Children's Home run by NOVA CHILDREN'S CARE LTD in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: 2785955 1 Registered provider: Nova children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to six children who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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

Date of last inspection: 2 December 2024

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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: 2785955 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/12/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2785955 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, the inspector spoke with all four children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good, individualised care at this home. As a result, they make progress in all areas of their development. One social worker said, ‘I have been absolutely over the moon with the level of support and care that they have given to [name of child].’ Another social worker said, ‘I feel the home was sent to be from heaven. Many people say what they are going to do but never do it, but here they are faultless and work incredibly hard to support the children to progress and achieve. I wish all children’s homes were like this.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s health and well-being needs. They encourage children to attend their routine appointments and are proactive in meeting their wider health needs. For example, the team advocated for a child when they identified a particular prescribed medication was having a negative effect on them, working with the team around the child to ensure that the medication was discontinued without delay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children have education plans and arrangements in place. Staff proactively encourage educational attendance and work closely with the team around the child to ensure that barriers to education are overcome. This has included advocating for one child to secure a suitable school placement. When another child moved into the home and was unable to attend school because of a health need, staff helped them engage in education at the home. As a result, the child maintained structure, routine and consistency, enabling them to continue learning and achieving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend meaningful one-to-one time with children. Regular key-work sessions take place that are tailored to each child’s needs and specific areas of focus. Children are supported in working towards their targets. Children’s progress is closely monitored. As a result, children have made significant progress in several areas. One child who previously did not have an identified method of communication is now able to use the Picture Exchange Communication System.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the vital role that meaningful time with family and significant others plays in supporting a child’s well-being. They encourage children to see their families in line with their care plan. As a result, children develop and maintain positive relationships with those who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of experiences. Staff encourage children to participate in enjoyable activities in the home and in the community. For example, children visit theme parks and zoos, and they go on day trips at the seaside and visit places of interest. These activities help children make memories, grow in confidence, be positively stimulated and stay physically fit. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785955 4 Transitions into and out of the home are inconsistent in quality. During the inspection, one child was in the process of moving on from the home, and another child was in the process of moving in. The manager has escalated concerns to the local authority when moves on from the home have not been sufficiently prioritised to reduce uncertainty and stress for children. However, for one child moving into the home, transition planning was weak and had not fully equipped the team with the skills and knowledge to care for the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

child. The manager addressed this issue during the inspection.

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

Staff understand safeguarding and risks to children. Risk assessments are detailed and specific to each child. They include a history of known risks and actions staff should take to minimise them. Risk plans detail the steps that staff must take if children go missing from home. As a result, staff are provided with comprehensive guidance to help keep children safe.

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

Staff physically intervene as a last resort to keep children and staff safe. The least force and measure are used. Staff and children are spoken to afterwards to support their well- being. The manager reviews each incident and considers what is going on for the child. Learning is used to inform practice and prevent further incidents. As a result, there has been a reduction in the need for staff to physically intervene when children are distressed.

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

The manager takes allegations against staff seriously and responds to them effectively. This includes sharing information with professionals, including the local authority designated officer, in line with safeguarding guidance. Children are provided with response letters that are written in a child-friendly manner and outline the actions taken to keep them safe. This ensures that children understand their concerns have been taken seriously and acted on.

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

There is a robust medication process in place. When a medication error occurred, the manager ensured that action was taken in response. Staff have received extra training and support. This has prevented further errors from being made.

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

The manager and staff carry out regular checks to ensure that the home is safe and to prevent accidents. The home is clean and tidy. However, some areas need painting to make the environment comfortable for children. Some of this work has already started. Managers say they will continue renovating the home until the planned work is complete.

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

Complaints are appropriately responded to. There has been one complaint received from a neighbour. The manager met with the neighbour to address the complaint, and a follow-up letter has been sent from the head of care. This ensures the restoration of neighbourly relationships.

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

The location risk assessment provides staff with sufficient information to safeguard children from risks in the community. However, the manager has not consulted relevant Inspection report for children’s home: 2785955 5 people about the appropriateness of the location of the home and any risks associated with the area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has high aspirations for children and is motivated by achieving the best outcomes for them. He leads by example, with commitment and dedication. Staff speak positively about the manager’s knowledge, support, and dedication to his role. The manager is supported by two deputy managers who share his vision and passion.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are strong advocates for children. They actively challenge relevant professionals when required. The registered manager has advocated for children in relation to their health and educational needs. This has led to applications for specialist assessments regarding children’s education and children’s health needs being met by the appropriate service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has quality assurance systems in place. These include a monthly monitoring audit that is reviewed by senior managers. There are also daily and weekly checks. The manager makes excellent observations of staff practice. All records have management oversight and enable the manager to develop staff practice and ensure that children continue to receive good standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides a thorough induction for new staff. It includes face-to-face and online training. There is shadowing of experienced staff before starting in the role. The manager ensures that staff share the company’s vision and ethos. They recruit staff who show a passion for improving the lives of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home. However, supervision records indicate that staff members are experiencing fatigue and a decline in team morale. Currently, the manager is filling vacancies and has reviewed staff work patterns, believing this will improve their work-life balance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work in partnership with relevant agencies. This collaborative working means that children have professionals who strive to provide good care. Three of the children’s social workers provided positive feedback about the care and support offered to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785955 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that there are robust plans in place to support children’s successful transitions into the home. 22 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 22 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. Children’s homes, in most cases, should be homely, domestic environments. The home should comply with relevant health and safety legislation; however, in doing so, it should seek as far as possible to maintain a Inspection report for children’s home: 2785955 7 domestic rather than institutional impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2785955 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nova children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Midlands House, Gipsy Lane Willenhall, Wolverhampton WV13 2HA

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2785955 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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