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 small private organisation. It provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties. Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: 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

03/05/2023 Full Good 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

Two children were present during the inspection. They both spoke with the inspector. One child moved into the home six weeks before this inspection. The other child has lived at the home for almost one year. Two children have moved out since the last inspection. One child moved to adult accommodation, and one child moved closer to their family. Staff made sure that both moves were planned and that the children had outreach support for as long as they needed it. All children have made progress since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience good levels of care. Staff take care of the home and keep it clean and well maintained. The home has new items, such as a larger fridge freezer, to allow for more food for children who cook independently. The home is welcoming, bright and well furnished.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have taken part in a range of activities with staff. They have enjoyed holiday camps, theme park holidays and trips to the local beach, ice skating, bowling and going to the cinema. Staff enable children to have many positive experiences to look back on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do well in education. One child has completed their GCSEs and been accepted into a local college to study their chosen subjects. One child, who has left since the last inspection, is in college and has a part-time job. Staff help children to reach their goals and aspirations and to see the importance of a good education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and children are positive. A child was driven to their school prom in the director’s sports car as a reward for meeting their set targets. Staff enable children to be actively involved in setting rewards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff talk positively about their interactions with the children. Key-work sessions are delivered in a way that demonstrates empathy for children’s circumstances and situations. Staff are attuned to the children and the challenges that they face.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their identity. Children have taken part in events on gender and equality. Discussions are had at a level that is appropriate for their age and understanding. Staff show acceptance and embrace children’s identity and seek support from outside agencies for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have good healthcare. Staff respond quickly to children’s health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One social worker said, ‘[Name of child] is very happy and settled. They have even commented, “I want to stay here beyond 18.”’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 4

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

Children feel safe and well cared for. Staff have built trusting relationships that enable children to share things that cause them distress and to talk openly about their past trauma.

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

Staff have kept children safe during times of vulnerability. One child has limited use of the internet and does not currently own a smartphone. Staff set targets for the child to rebuild trust. The manager is monitoring this, along with external agencies, to keep the situation under review.

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

When spoken to about safeguarding incidents, one social worker said:

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

‘I felt that the staff responded to this extremely well and ensured that [name of child] was kept at the heart of their decisions. They have been very proactive with addressing any safeguarding issues.’

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

Staff use effective behaviour management techniques. There have not been any restraints since the last inspection.

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

Children are supported by a team of staff who use trained methods effectively to defuse situations safely through their knowledge of the children and their behaviour. However, not all risks are fully considered when looking at children’s past vulnerabilities. This could lead to an incident as the risks are not documented, despite the manager having measures in place to mitigate such risks.

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

Children know how to raise a complaint when they move into the home. However, one of the children had forgotten the procedure to follow if they had a concern. The manager created and discretely displayed a child-friendly procedure for the child during this inspection.

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

The manager carries out safe recruitment practices to ensure that people are checked appropriately before starting to work at the home. Suitability checks are up to date and documented with review dates.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023 and is working towards a relevant level 5 diploma. The manager is experienced and has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision. The manager understands the importance of good-quality supervision. She quickly addresses any minor practice issues, helping staff to reflect on how to improve areas of their practice. This is closely monitored and reviewed, and improvements are recognised and fed back to staff, which sees them make good progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 5 The manager has close support from the responsible individual. The director attends weekly management meetings. He discusses lessons learned from incidents at the home, using critical reviews. He raises things that the children would like to be addressed or investigated for them. There is a strong joined-up approach to the leadership of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and reviewing in the home are effective. The manager delegates tasks to others to help grow their skill set. The deputy manager started at the home recently and is being mentored in her role to ensure that she is meeting expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff talk fondly about the leadership team. One staff member said, ‘The manager is incredibly supportive of the staff and the children. She is always approachable and provides valuable guidance and assistance, helping us to perform our roles effectively.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training. The manager keeps this up to date with a well-managed programme for staff. However, a significant delay in delivery of specific training means that staff have not got the necessary basic skills to understand the child’s needs. This could lead to issues with communication and understanding. 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, 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 (2) 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 30 August 2024

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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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 30 August 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are reminded of how to raise a complaint. In particular, children should be supported to have access to a procedure that is tailored to their age and understanding. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13) Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 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: 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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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2565542 9 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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