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

Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 1 SC446152 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 is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and has been registered with Ofsted since March 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. Both children were present and spoke with the inspectors.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/05/2023 Full Good 07/12/2022 Full Good 01/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership, which have seriously compromised children’s safety, experiences and progress. Leaders have failed to provide effective oversight or ensure that staff follow procedures to protect children from harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s identity and cultural needs are not understood by those caring for them. Managers lack knowledge of the culture and identity of all children living in the home. This significantly undermines children’s ability to develop a positive sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s wishes and feelings are not effectively captured. Although meetings take place to gather children’s views, staff and managers fail to record these views accurately or in the children’s own words. This ineffective consultation means that children’s voices do not influence practice or decision-making. Consequently, leaders and staff miss critical opportunities to improve children’s experiences and ensure that their voices are heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not always have the opportunity to spend time with people who are important to them. The manager fails to take reasonable steps to build positive relationships with children’s birth families. Children have expressed the negative impact of this to external professionals. Despite these concerns being shared with the manager and staff team, one child continues to experience significant delays in developing and maintaining communication with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff use language in children’s records and risk management plans that is inappropriate, oppressive and fails to uphold children’s dignity. This unacceptable practice demonstrates a lack of respect for children’s identity and undermines a child-centred approach to care. Leaders have not provided sufficient oversight or challenge to this language, which further erodes children’s self-esteem and sense of worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Not all areas of the home provide children with a nurturing environment. One child has experienced a prolonged delay in having their bedroom decorated to reflect their interests and identity. Although senior leaders took some action during the inspection, these delays demonstrate a lack of care and attention to children’s needs, wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported by staff to attend education. The manager and staff advocate for children’s learning and work effectively with educational establishments to promote positive academic outcomes. This support helps children to grow in confidence and self- esteem and enables them to reach their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, two children have moved on from the home in a planned and positive way. These moves were managed effectively, enabling both children to move to their new homes successfully. Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 4

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

Safeguarding practice is ineffective and fails to ensure that all children are safe. Although staff deliver planned sessions following incidents, including work on road safety and online safety, these are not used meaningfully to build children’s understanding or resilience to risk. Leaders and staff routinely miss opportunities to identify emerging risks and to equip children with the skills they need to keep themselves safe before concerns escalate.

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

Children experience inconsistent and unsafe responses from leaders and staff. During incidents when they are at risk of harm, staff frequently fail to follow the strategies and actions outlined in children’s individual risk management plans. As a result, children have been exposed to avoidable risks and have not been kept safe. This poor practice undermines children’s trust in staff and significantly compromises their sense of security and well-being.

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

The use of physical intervention to prevent harm is inconsistent and ineffective. On one occasion, staff failed to act decisively to ensure the child’s immediate safety. This serious failure demonstrates a lack of confidence and competence among staff in managing situations of significant risk. Leaders did not recognise the gravity of this incident and, as a result, missed a critical opportunity to provide staff with essential training and guidance. This poor practice places both children and staff at significant risk and compromises their safety and well-being.

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

Children are not effectively supported by staff to understand the impact of their actions on others. Consequently, opportunities for children to repair relationships with peers and staff after incidents of physical and verbal aggression are routinely missed. This poor practice significantly restricts children’s ability to rebuild relationships and develop essential skills to manage conflict safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers’ monitoring is ineffective and fails to protect children from harm. Significant incidents, including missing-from-home episodes and physical interventions, are not consistently reviewed or evaluated. Managers demonstrate a lack of professional curiosity and fail to identify serious shortfalls in practice. This systemic failure means that children’s care and safety continue to be compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The majority of the staff have not obtained the required qualification in residential childcare within the expected time frame. This repeated shortfall from the previous inspection demonstrates a lack of progress in meeting essential requirements. In addition, children’s care is inconsistent because external staff fail to follow guidance and core staff fail to complete mandatory training within the timescales set by managers. As a result, staff lack the knowledge and skills necessary to meet children’s needs safely and effectively, placing children at risk of harm. Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 5 Managers fail to inspire or create a supportive environment for staff. Oversight of safeguarding practice and incidents is weak and does not ensure that staff follow procedures to keep children safe. Leaders do not provide clear guidance or challenge when practice falls short, and opportunities for staff to reflect and learn from incidents

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

are routinely missed. This lack of effective leadership contributes to unsafe practice and compromises children’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Record-keeping is inconsistent, and vague or inaccurate entries are often left unchallenged by leaders. These shortfalls mean that children’s experiences are not fully understood or communicated within the staff team. Furthermore, records fail to provide an accurate and respectful account of a child’s experiences for them to read, undermining transparency and children’s dignity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervision is poor and does not take place in line with the home’s statement of purpose. This lack of effective oversight means that staff are not supported to develop their practice or reflect on their work. The failure to address this repeated requirement from the previous inspection demonstrates a lack of progress and weak leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children understand how to complain and can identify staff who they would speak to if they felt worried or unsafe. When a child made a complaint about staff practice, leaders ensured that the matter was subject to independent scrutiny. Information was appropriately escalated to professionals within the child’s wider network, ensuring that children’s voices were heard and validated.

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Statutory requirements

Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 6 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders ensuring robust oversight and scrutiny of all safeguarding incidents involving children, so that shortfalls in practice are promptly identified and addressed. 15 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 14 December 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home's child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders ensuring that there is robust risk management with effective monitoring and review of incidents between children to prevent harm and to take proactive steps to restore relationships following conflict.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(b) (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated. 15 February 2026

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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

The relevant date is— 15 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 8 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.

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Requirement Due date

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 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff are supported to complete the relevant qualification within the required timescale.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 14 December 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 9 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person consistently reviewing the effectiveness and any consequence of the use of the measure in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment. In particular, children's bedrooms should be personalised to the children living in them. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure the home's statement of purpose is child- focused, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the quality standards for the children in their care. In particular, ensure that this reflects the current monitoring and surveillance methods used inside the home. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 14, paragraph 3.5)

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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 Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 10 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: SC446152 11

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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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Inspectors

Charlotte Tippett, Social Care Inspector Sharon Kaur, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC446152 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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