Children's home run by The Forge Nuneaton Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2703844 1 Registered provider: The Forge Nuneaton 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

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to six children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, six children were living at the home. The children spoke to the inspector during the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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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: 2703844 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2025 Full Good 24/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2703844 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has left the home, and four children have moved in. Managers and staff support children’s moves with thoughtful planning and consideration of children’s views, wishes and feelings. Staff continue to support and maintain appropriate relationships with children after they leave. One child said that they value this ongoing support and enjoy being invited to special celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders have created a homely environment where children spend time with each other and staff. Photos of children enjoying activities and holidays are proudly displayed throughout the home. Children’s bedrooms are designed to reflect their personal interests. Staff ensure that all areas of the home are maintained to a high standard. Consequently, children live in a comfortable and relaxing living environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop hobbies and interests. For example, one child plays in a rugby team and enjoys playing football and another child enjoys writing and recording music. Staff also help children to take part in activities together, such as bowling, sports, pumpkin picking and celebrating special occasions. These experiences help children to learn about each other’s interests and understand their differences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence. For example, staff are supporting one child to gain part-time employment, and another child has planned independent time to build their confidence in the community. Staff also encourage children to take part in wider community activities. For example, one child spoke at a children’s conference, and another child represented their peers at a children’s council. These opportunities help children to develop an understanding of diversity, equality and inclusion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children’s education. All children have access to education and have bespoke plans to support their learning. For example, one child receives a structured programme of tutoring and independence skills, and another child attends a specialist school. A headteacher spoke positively about the quality of the communication with the responsible individual and staff, and the support provided to children.

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

Staff are supported by the clinical team to understand children’s needs. They help children to understand the reasons for therapeutic support and to engage with it. For example, one child is engaging with drama therapy to express their feelings, and another child is beginning talking therapy. The responsible individual recognises that including guidance from the clinical team in children’s support plans is an area for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2703844 4 Allegations made by children are investigated promptly and thoroughly. The local authority designated officer spoke positively about the effective actions taken by the home’s responsible individual to keep children safe and to challenge external professionals’ decision-making when necessary. As a result, children’s views, wishes and feelings are valued, and external professionals are supported to understand the impact of their decision-making on children.

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

The home’s responsible individual responds to children’s concerns effectively. For example, one child raised concerns about not being informed of a visit by their social worker, and another child was worried about plans for their future. Social work professionals speak positively about the sensitive approach of the responsible individual in exploring children’s views, wishes and feelings.

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

Since the last inspection, staff have created individual plans for children, which support them when in crisis. All incidents requiring physical intervention are reviewed by the management and clinical team. When children have raised concerns following a physical intervention, these are explored with children and appropriately investigated. This ensures that children’s safety is prioritised, and action is taken to reduce children’s risks.

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

Staff help children to understand the risks of going missing from the home and spending time independently in the community. They support children to learn how to travel safely and how to access support. For example, one child was supported to report bullying by peers and to understand the impact of their interactions with members of the community. Another child is being helped to understand the risks of substance misuse.

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

The registered manager is currently not working in the home, due to shortfalls being identified in their practice. Senior leaders are carrying out an investigation into these concerns. The home’s responsible individual has been providing management support.

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

The registered manager has not ensured that staff have received consistent supervision and guidance to enable them to understand children’s needs. Also, one child’s parent has not been consulted regarding their child’s care. These shortfalls have the potential to impact on the quality of care that children receive.

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

Leaders and managers do not have a consistent system to review when it is appropriate to send safeguarding notifications to Ofsted. The responsible individual recognises that this is a development area and is taking action to address the shortfall. This will ensure there is appropriate reporting to Ofsted and to external professionals.

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

The new deputy manager and staff team are working positively together to support children and to create strong partnerships with external professionals. This provides confidence that leaders and managers understand their responsibilities to care for and protect children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2703844 5 The responsible individual is working with the clinical team and director effectively to implement monitoring systems to review children’s care and staff practice. For example, all safeguarding concerns are reviewed by the management and clinical team. This helps to identify additional support for children and further training for staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2703844 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 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

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.

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(g)(i)(ii)) 28 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 28 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2703844 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This specifically relates to including the guidance from the clinical team in the children’s plans and streamlining the use of documents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should use their professional judgement to determine whether incidents are sufficiently serious to make formal notifications. When making this assessment, the registered person should also consider which other relevant persons may be notified, for example the police, probation service, health professionals, the local authority for the area the home is located in (if this is not the child’s placing authority) and others involved with the care or protection of the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2703844 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Forge Nuneaton Limited

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rebecca Grimshaw

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Inspector

Siân Heffey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2703844 9 regulates and inspects to 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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