Children's home run by Solve Housing Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2774066 1 Registered provider: Solve Housing Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to 2 children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She is registered to manage 2 homes.

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: 26 February 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2774066 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2774066 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has lived in the home for 12 months, and they shared their experiences with the inspector.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

They are making steady progress from their starting point, and they share trusting relationships with the staff. The child said, 'The staff are amazing. They have taken the time to get to know me and understand me. I know they care and want the best for me.' This individualised and nurturing approach helps children to feel valued and listened to.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's needs and wellbeing are at the heart of care planning. One child was warmly welcomed into the home, and, although they needed to move on quickly because risks increased, staff worked hard to support them during this challenging time.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's health needs are met, and staff encourage children to attend health appointments. One child recently visited the dentist, which was a significant milestone for them. Staff recognised this achievement and celebrated it positively, with the child choosing to buy new toothpaste to maintain their oral health.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home feels warm, welcoming and homely. It is maintained to a high standard, with thoughtful touches that create a sense of comfort, such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the lounge. The child's bedroom reflects their personality and preferences, helping them feel relaxed and fostering a strong sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's education is prioritised. Staff help children achieve academically and overcome challenges. The child attends college, and staff maintain close links with tutors to support their progress. For another child, who was not in full-time education, staff arranged a home tutor so the child could continue their learning in a way that met their individual needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Cultural identity is understood and nurtured in meaningful ways. Staff provide sensitive guidance for one child to help them explore their ancestry, which is enabling them to develop a stronger sense of identity. The child uses specialist soaps to care for their skin and enjoys creating natural beauty products with staff to keep their skin hydrated. Staff support children to develop independence skills, such as cooking meals from scratch. One child has recently attended a job interview and is starting to prepare for adulthood. These experiences are helping the child feel more confident, and they have a positive impact on their wellbeing.

p.3

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

Inspection report for children's home: 2774066 4 Staff know the children well, taking time to understand their individual vulnerabilities, life experiences and the risks that they face. This knowledge helps staff to protect children and make them feel secure.

p.4

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

Incidents are generally managed well, and staff follow agreed protocols to keep children safe. However, on one occasion staff did not know that a child’s friend was in the home overnight. On another occasion when children went missing together and the manager acted quickly to safeguard children and ensure lessons were learned to prevent recurrence.

p.4

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

Children go missing from this home. However, the frequency and duration of these incidents is reducing. The child no longer goes missing for prolonged periods of time. Instead, they maintain regular contact with staff, and they share their live location via their mobile phone. This positive change reflects the child's growing trust in staff and them feeling more secure in the home. As a result, the child is considerably safer, and their social worker expressed satisfaction with this progress.

p.4

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

Collaborative working with external safeguarding partners is a strength of the home. Regular information-sharing and multi-agency meetings take place to continually assess and review risks to develop safety plans to support children's wellbeing and keep them safe.

p.4

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

Staff have lots of important conversations with children and gently challenge them to help them to understand the impact of unsafe decisions, including substance misuse. Children have opportunities to attend workshops to increase their awareness of the risks that they face and develop coping strategies. This approach encourages children to make safer choices and build resilience.

p.4

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

Alarms fitted to external doors alert staff if children leave the home late at night. This measure is considered necessary to safeguard children and is reviewed regularly. However, one child's social worker did not agree to this arrangement in writing. This means the manager cannot fully demonstrate that the use of such monitoring systems is agreed in line with regulatory expectations to maintain children's privacy.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who demonstrates a strong commitment to improving outcomes for children. She is a confident advocate for children, ensuring that their voices are heard. She challenges external professionals when decisions made are not in the best interests of the children. Her determination and child-centred approach is recognised by other professionals, with one social worker highlighting her dedication as a strength of the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are highly committed to providing the best possible care for children. They feel well supported by leaders and speak positively about working in the home, describing the Inspection report for children's home: 2774066 5 atmosphere as 'like a family'. Staff morale is high, and the strong sense of teamwork creates a nurturing and supportive environment where children feel safe and listened to.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, providing opportunities to reflect on their practice and supporting their ongoing professional development. Team meetings are held routinely, enabling staff to share information, discuss practice and generate new ideas. This approach promotes continuous learning and development to improve outcomes for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge required to meet children's individual and complex needs. Induction processes are thorough and effective, and staff complete training in areas such as exploitation and substance misuse. This equips them to understand and respond to children's specific needs and risks.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains good oversight of the home and reviews all incidents. When areas for development are identified, swift action is taken to learn lessons and drive continuous improvement, ensuring that practice evolves to benefit children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home. However, the quality of reports is inconsistent. One report contained inaccurate information about a child, which the manager was unaware of. This highlights the need for improved accuracy and consistency to strengthen external monitoring and ensure effective oversight of the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2774066 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that consent to the use of door alarms to safeguard children is obtained from children's placing authorities, in writing, when children move into the home. ('Guide to the Children's Homes regulations, including the quality standards', page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person should ensure that an individual appointed to carry out visits to the home provides a rigorous and impartial assessment of the children's care and the arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Completed reports should be accurate, including with regards to information about the children. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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: 2774066 7

p.6

Children's home details

Registered provider: Solve Housing Limited

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3000, 123 Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 3ND

p.7

Inspector

Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2774066 8 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.

p.7

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 .

p.8

Inspector

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8