Children's home run by Nirmal Homes Limited

Inspection report for 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 who have 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. An experienced manager was appointed in January 2023 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: 13 September 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. Since the last full inspection, one child has moved on to return to their family home. The manager and staff continue to have regular contact with that child to help them maintain the positive relationships that they enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The remaining child is very settled and has made good progress since moving into the home when it first opened. They are preparing for adulthood and a future move to build on the independence skills that the staff have worked hard to support. The child and staff have very positive relationships. The manager knows the child’s needs very well. The manager uses her extensive experience to coach and support staff to understand and provide evolving care as the child grows and matures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made very good progress in their education. The child’s teacher says that the child is well supported by staff, with whom they have a noticeable and positive bond. The teacher says that the child’s progress has been helped by the collaborative working with the home’s staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child continues to enjoy a positive relationship with their family members, who they visit regularly. Staff actively support these visits by preparing the child for them. This has helped to ensure that the visits are as enriching as possible for all.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to have a healthy lifestyle. Staff encourage regular exercise, such as swimming, which the child really enjoys. The child has a balanced and healthy diet. Staff encourage this through independence building when planning and shopping for meals. Staff are vigilant in monitoring the child’s mental health support needs. Staff have acted quickly after noticing changes and arranged appointments for reviews with the child’s specialist healthcare professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child regularly enjoys using community resources to keep active. Staff have supported them to become a member of their local mosque and its community groups for young people. The child says that it has been very important for them to explore and embrace their identity and faith. The child has been supported to learn to plan journeys, using public transport. This includes navigating their way around the London underground network.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has improved how the child’s views are listened to. Suggestions and ideas from the child are embraced and the outcomes from these ideas are discussed. The child says that they can talk to staff whenever they want, which helps to reduce their anxieties. Inspectors observed staff to be skilled and patient in these conversations, treating the child with compassion and respect. Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 4

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

The child says that they feel safe and secure. The child’s relatives and professionals all confirmed this. Staff know the child’s vulnerabilities very well. They ensure that the child remains safe while enabling them to become more independent. Staff receive safeguarding training and discuss safeguarding matters at each team meeting.

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

Staff receive appropriate training to understand and anticipate behaviours that can lead to negative incidents. These incidents are very rare. However, staff did not raise one incident to the on-call manager without delay. This led to a delay in the manager being able to quickly assess how the incident was managed.

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

There is a suitable number of appropriately trained staff. The number of staff required reflects the progress that the child is making towards independence and preparing for adulthood. This means that, on occasions, the child is supported by a single member of staff. This arrangement is suitable. A point for improvement is to ensure that the plans reflect the arrangements for emergencies.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff are well prepared for any event, with resources to help find the child readily available. The child has a detailed plan for staff to follow should they go missing from the home.

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

The child is making good progress with independence. Staff balance proportionate risk taking well. Staff are very aware of the risks from internet-enabled devices to children who are vulnerable. Staff carry out checks so that the child can safely use the internet and enjoy the benefits that it brings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the last full inspection, a requirement was raised in respect of recruiting a manager. Since then, a new manager was appointed and is in post. The manager is an experienced childcare practitioner. Since starting in post, they have carried out a wide-ranging review of the quality of care provided. This informs their development plan, which is regularly updated. The manager knows the child very well and knows the staff’s strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they benefit from the manager’s skills and the stability that she has brought to the home. The manager remains present by working alongside staff to support the child. Staff receive regular supervision and have development goals to achieve. Team meetings are well attended and take place regularly. Staff actively contribute to discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals and the child’s relatives all say that the manager is approachable and informative. They are provided with regular updates of the child’s progress and changes in needs. Statutory reviews and meetings are all attended by the manager, Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 5 who contributes positively. A social worker said that the manager is a strong advocate for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has improved the approach to staff training. They provide extensive mentoring and coaching to staff, working directly alongside them. Staff say that this is welcome and invaluable in improving their confidence and skill set. However, one member of staff has not achieved a relevant level 3 diploma within two years of starting work in a care role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has identified the need to improve the external monitoring of the home to ensure that this includes the views of children and other people. The manager has raised the issue with the responsible individual. The required monthly reports of the independent person’s visits have not been submitted to Ofsted for the past three months. Inspection report for 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

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

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—

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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) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) 31 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 7 The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 30 June 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the behaviour management strategy is understood and always applied by staff. It should be kept under review and revised when appropriate. In particular, ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s behaviour support policy and report any serious incidents without delay to the manager of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should ensure that contingency plans are prepared in the event of a shortfall in staffing levels. If it is likely that there might only be one member of staff on duty at any time, the manager should make a formal assessment of the implications for children’s care, including any likely risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.18)

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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 for children’s home: 2565542 8

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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 B16 8SP

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Inspectors

Jamie Cousins, Social Care Inspector Emily Stevens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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