Children's Home run by Nelbro Group Ltd in Brighton and Hove

Inspection report children's home: 2661371 1 Registered provider: Nelbro Group Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This home is owned and run by a private organisation and can provide care for up to three children with social, behavioural, and emotional difficulties. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2661371 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/04/2024 Full Good 19/09/2023 Full Good 04/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2661371 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences and enjoy activities like boxing and caring for the dog who visits the home. Staff have a genuine interest in children's experiences and children value their time with the staff caring for them. Special occasions are celebrated thoughtfully, and staff make efforts to involve children’s loved ones in these events.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have goals to focus on which helps them progress and staff recognise the small achievements for each child. There has been at least one occasion where children have not made the progress that was hoped whilst living at the home. Whilst staff implement care and support to help children make progress, the learning from any successes and challenges are not captured and evaluated effectively to inform future actions.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For those children not attending education, there is positive engagement with professionals and schools to devise plans to help children return to their education provisions. When children are not currently attending school, staff ensure they receive support with learning. However, the support is not always well structured or sufficiently proactive to help the child develop their learning or the skills to return to school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before children move into the home, they have the opportunity to visit so they can familiarise themselves and start to build relationships. Children moving on from the home have not always had planned transitions, but staff always ensure that children are supported to have restorative endings if this has been the case.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in developing the home environment and garden. Flowers have been planted by children to uplift the entrance of the home, and the rear garden is more functional now that decking has been installed. The home is cosy and clean, however the orderliness of the home is not always maintained to a high standard. There are also times when the children’s lounge has been used as a storage space, rendering it out of bounds for the duration.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of language in children’s records has improved since the last inspection. Staff write sensitively and objectively about both the positive and challenging events in children’s lives. This means that children have a clearer and more meaningful record of their experiences at the home.

p.3

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

Staff address children’s vulnerabilities with empathy and understanding. Where children present with behaviours such as self-injury or aggression, there are known strategies in place to help children remain safe and well. Staff have conversations with children about their concerns and guide them using alternative safer strategies to manage their feelings. Inspection report children's home: 2661371 4 The relationships between the home and external stakeholders, including the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), are strong and communication is transparent. This provides assurances that safeguarding practices and culture in the home are good.

p.3

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

Staff do not need to physically restrain children frequently during incidents, but when they do there is good oversight from the manager to ensure the legal criteria are met. Staff have good relationships with children and use de-escalation techniques where possible to avoid restrictive measures. On one occasion, where an unsanctioned hold was used, the registered manager took responsive action to ensure this was investigated thoroughly with a restorative outcome for the child.

p.4

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

Staff are qualified appropriately and there is monitoring to ensure that they complete their qualifications within the required timescale. Recruitment practices are safe and well recorded. This helps to reduce the risk of children being cared for by inappropriate individuals and ensures that they have the necessary skills to provide good care.

p.4

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

There has been a high number of missing episodes, allegations and incidents over recent months. The staff and leadership team has demonstrated resilience in supporting children and one another through these periods. Missing protocols are followed according to children’s plans and referrals made appropriately to the LADO in order to explore and resolve any safeguarding concerns arising.

p.4

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

There are mechanisms for review and oversight in the home. These tools help the registered manager identify themes, such as patterns of incidents and the consequences applied in response. However, the learning from this analysis is not applied in practice to drive improvements in the home. It is also not effective at monitoring indicators of children’s progress and so there have been missed opportunities to raise aspirations for children’s outcomes.

p.4

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

The manager ensures that incidents are appropriately overseen, and follow-up actions are taken to keep children safe. However, the manager has not always consistently notified Ofsted about serious incidents or there has been undue delay in doing so. This limits the regulator’s ability to monitor the manager’s response to incidents.

p.4

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

The registered manager ensures that complaints received from children and others are followed up in a timely way. When there have been complaints received from external parties, the manager focuses on rebuilding and restoring the relationships. Children participate in this process of repair and report positively about their experiences of this.

p.4

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

There are suitable arrangements in place for leadership and staffing in the home. The stability of the staff team is good, which means that children receive care from familiar and trusted staff. The team have welcomed new senior staff who bring valuable skills that align with children’s interests. Inspection report children's home: 2661371 5 Staff have had their appraisals and there are clear objectives for staff practice development. Staff have provided feedback about how the training they receive could be embedded and to improve the functioning of the team. The registered manager has taken this feedback on board but has not yet been able to implement this.

p.4

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

Staff use team meetings to discuss children’s needs and to understand how they can work with them more effectively. Whilst direction is given to staff to guide their practice, there are times when the lines of accountability are not clear. This means that there is inconsistency and delay to the completion of some tasks affecting the care of children. Inspection report children's home: 2661371 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

p.6

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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.6

Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f)(g)(h)

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that there is a timely review of learning following any incident or notable event, and that the actions arising are implemented quickly and effectively. 1 October 2025 Inspection report children's home: 2661371 7 In particular, the registered manager should ensure that staff's feedback around their training and development needs is acted upon so that they can perform their roles as a team effectively.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that there are clear lines of accountability and procedures for staff to follow consistently.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.7

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.7

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

p.7

Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation— must include details of— any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

p.7

Requirement Due date

Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e) (5)(a)(iii)

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager and senior leaders should ensure that alternative arrangements are made for review and reporting of such incidents in the absence of the registered manager to avoid drift and delay. 1 October 2025 Inspection report children's home: 2661371 8

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that children who are not in full time education are supported In the interim to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.15)

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that the homes is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that children can access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child's needs. They should ensure that the orderliness of the home is maintained to a good standard and does not inhibit children's access to any area of the home for longer than is absolutely necessary ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.10)

p.8

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: 2661371 9

p.8

Children's home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2661371 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10