Children's home run by Nisa Care Home Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2519919 1 Registered provider: Nisa Care Home Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds qualifications in children’s care, learning and development at level 3 and leadership and management at level 5.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2519919 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2519919 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home. Staff provide a nurturing environment where relationships flourish. Staff are passionate and caring and encourage children to do their best. As a result, children make significant progress from when they first move in. For example, one child has begun to talk and has a better vocabulary. He is now able to put sentences together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are new to the home, staff are sensitive and considerate to children’s individual needs. This helps children to have a smooth transition into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and staff are good. Similarly, relationships between children are warm and considerate, and children are kind and caring towards each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective care planning by staff means that children receive personalised care that meets their physical, social and emotional needs. Children are settled and benefit from the stability the placement brings. This means children thrive and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children happily attend school. A school staff member said, ‘[Name of child] has come on so well, he is a wonderful child.’ When there are barriers to learning, staff work hard to break these down and help children to have positive learning experiences. Managers challenge when children do not have the right education to meet their needs. For example, a child who is new to the home does not have a school placement. The manager has challenged this shortfall and is now working with education professionals to secure a suitable school for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of activities that they like and enjoy. Children go on holidays and attend social groups of their choice. A child told the inspector that he loves living at the home, and he has learned Arabic and can now recite a prayer. Another child told the inspector he attends Cadets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given opportunities to have their say about the home and the care that they receive during ‘chill and chat’ sessions held each Sunday. Children engage well with these sessions. Children know how to make a complaint and have access to the complaints procedure. There have been no complaints in this reporting period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to stay in touch with their families, even when they live far away. A child’s grandmother said, ‘Staff are kind and pick me up from the train station.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is kept to a good standard and provides a welcoming home where children are nurtured. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519919 4

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

Children feel safe living at the home. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and can identify potential new risk well. Children do not go missing from the home. However, if a child were to go missing, staff are prepared and understand what they would need to do.

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

Children do not display challenging behaviour, and they follow the home’s rules and boundaries, which are consistently applied by staff. Children are respectful to each other and staff. As a result, children and staff live in harmony.

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

Staff are good role models and teach children what kind of behaviour is acceptable. One child struggled to access the community safely; however, staff have gradually helped them to do so. The child has learned that they can freely explore their surroundings without having to run away from staff.

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

Staff know how to evacuate children safely in case of a fire. Children have personal evacuation plans in place to ensure that they are safe in the event of a fire. However, the manager has not reviewed these evacuation plans to ensure that they are up to date.

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

One member of staff has been employed to work in the home since the last inspection. The manager has not ensured that full and satisfactory information has been received in relation to their employment history. Gaps in employment have not been explored. The manager confirmed during the inspection that the member of staff would not complete any further shifts until the required information had been obtained.

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good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified registered manager. Staff speak highly of the registered manager. They feel supported and motivated by her leadership. A staff member said, ‘My manager is amazing; she is a good role model. She sees my potential.’

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good

Staff receive regular supervision from the registered manager. This gives staff the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge. Despite this, none of the staff, including the manager, have received an annual appraisal. This is a missed opportunity for staff and the manager to receive valuable feedback and plan for their ongoing professional development.

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good

Management oversight of case records is not always effective. For example, four out of five records of children’s meetings that were sampled during the inspection had duplicated information. This means that this documentation does not capture the progress that children are making or consistently support staff to understand how best to meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519919 5 Communication between the provider’s leaders, including the manager and responsible individual, is poor, and they do not always work together. As result, important information is not always shared. During the inspection, the registered manager could not access staff electronic records as only the responsible individual had access to them. The lack of access to relevant documentation compromises the manager’s ability to have effective oversight over the home.

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good

The responsible individual manages the staff rosters. Currently, there are several staff working in the home who are related to the responsible individual and each other. The responsible individual’s direct involvement in the rostering of staff they are related to has the potential to blur the lines of accountability and bring into question how fairly the shifts are allocated.

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good

Communication and partnership working are a strength. Professionals speak well of the registered manager and recognise how attuned they are to children’s needs. A social worker said, ‘[Name of child] is loved and appreciated. You can see he is strongly attached to manager.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2519919 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, The 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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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)(a)(b)(h)) 28 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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)(d)) 28 July 2023

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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; 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)(b)(c)) 28 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519919 7

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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: 2519919 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nisa Care Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 64 Francis Road, Stechford, Birmingham, Worcestershire B33 8SN

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2519919 9 regulates and inspects 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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