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 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 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Both children were present and spoke with the inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021 and is suitably qualified.

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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: 4 November 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Ofsted carried out a full inspection of the home in November 2025. This inspection identified serious and widespread concerns in safeguarding practice and in leadership and management, which resulted in an overall judgement of inadequate. As a result, Ofsted issued compliance notices under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). A monitoring visit took place in December 2025, during which the compliance notice under regulation 12 was deemed to have been met. The compliance notice under regulation 13 was reviewed as part of this inspection and has also been deemed to have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC446152 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2025 Full Inadequate 06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/05/2023 Full Good 07/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC446152 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a warm and welcoming home environment. The home is decorated with photos of the children that capture special memories and experiences. Improvements have been made to the personalisation of all children’s bedrooms. This nurturing environment supports children’s emotional wellbeing and helps them feel valued and at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their individual starting points. This progress is clearly demonstrated in the quality of children’s individual care plans, which set out how their development will be tracked, monitored and reviewed. This approach ensures that children’s needs are consistently assessed and that targeted support is implemented in a timely manner to promote positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team are proactive in reviewing strategies to support children’s engagement in education. They demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting the value of learning. Staff and leaders work effectively with professionals from children’s education settings to identify extra-curricular activities that enhance children’s learning experiences. For one child, this partnership working has led to a notable improvement in homework completion and has resulted in targeted additional tutoring in several subjects.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are actively involved in decisions about their care. They are supported in choosing meals and activities and are encouraged to express their preferences regarding the decoration of their bedrooms. One child proudly showed inspectors the photos displayed in the home that captured special memories of trips linked to their individual interests and hobbies. This inclusive and child ‑ centred approach promotes children’s confidence and self ‑ esteem and helps them feel valued and heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are proactively promoted in the home. Clear progress is evident from their individual starting points. Progress reports show measurable improvements, including children widening the range of foods they will try and making significant gains in managing their personal hygiene independently. When new health needs arise, staff respond promptly and take appropriate action to secure timely access to relevant health services. This ensures that children receive the right support at the right time and promotes their overall wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to maintain positive relationships with the people who are important to them. This enables them to sustain meaningful connections, experience positive interactions and develop a secure sense of belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: SC446152 4

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

Managers and staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and the potential risks they face. Clear guidance and strategies are set out in written risk assessments, which direct staff on how to manage and mitigate the identified risks for each child. Observations show that staff are skilled at diversion, distraction and de ‑ escalation, demonstrating that the strategies identified are being implemented effectively. This practice helps ensure that children are protected from harm.

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

Staff work creatively with children to develop their understanding of risk and to promote safer decision-making. Interactive sessions are planned and adapted in line with children’s individual learning needs. However, for one child with a recognised vulnerability relating to online use, opportunities have been missed to clearly demonstrate the direct work carried out by staff to assess and strengthen the child’s understanding of this risk. Records do not consistently show how staff have evaluated the child’s ongoing understanding or the impact of this work. Leaders have acknowledged the need to strengthen oversight and recording in this area to ensure that risks are robustly monitored.

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

Behaviour management during incidents has strengthened. Records demonstrate that staff’s language and responses are increasingly aligned with the home’s model of care. Incident recordings show a greater emphasis on understanding the underlying causes of behaviour, the use of de-escalation strategies, and reflective conversations with children following incidents. As a result, children experience consistent and supportive responses, which promotes the development of improved emotional regulation.

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

Physical intervention is used when necessary to safeguard children. Staff use techniques they have been trained in when carrying out physical interventions. Children and staff are provided with opportunities to discuss incidents involving the use of physical intervention. This has ensured that children can voice any concerns.

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

Plans for when children go missing are detailed and comprehensive, providing staff with clear, step-by-step guidance to ensure that the safety and welfare needs of each child are met. These plans clearly identify individual triggers, known risks and strategies for de-escalation, as well as procedures to follow when a child is absent. For one child, there is clear evidence of a sustained reduction in missing-from-home incidents. This improvement reflects the effectiveness of the individualised strategies in place to build trust and address the underlying factors that may contribute to their absence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC446152 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have established a clear plan to strengthen staff practice, creating positive change in the home. These expectations have been communicated effectively to the staff team and are reflected in the progress evident in the day ‑ to ‑ day care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems for reviewing the quality of care in the home are effective. These are informed by regular reviews of practice and by feedback gathered directly from children and professionals. A range of audits are now carried out each month by the management team, and when areas requiring further development are identified, prompt action is taken through targeted action plans, supervision and team meetings. This approach promotes improved experiences and outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers now demonstrate a clear and purposeful focus on staff development. The leadership team has effective oversight of staff learning through regular monitoring of mandatory training and qualification completion. Training reports are routinely reviewed to ensure compliance, identify gaps and plan future learning. When shortfalls are identified, leaders now take timely and proportionate action. This approach promotes accountability and ensures that staff maintain the knowledge and skills required to meet children’s needs safely and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been clear progress in raising the completion rates for required training. It is now reported that all staff have finished the required courses in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Leaders acknowledge the importance of equipping staff with training that reflects children’s current needs and enables them to respond sensitively, promote inclusivity and provide well ‑ informed support. However, staff have not received training in relation to some children’s specific needs, such as on gender identity. This limits their ability to offer fully informed guidance and support to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC446152 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. This specifically relates to staff having access to bespoke training so they can provide well-informed support to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that when children have access to the internet, staff consider whether and how they can support them in accessing it safely. This is specifically related to recorded sessions, where staff review, assess and support the development of the child’s understanding of the associated risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)

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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: SC446152 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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Inspectors

Charlotte Tippett, Social Care Inspector Nus Bibi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC446152 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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