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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 1 SC467264

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. The home provides care for up to four children aged eight to 17 years with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has submitted his application to be registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 There has been ineffective monitoring and reviewing of the service, which has impacted on the quality of care that children have received.  Staff do not effectively help children to attend school and engage in learning activities when not attending school.  Managers do not effectively challenge partner agencies when there is drift in reviewing children’s educational plans.  Staff and managers are not consistently delivering care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.  Staff and managers are not helping children to lead healthy lifestyles and are not meeting all of their health needs.  Most staff do not receive regular supervision and appraisals.  Children are not helped to keep themselves safe when risks are identified.  Children’s records are not kept up to date.  Managers do not complete a review of the quality of care provided for children to inform the development of the service and keep the regulator

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The care of children

There are no children living at the home. Managers and leaders have made the decision not to admit any children into the home for the foreseeable future due to high staff turnover and the manager resigning.

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The care of children

Two children have moved on from the home since the last full inspection. One child had a positive experience of living at the home for two months before he moved on in line with his care plan.

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The care of children

The second child did not have a positive experience of living at the home. Staff and managers failed to provide him with consistent daily routines and boundaries. Consequently, his school attendance deteriorated. Staff and managers did not know his learning needs and targets as a review of his educational needs had not been undertaken for a significant period. Managers did not effectively challenge the child’s placing authority about this.

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The care of children

Due to poor routines, the child was spending most of his time in his bedroom and did not engage with most of the staff. This had a negative impact on his physical and emotional health. He was not eating regular nutritious meals throughout the day. Although staff monitored his weight, there was a lack of reflection on whether they needed to consult with health professionals when there were notable changes. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 3 Staff and managers failed to support the child in requesting follow-up health appointments that were recommended by health professionals. This poor practice does not ensure that children’s health needs are met.

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The safety of children

Staff and managers failed to complete keeping-safe work with a child, which was recommended in a multi-agency meeting held with social workers and police. The child has not been educated on how to keep himself and others around him safe.

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The safety of children

Managers and staff failed to reflect on how they could help a child to build positive relationships with staff. This contributed to the child not engaging with support that was put in place to keep him safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leadership and management of the home is poor and puts children at risk of harm. The monitoring and reviewing of the home by managers are ineffective and do not lead to improvements in the quality of care provided to children. Managers do not complete a review of the quality of care provided to children to inform the development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff do not receive supervision regularly and their performance and fitness to perform their roles is not appraised. This is a missed opportunity to provide staff and the manager with guidance and training to enable them to reflect on their own development and practice. These shortfalls contribute to the lack of good-quality care being provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

One-to-one educational work carried out with the children is poor and does enable children to learn and improve behaviours or meet their set goals. Managers and staff do not keep up-to-date records of the children, such as educational, health and care plans and transition plans.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/07/2021 Full Inadequate 02/01/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 4

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)) 31 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

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

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; 31 March 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 5 help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(x))

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 31 March 2023

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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 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. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)) 31 March 2023

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)) 31 March 2023

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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— 31 March 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 6 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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;

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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)(h))

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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. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 31 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 31 March 2023

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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 31 March 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 7 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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 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 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC467264 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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Inspector

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