area for development.

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

Managers ensure that employed staff who are recruited to work in the home are subject to all the necessary checks. However, the same scrutiny is not paid to agency staff. For example, agency staff do not have complete work histories, qualifications are not clear, and one staff member’s reference highlighted a concern that was not followed up until identified by the inspector. Quick action was taken during the inspection to resolve this issue.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted. He has brought lots of new ideas and ways of working. He and his deputy work well together. The manager has a good vision for the service and is ambitious for children. Inspection report children’s home: SC365366 5 All staff are positive about the management of the home and the support they receive. One member of staff told the inspector, ‘I would personally thank the manager for doing an astounding job with the home and the amount of help and support he has given to staff. We are all a big family.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers actively promote tolerance, equality and diversity. For example, children benefit from being cared for by a diverse team of staff who are able to share their experiences and identities with children. Children are supported to follow their own interests and faith, such as attending church.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are actively sought and listened to. Children talk to staff about the food they enjoy and want to eat as well as the activities they wish to take part in. Staff ensure that information is presented to children in a format that they can understand and that any communication aids are readily available.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive good-quality supervision from managers. However, there is no system in place to offer supervision to agency staff. This is a missed opportunity to celebrate good practice and to reflect on where improvements are needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records written by staff are of good quality and receive management oversight. However, on occasions the terminology that staff use during verbal conversations is not in line with the company’s expectations. Inspection report children’s home: SC365366 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to relates to ensuring the home is clean. 4 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to information about children’s communication aids being up to date. 4 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is a procedure in place for providing supervision to agency staff. 4 November 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC365366 7 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the safe recruitment of agency staff and ensuring that agency staff have the necessary training to meet the current children’s needs. 4 November 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. This also relates to the way that staff talk about children during their conversations. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC365366 8

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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

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC365366 9 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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