Children's home run by Nelbro Group Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2806964 1 Registered provider: Nelbro Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in September 2024 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to four children who experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024 and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection, and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2806964 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The inspector spoke with two children during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make outstanding progress in the home. Staff provide them with individualised and excellent care. Children’s care plans are made in consultation with partner agencies. They are robust, and staff provide clear and consistent boundaries for children’s behaviour. Staff refer children to specialist support services where needed. As a direct result of the care children receive, their physical health, daily routines, and social and emotional needs improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s education is very well supported. Staff transport children to and from school so that they can continue attending out-of-area schools. This provides consistency and continuity for children. When children do not have a school place, staff request tutoring and online support to ensure that their educational needs are met. Staff are proactive and provide creative educational opportunities in the home and in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have positive relationships in the home. External professionals note the warm relationships that staff share with children and the friendly nature of staff. One social worker said, ‘I think they felt very loved and cared for.’ Staff also promote children’s social development and other relationships in their lives. For example, one child without a current school placement was supported to attend a local youth club so that they could continue to have friendships with children of the same age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff understand the importance of children’s relationships with their families and friends. They organise activities for children to do with their families, and they make travel arrangements. Staff also help children to maintain the friendships they had with people before they moved into the home. Where appropriate, family members are welcomed into the home and invited to take part in celebrations such as children’s birthdays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home offers children an exceptional range of opportunities and enjoyable activities. Activities are individualised, and children’s interests are fully considered. For example, a charity is invited to the home to help children learn about insects, and children engage in physical activities, such as boxing, football training and trampolining, and social activities, such as drama classes and youth club. Children’s activities are captured in photos and documented in their achievement books, which contributes towards their life- story work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children live in a large and comfortable home that is clean, bright, and well maintained. Children have plenty of space in their bedrooms and in communal areas. Staff personalise the home with the children’s photos; this is done sensitively and in full consultation with children. Children’s bedrooms are also personalised to their tastes and kept safe and tidy. The home has a well-organised system for overseeing regular Inspection report for children’s home: 2806964 3 bedroom checks. Children are actively involved in this and supported to maintain their bedrooms to a tidy standard

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is excellent. Children participate in regular and purposeful key-work sessions that are tailored to their stage of development and risks. Staff plan these in advance and update them if, for example, an incident occurs. Staff engage children in creative ways. For example, they sometimes take children out for lunch, instead of sitting down in front of a computer, and they utilise additional resources, such as online videos, to support children’s learning. Staff always check children’s understanding of what has been covered. As a result, children are well supported to understand risks, how to manage their emotions and keep themselves safe.

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

Staff manage incidents very well. Incidents are clearly recorded, and managers maintain strong oversight. Managers provide detailed debriefs for staff and children after every incident, and reflective discussions take place. These include exploring children’s feelings leading up to incidents, reiterating the behaviour boundaries in the home, and reminding children how much the staff care about their well-being. Managers analyse incidents to identify where actions are needed. This includes updating risk assessments and carrying out focused key-work sessions. This approach enables children to learn from incidents and reduces the likelihood of them reoccurring.

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

Staff are proactive in supporting children who go missing from care. They follow the home’s missing-from-home protocol and make concerted attempts to identify a child’s whereabouts. Return home interviews are always requested, and staff ensure that they have the information from the interviews to inform their ongoing work to keep children safe. Staff engage children in ongoing discussions about risks and how to stay safe and make referrals for other support services when needed. The registered manager advocates for children when a safeguarding response from external agencies is required.

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

Children’s medication is safely managed. Staff work in close partnership with placing authorities to meet children’s medical needs. Medication is administered and recorded accurately and stored safely. Arrangements are in place for a nurse to carry out regular audits of medication, which provides additional oversight and scrutiny. The registered manager organises timely orders for new medications. This ensures that children’s health needs are well met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager brings a dynamic, energetic, and inspiring approach to running the home. Her leadership style is hands-on, and she is involved with all aspects of life in the home. For example, she has taken children who are interested in their fitness to the gym. External professionals provide feedback that is consistent in its praise of the registered manager and her team. This is accurately reflected in the comment from a social worker, who described the manager as a ‘brilliant leader’ and said, ‘She knew [name of child] really well and supported her staff well.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2806964 4 Staff enjoy working in the home. They feel well supported by the managers, who are approachable, and they find it rewarding being part of a caring and child-centred team. Staff know the children very well. They speak of the children with warmth and take pride in the progress they make and the opportunities they are given in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Communication with parents and professionals is exceptional. Staff provide comprehensive and regular updates to children’s networks and respond promptly to emails. One parent said, ‘All of the staff updated me when they should have… they went above and beyond.’ The registered manager is tenacious in requesting a response from other professionals when she has communicated information about a child’s welfare. For example, she ensured that she received an update from a school when she raised a concern about bullying. This approach contributes to better outcomes for children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders have developed a well-trained team. They arrange for bespoke training to be delivered by experts before children with specialist needs move into the home. The staff are supported to learn and embed their skills. As a result, children receive high-quality care from staff who understand their needs. The registered manager researches information about the children’s needs so that the team is well informed about the latest developments. Staff value the opportunity for their professional development and say that leaders have a strong focus on encouraging this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders monitor all aspects of the home’s service effectively. This includes a monthly audit and regular tracking of themes and trends in the home. For example, one audit identified an increase in incidents, which led to actions being set to support each child in reducing these. This monitoring and auditing activity contributes to leaders having a robust oversight of the home and is used to constantly drive forward the development of the service and the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2806964 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 for children’s home: 2806964 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nebro, Unit D, 31 to 33 High Street, Carshalton SM5 3AX

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Inspector

Jo Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2806964 7 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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