Children's Home run by Natural Nurture Children’s Home Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 1 Registered provider: Natural Nurture Children’s Home Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to three children who have been affected by adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and forms part of a small social care organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left their post in May 2024 and an interim manager is in post.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. Two children have moved to the home recently and both are beginning to form positive relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

The manager considered the suitability of the home for these children and whether staff are able to meet their needs. This has helped them settle in well.

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improvement to be good

Staff have helped children to make some progress. However, the quality of care planning has been poor. Plans do not contain all the information that staff need to care for children effectively. This has led to inconsistencies in the care that children are provided with and has affected the amount of progress that they have made.

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improvement to be good

Overall, children are provided with a homely environment. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and living areas are pleasant, with soft furnishings and pictures. Work is underway to rectify some shortfalls which have previously been identified. However, there are no window coverings in bathrooms and there is a damaged blind in one child’s bedroom.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education is encouraged and supported by staff. Children who have recently moved to the home have continued to access education and their attendance is excellent.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to stay in touch with those who are important to them. For one child, their relationship with their family has improved and they are having regular visits, which include overnight stays.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children’s individual interests through a range of activities. One child attends a studio where they can practise their DJ skills. Children also enjoy going to the cinema, indoor multi-activity laser arenas, shopping, and going to funfairs and arcades.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s approach to risk management is inconsistent. Not all risks are identified in children’s plans, together with clear strategies to help staff reduce and manage these risks. This has led to some risks not being managed as effectively as possible. For example, one child has gained access to a roof on two occasions. Staff’s actions in response to this have not been sufficient to prevent this from happening.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from the home. However, plans relating to the actions staff need to take when they do are unclear, with conflicting information in documents. On Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 4 one occasion, staff did not report a child missing as per their missing-from-home plan. On another occasion, it was not clear from the record if staff had reported the child missing from home as quickly as they should have done. Although no harm has come to children when they have gone missing from the home, inconsistencies in responses leave children vulnerable to the risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

On occasion, staff use consequences to help children learn from unwanted behaviours. However, on one occasion, the previous manager set a consequence which was not proportionate, which negatively affected how useful this learning opportunity was for the child. There was no independent management oversight of this and, therefore, the shortfall was not identified. This is a shortfall which was previously identified, highlighting a continued lack of consistency in this area.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not supported children to know how to keep themselves safe online, with no clear plans in place to manage online risks. This is a missed opportunity to help children use the internet safely.

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improvement to be good

One complaint has been received from a member of the public. However, records do not show what actions were taken in response to it. It is therefore unclear whether the complaint was taken seriously or whether the complainant was happy with the outcome.

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improvement to be good

Staff are recruited to the home following safer recruitment practices. However, the manager has not reviewed documents for agency staff before they start working at the home. This could mean that shortfalls in recruitment go unnoticed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left. An interim manager has been recruited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The interim manager is developing her knowledge of the strengths of the home and areas for improvement. She has begun to identify any shortfalls and is in the process of developing an action plan to improve the quality of care children receive. Staff are positive about the changes and feel they now know what is expected of them. However, management oversight has not always been effective, and this has led to shortfalls in care planning, the consistency of care provided to children and risk management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The interim manager is child-focused. In the short time she has been at the home she has formed positive relationships with children, staff, families and other professionals and been proactive in making sure that all know who she is and how to contact her. Feedback about the changes to the management at the home was positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision. However, annual appraisals have not been completed with staff who need them. This is a missed opportunity to support the ongoing development of staff’s skills and knowledge. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 5 Staff receive a variety of training. The interim manager has identified child-specific training that staff need to develop their knowledge and skills. She has been proactive in arranging this training for staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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)(ii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all risks are adequately assessed and that risk assessments include robust strategies to help keep children safe, which staff follow. In addition, ensure that staff undertake work with children which helps them to keep themselves safe online. 28 June 2024

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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— 28 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s records are reviewed and updated regularly and that monitoring and reviewing systems are in place to make continuous improvements.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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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)(a)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff develop plans which are aspirational and support children’s independence and learning. 28 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")— 28 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 8 has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that consequences are recorded and that those consequences are reviewed to check the effectiveness and to ensure any measures applied are proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when external complaints are received appropriate actions are taken and recorded in response to them.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 28 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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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)(c)) 28 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure the home environment is homely, welcoming and well maintained. In particular, the manager needs to ensure that repairs are carried out, bathrooms have window coverings and children’s bedrooms are homely. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This recommendation was made at the last inspection and is restated.  The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that the recruitment of staff minimises potential risks to children. Specifically, that the registered person checks the safer recruitment of agency staff prior to them starting at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 9

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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: 2691027 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Natural Nurture Children’s Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Lydia Stewart-Mais

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Inspector

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2691027 11 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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