Children's home run by Nirvana Residential Hubs Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2739033 1 Registered provider: Nirvana Residential Hubs Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children from the ages of 12 to 17 with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since January 2024.

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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 outstanding

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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: Not inspected previously

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: 2739033 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The vast majority of children make good progress at this home. They benefit from a calm, nurturing, and positive environment. Staff know the children well. The children trust the staff and want to spend time with them. Staff respond to the children in a playful and emotionally warm way that helps the children to feel valued and cared for. This helps the children make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The responsible individual and deputy wherever possible visit each child before their arrival to the home. This is to ensure that they fully understand the child’s needs. Senior leaders make sure that staff have the skills to meet the child’s needs at the time of admission. These visits reduce any anxieties for the child. A creative individualised video of the home was made for one child to introduce them to their new home and the staff who would be caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop positive relationships with children’s families and relevant partner professionals. Consequently they hold the manager and staff in high regard. One professional said, ‘I have nothing but good things to say having worked with this child since 2018 and been involved in most of their previous placements.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children in their education. The responsible individual and staff team are committed to, and are enthusiastic about, children’s learning. They consistently communicate with other professionals regarding plans for education, especially when a move to the home results in a change of provision for a child. Staff think creatively about how children’s educational needs can be met while waiting for the right education provision. They appropriately challenged professionals when one child’s special education needs were not met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are captured in detailed planned individual conversations. Weekly home meetings encourage children to reflect on their week and discuss issues such as menu planning. The introduction of a ‘hot topic’ to these meetings encourages debate and discussion about current affairs in a safe and supportive environment. The children’s guide is provided to all new children arriving at the home. Staff research into children’s technology preferences has enabled the children’s guide to be provided via a quick response (QR) code for children to access the guide easily. Staff inform children of advocacy services available should they wish to have an advocate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of family time and ensure that clear arrangements for this are in place. Staff develop positive relationships with family members. They support children to spend time with their family in line with their wishes and care plan. For one child a move to the home meant they were closer to family members. They were supported to visit their Grandparents, something that had not been possible before. Inspection report children’s home: 2739033 3 The house is detached, modern and set in a rural area, several amenities are close by including a youth club. The home is comfortable and reflects the children living there. Art work completed by children is on display and the children’s bedrooms are personalised. A neighbour made the home a new wooden sign when it opened to welcome the children and staff to the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home was registered in July 2023. Since the home was registered one child moved out in an unplanned way. The child was safeguarded and received the hospital care they needed. The registered manager at the time completed a detailed learning review to inform future practice.

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outstanding

Children are well looked after by a safe and well-trained staff team. Suitable safer recruitment checks are undertaken prior to the employment of any new staff. Staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They are confident to raise concerns to keep children safe.

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outstanding

Staff have developed a thoughtful and creative ‘safer harm box’ for one child that self-harms. This allowed the child to communicate to staff something had happened. This in turn, enabled staff to manage the situation in a sensitive and supportive manner.

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outstanding

Senior leaders have developed an exceptionally detailed location risk assessment. A wide range of external professionals, community resources and neighbours have been consulted with including the manager of the village shop. This helped staff understand and reduce specific risks. For example, advice provided by the RNLI was actioned in relation to open water close to the home. Staff ensure they are aware of tide times and conversations take place with children on the dangers of deep water. House ‘grab bags’ contain buoyancy aids and inflatable devices for open water emergencies.

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outstanding

Staff understand risk well. They are guided by detailed, easy to read and regularly reviewed risk assessments. These use the traffic light system to show patterns and trends of new or emerging risks. Risk assessments for new children show that staff understand potential vulnerability and risk before a child moves in.

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outstanding

Staff maintain a thorough approach to keeping children safe online. This includes a process called ‘map to mobile’. This includes an online safety agreement and specific work and stages to be completed to educate and inform the child.

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outstanding

Staff use effective strategies to de-escalate incidents. However, staff have sometimes needed to use physical interventions to keep children and others Inspection report children’s home: 2739033 4 safe. These physical interventions were proportionate and are well recorded. Post incident debrief conversations with the children take place.

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outstanding

On the small number of occasions children have gone missing from home staff have been responsive. They take appropriate action and manage these situations well. Staff have planned conversations with children following such incidents. Staff ensure that the child’s placing authority undertake the required return home interviews. Leaders challenge external professionals when they believe they have failed to respond to incidents appropriately.

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outstanding

Staff understand the limitations for those children subject to deprivation of liberty orders. Clear information is held on file with specific court directed instructions. Staff follow these instructions.

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outstanding

Staff undertook research on ‘worry time’ for children. This enabled staff to better understand children’s individual worries. The staff use a trauma informed approach to ensure children are appropriately supported. They implemented different routines before bedtime for one child and involved a therapy dog ‘Dottie’.

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outstanding

Staff promote positive behaviour effectively. They try to avoid the use of sanctions and negative consequences. They widely and effectively use rewards, natural consequences and restorative justice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager left the home in January. The responsible individual has appointed a new manager. In the interim period the responsible individual has provided suitable oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual and staff are ambitious for the children and seek to provide the best possible care. They work creatively to ensure children make good progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular reflective team meetings. These meetings focus on team building and improving staff practice, as well as discussing children’s needs. Senior leaders provide staff with visual and scenario-based learning to further enhance staff knowledge and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders maintain a strong focus on staff well-being and development. Regular supervision sessions enable the staff to review and improve their childcare practice in a reflective and professionally curious way. For those staff in their probation period additional supervision is provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff value the good-quality comprehensive training. New staff benefit from a thorough three month induction process. This includes a mix of core face-to-face and online training. Training modules such as unconscious bias, professional boundaries, emotional response awareness and violence reduction are also Inspection report children’s home: 2739033 5 offered to the staff team. Specific external training linked to the children’s needs, such as the CEOP education ambassador training, is provided. Staff either have, or are working towards, the relevant level 3 qualification within the relevant timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One report by the independent visitor was not undertaken within the required time frame. This undermines Ofsted’s ability to have effective oversight of the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report children’s home: 2739033 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person ensures an on- site visit takes place every month and that reports are submitted to Ofsted within reasonable timescales. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5).

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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: 2739033 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nirvana Residential Hubs Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 83 High Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4EE

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Inspector:

Emily Stevens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2739033 8 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:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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