Children's Home run by N H Care Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 1 SC365366 Registered provider: N H Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to three children with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022 and holds the relevant qualification in leadership and management.

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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: 18 February 2025

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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: SC365366 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2025 Full Good 01/11/2023 Full Good 22/09/2022 Full Good 06/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the stability that the home provides. Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection, and all have lived there for several years. All children were seen during the inspection. Two children said that they were happy living in the home, and all were observed to be happy and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living in the home. The consistent staff team know the children very well. Children’s behaviour has stabilised over time and incidents are now rare. As a result of ongoing support from staff, one child has made a significant improvement to their diet, which has helped them to enjoy meals outside of the family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand each child’s needs and communication well. They adapt their communication and approach to suit each child and as a result, children’s voices are heard. Staff work well with schools and other professionals to ensure that children receive consistent communication support tailored to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in a wide variety of activities that broaden their awareness of the world around them. Staff are not afraid to encourage children to challenge themselves with new things and, as a result, children have learned to cope better with new experiences. For example, children have been supported with travel training on buses and trains in preparation for a trip to Disneyland.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their independence. Older children have learned skills in self-care and how to complete basic household chores. Staff are mindful of children’s upcoming transitions to adulthood and are committed to supporting children to gain the skills that they will need when they leave the home. For example, one child has learned how to buy things from the shop; staff gradually increased their independence to go into the shop alone, while staff wait outside.

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

Children have developed trusting relationships with staff and are able to share any worries or anxieties with them. Previously, children may have become dysregulated, but they are now able to share their feelings with staff which helps to maintain a calm living environment.

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

Behavioural incidents are rare, but when incidents do occur, they are managed well. One child occasionally presents with self-injurious behaviour, but staff understand the triggers for the behaviour and the strategies to support them so they can respond quickly to keep the child safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 4 Children are supported to use online devices safely. Staff are trained and understand the risks of the online world, and they complete work with the children to help them understand the dangers so that they remain safe online.

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

Allegations are managed appropriately. Only one allegation has been made since the last inspection and there was effective joint working with other professionals to gather information and ensure the child’s safety.

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

Staff are safely recruited. All the required checks are completed, which helps to ensure that only safe people are employed to care for vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a stable, experienced manager who is committed to the home and children. They know the children very well and understand their needs. The manager is ambitious for the children and aims to give children positive experiences and the skills they need for later life. Staff value the support they receive from leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes good use of monitoring tools to ensure he has good oversight of the care provided in the home. For example, regular audits are completed which have helped to identify an error in medication recording. This was quickly addressed by the manager to ensure that all staff were following the correct procedures. In addition, there is effective information sharing between leaders and managers to ensure that any learning from monitoring and good practice are shared.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback received from children’s families and professionals was wholly positive. One parent said that they always feel welcome when they visit the home and discussed that staff have included them in mealtimes so that they can enjoy eating with their child as part of their visits. Another child’s social worker praised the home for their support with the child’s communication and the way that they advocate for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete a wide range of training, including some specific to the needs of the children living in the home. While completion rates are generally good, two staff have several courses that have been outstanding for some time, and more action is needed to ensure that this is completed in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff have achieved the required qualification within expected timescales. This was an issue at the last inspection and there have been ongoing difficulties with the chosen training provider. Despite leaders and managers trying to resolve the issues, there are currently four staff who should have completed their qualification but have not yet done so. Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 5

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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, 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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. 18 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 6 The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement remains outstanding from the previous inspection. 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 (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

(c)ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff complete mandatory training and that a plan is in place when training is outstanding. 18 December 2025

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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: SC365366 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 69, Steward Street Business Lofts, Steward Street, Birmingham B18 7AF

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Inspector

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 8 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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