Children's home run by A&M Care Solutions Limited - T/A Metropolitan Care Solutions

Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 1 Registered provider: A&M Care Solutions Ltd - T/A Metropolitan Care Solutions Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It offers care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home, having recently moved in. One young person has recently moved out after turning 18.

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 good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 18 December 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2024 Full Good 23/01/2024 Full Outstanding 07/02/2023 Full Outstanding 30/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As part of the inspection, the inspector spoke with the child who currently lives at the home and the young person who has recently left. They have had very positive experiences while living at the home. Because of the consistent, nurturing care they receive from kind and caring staff, children have been helped to make good, and in some respects, excellent progress from their starting points.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into the home are well planned. The child who recently moved in did so after visiting the home and receiving a comprehensive children’s guide and photos of the staff who would be caring for them. As a result, the child felt welcomed and knew what to expect, which helped them settle into the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled at building positive relationships with children, and, as a result, they establish trusting relationships with them. The young person who recently moved out of the home said the manager and staff were amazing and always there for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff assist and support children in engaging and succeeding in education. The school attendance of the child currently living at the home is excellent. A carefully planned transition to secondary school means that the child is fully prepared and excited about this significant transition.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s health needs to a good standard. They support children in being active and healthy. When children require more specialised support, such as from child and adolescent mental health services, this is accessed without delay.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a wide range of activities and enriching new experiences, including holidays, day trips, creative arts, sporting activities, and attendance at a local youth club. Children have fun, and their social and emotional development is enhanced. Bright and colourful memory books capture children’s experiences and achievements, serving as excellent reminders of their achievements and experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person who recently left the home after turning 18 did so in a planned way, after being very well prepared for adulthood. The young person said, ‘The staff helped me for a year to learn how to be independent. They trained me well.’ Just before leaving, the young person enjoyed individual activities with each staff member and a celebratory meal with them all together. This demonstrated to the young person how proud staff were of all they had achieved and how much they cared for and valued them.

p.3

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

Children feel safe because of the positive relationships they have with staff. These relationships provide children with a safe and secure base from which they can develop. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 4 This is exemplified by the words of the young person who recently left when they thanked staff for ‘never giving up’ on them.

p.3

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

Staff know children well. Because children have detailed risk management and behaviour support plans, which the manager regularly updates, staff understand children’s triggers and how to provide safe and consistent care.

p.4

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

Effective multi-agency packages of support provided to children and young people help to keep them safer. For one young person, this resulted in a significant reduction in incidents of self-harm while they were living at the home.

p.4

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

Proactive behaviour support systems, including incentives, positive consequences, praise and rewards, as well as consistent routines and boundaries, help children feel good about themselves. Negative consequences are increasingly becoming restorative in nature to help children reflect on incidents and learn from them. A specially designed sensory room in the home provides children with a safe space to release and express their emotions. Staff only physically hold children as a last resort, and they meticulously record incidents. Management oversight when holds have been used is robust to help ensure that practice in this area remains effective.

p.4

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

Because staff provide children with high levels of supervision and support, there have been no incidents of children going missing from care since the previous inspection. However, staff fully understand children’s individual protocols and the actions to take should a child go missing in the future to promote their safety and well-being.

p.4

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

Responses to allegations are usually timely and appropriate. However, on one occasion, while a child did not suffer significant harm, the response was not as robust as it should have been. In this instance, there was a delay in an allegation being reported to the local authority, a delay in protective action being taken and a lack of clarity about the actions that managers need to take when allegations present conflicts of interest. The manager and senior leaders have reflected on this incident. They have learned from it and have implemented actions to strengthen practice relating to allegations.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and her recently appointed deputy work well together. They are calm, organised, child focused and ambitious for children. The manager leads by example, and staff highly respect her. Morale in the home is good, and the staff share the manager’s vision to continually enhance children’s experiences.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has created a highly supportive environment. A member of staff said, ‘She gives us lots of praise but also pushes us to improve and develop our practice, and she does this in a constructive and positive way.’ Because of the culture that has been created, staff feel valued, staff turnover is low, and children benefit from the consistency of their relationships with them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 5 Staff receive regular, good-quality, reflective supervision, and they attend regular constructive team meetings. This, along with a wide range of training, is helping to continually develop the skills of the staff team. The manager has arranged additional training that focuses on the specific needs of the child who has recently moved in, aiming to enhance staff’s understanding of the child’s behaviours and improve their skills and approaches to better help and support them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working is very effective. Professionals spoken to during the inspection were unanimously positive about the quality of communication and multi-agency working in place. One professional described it as ‘the strongest collective professional network’ they have ever known. Children have effective teams around them that are working together to improve their experiences, safety and outcomes.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems, both internally and externally, which include feedback from children, staff and external professionals, provide the manager with an effective line of sight for the quality and impact of practice in the home. The manager and senior leaders are reflective and have learned from incidents and allegations. The manager and senior leaders know their strengths and areas for development. Examples include strengthening senior leadership oversight of allegations and complaints, strengthening management oversight of key work to promote analysis and demonstrate the impact of the work, and developing the skills of the staff to help them better understand and meet the specific needs of the child currently living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 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, 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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse and neglect; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide for the liaison and co-operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide for a prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child in the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

p.6

Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

describe how and whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(e)(f))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that allegations are responded to promptly and that senior leaders have oversight of allegations. Furthermore, ensure that policies provide clarity on how to manage allegations when there are conflicts of interest. 24 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 7

p.6

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: 2635562 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: A&M Care Solutions Ltd - T/A Metropolitan Care Solutions

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Regent Street, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG1 5BQ

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Katherine Adkins

p.8

Inspector

Rachel Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2635562 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9