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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1276111 1 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 privately owned home is registered to provide care for five children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2018. He has a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1276111 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/07/2021 Full Good 03/03/2020 Full Good 29/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1276111 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Five children are currently living at the home. Managers are dedicated and skilled. Together with staff, they ensure that children receive a consistently high standard of care. As a result, children make excellent progress in all aspects of their lives, including their education and health and well-being, and they enjoy many positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high aspirations for children and believe that they can achieve their potential. All children regularly attend school and are making significant progress. For example, two children have progressed from school to college, and with staff and teachers’ support have coped with this change extremely well. And teachers told the inspector that another child had ‘progressed beyond expectations. He is also speaking more, and speech and language has come on as well.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to lead a healthy lifestyle. They provide them with nutritious meals, encourage them to take regular exercise and support them to attend all their health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote and respect the children’s dignity and privacy when they are supporting them with their personal care. They encourage children to take responsibility for their own personal care how best they can. Some children are now less reliant on staff in meeting most of their personal care needs. This has boosted the children’s self-esteem and independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value the time children spend with their close family and friends. They plan this time in advance and ensure that there are adequate numbers of staff in place for children to enjoy quality time with those close to them. This helps children to maintain relationships with those who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite children having significant difficulties with social interaction, staff find creative ways to help each child to take part in a variety of exciting leisure activities. For example, with the help of staff, children enjoy going on train journeys, going to theme parks, going out for meals, going on holiday and going to the cinema. They enjoy playing in the sensory room and in the garden, which is also equipped with sensory toys. All these positive experiences have helped the children to grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consultation with children is very good. Children are actively involved in the day-to- day running of the home. Staff capture children’s wishes and feelings in children’s meetings, discussions and formal review meetings and use the children’s individualised communication aids such as words and pictures. Managers and staff listen and act on what children say. This helps children to feel valued and listened to. Inspection report for children’s home: 1276111 4 Staff manage children’s moves into the home tremendously well. Children and their families are given opportunities to meet staff away from the home and are also offered numerous visits to the home before moving in. This structured plan ensures that children quickly settle and feel at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and provides a cosy environment for children to live in.

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

The welfare and safety of the children are paramount and are evidenced in their daily care. Effective partnership working between staff, social workers, teachers and parents means that staff know the children extremely well and put appropriate safeguards in place. Staff have sound knowledge about the children’s complex needs. They understand why and when children may need extra support to keep them settled and calm.

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

Children’s behaviour support plans and risk assessments are thorough. They provide staff with step-by-step guidance on actions to take to keep children safe. Partner agencies have commended staff and the managers on their ability to anticipate risks and manage these well. They report that staff and managers communicate any safeguarding concerns promptly and follow safeguarding protocols.

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

Staff model good behaviour and provide children with consistent routines and boundaries. Children are becoming more aware of their own emotions and how to manage these better whenever they experience distress or anxiety.

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

Allegations of possible harm are reported to relevant agencies promptly. Staff and the manager work in partnership with other professionals to promote children’s safety and welfare. When an internal management investigation is the recommended process, the manager conducts this transparently and thoroughly. Children are supported and safeguarded throughout the process. The manager ensures that any identified learning is actioned quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is exceptionally passionate and inspirational and leads by example. He is highly experienced and has strong leadership qualities. He is supported by a good deputy manager. The manager is ambitious for children and provides them with child-centred and personalised care. As a result of diligent and effective leadership, children make good progress from their starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring and reviewing of the service is very good. He consults with partner agencies, children, staff and the independent visitor to gain feedback. Consequently, he is fully aware of all areas of strength and areas for development in the service. He promptly addresses any shortfalls identified through monitoring to ensure that children receive consistently good care. Inspection report for children’s home: 1276111 5 Staff have access to specialised training such as in autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy and learning difficulties. The majority of staff have the relevant level 3 qualification. However, two staff currently working towards the qualification have not been able to complete the course within the required timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they feel extremely valued by their managers and senior managers. They receive good-quality supervision and appraisal, which promotes their continuous professional development. The home has a stable staff team, with excellent staff retention. Children receive care from staff who know them well and, as a result, they are doing exceedingly well in all aspects of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers exercise effective challenge when necessary to meet the children’s holistic needs. During the inspection, feedback received from partner agencies was very positive. A social worker reported, ‘Communication with the staff team has always been of the highest standard, either face to face or through written methods.’ They added that staff’s good communication and flexibility came to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspection report for children’s home: 1276111 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

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

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Requirement Due date

The individual has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; 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 qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— 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. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(d) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that those staff who are out of timescale to complete the Level 3 Diploma, are supported to do so as soon as possible. 31 March 2023

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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, Inspection report for children’s home: 1276111 7 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: 1276111 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

Rumbi Mangoma, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1276111 9 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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