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

Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 1 SC467264 Registered provider: NH Care Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private company operates the home. The home registered with Ofsted in 2013 to provide care for up to 4 children with emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023 and is suitably qualified.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living in the home. All 4 children were given the opportunity to speak with the inspector.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and 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.

p.1

inadequate

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2024

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Good 02/01/2024 Full Good 10/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/07/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences and progress are significantly affected by shortfalls in how well they are helped and protected and the oversight of leaders and managers.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child’s move into the home was poorly planned. The child’s known needs and risks were not suitably identified and planned for. In addition, the needs and vulnerabilities of other children in the home were not sufficiently considered. Another child was moved into the home with needs outside of the home’s categories of registration. The child’s social worker said that they thought the move for this child was well planned. However, the manager did not ensure that staff had the experience and training required to meet the child’s needs. This has impacted on children’s safety and progress in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff and managers have not taken action to ensure the home is cleaned and maintained to a good standard. Some children’s bedrooms do not have suitable furniture, and the walls are damaged and need cleaning. The garden is not clean or safe for children to use. For example, there was a lot of litter and an open shed full of broken items. This does not provide a welcoming or nurturing environment for children. Some action was taken during the inspection to address these issues.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Support for children’s education is mixed. One child has been supported to maintain their school place by a member of staff who goes into school with them each day. This has ensured that the child continues to access education until a new school is found. Feedback from schools is generally positive but some said communication with staff could be improved. One child’s school attendance is 25%. Staff have not taken action to ensure this child has the support they need to engage with and achieve in their education. This child’s engagement with education has been impacted by poor routines, as they often stay awake until the early hours of the morning. Staff have not done enough to support this child to improve their routines.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home’s therapeutic model of care is not always followed in line with its statement of purpose. Six staff have not been trained in the home’s therapeutic model of care. One child has not received timely external therapeutic support in line with their needs. This has not been escalated by the manager. As a result, the child’s emotional wellbeing has declined, and staff said they have struggled to meet this child’s needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are given opportunities to give feedback about the home, and they know how to make a complaint. Feedback from children was mixed. Two said that they like living in the home, that they feel safe and can speak to staff about their worries. One child said that staff treat them badly and they do not feel safe. One child was not spoken to during the inspection. One child’s school and social worker said that the child has made progress in their ability to communicate and socialise with others. Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 4 Staff support children to engage in positive activities. One child goes to BMX club each weekend and enjoyed going on holiday with the staff last summer. Another child went on a bike ride with staff at the time of the inspection. This supports children to engage in activities that they enjoy.

p.3

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

Staff and managers do not take effective action to safeguard children. Managers do not consistently identify shortfalls in staff practice that leave children at risk of harm.

p.4

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

Managers fail to provide staff with clear information about what to do when children leave the home when they should not, and when children do not return home as planned. As a result, staff do not take appropriate action when children go missing. In addition, children are rarely offered return home interviews, and this has not been challenged by the manager.

p.4

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

Staff and managers are not sufficiently alert to signs of exploitation. They have a lack of professional curiosity and have not taken action to ensure that children stay safe. One child has frequently gone missing from the home. On one occasion, a child was only found to be missing when staff entered their room to wake them up in the morning. It was not clear when the child was last seen and whether they were missing overnight, as records are not consistently updated by staff. The manager had not investigated this further, and the child was not spoken to about where they were. As a result, the manager has not identified ways to reduce the risk of this happening again.

p.4

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

When children use substances, staff are not proactive in exploring who provides them to the children. Children are not sufficiently supported to stop or reduce their substance use. They have not been referred to drug support agencies in line with their needs and staff do not regularly discuss their substance use with them. One child has been smoking in their bedroom. Managers and staff have not taken action to disrupt this and to put in place fire prevention strategies. This does not ensure that children are adequately safeguarded and their health and wellbeing promoted.

p.4

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

One child’s identified needs present a potential risk to staff and other children in the home. This was not suitably planned for before they moved in and once they were living there. The manager has not ensured that staffing ratios for the child are sufficient. Staff say that they cannot always keep the child safe. On one occasion, this led to a staff member requesting that a member of the public help them during an incident outside of the home. Other children in the home have been exposed to incidents which have been harmful to their wellbeing. This has also negatively impacted on children’s relationships in the home.

p.4

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

Staff sometimes miss opportunities to de-escalate situations. There are occasions when this has been identified by the manager to improve staff’s future practice. On one occasion, the use of restraint was not proportionate. This led to a child being held for a significant period on their bed. After this incident, the child’s views were not obtained, and staff did not have a detailed discussion with the manager. Management oversight did Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 5 not identify shortfalls in staff practice. This means that ways to provide children with more effective support are not always identified.

p.4

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

When children make allegations about staff, these are usually taken seriously and shared with the appropriate agencies. However, children are not always informed of the progress or outcome of their allegation in a timely way. On one occasion, a child’s allegation was not taken seriously and was not investigated appropriately. Action has now been taken to address this shortfall.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not have effective oversight of the home. They do not always identify shortfalls in staff practice that leave children at risk of harm.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager fails to ensure that care and support plans for children comprehensively identify their needs or provide clear and effective guidance to staff. Care and support plans in the home do not always consider the local authority care plan for each child and the quality of recording in the home lacks consistency. There are significant gaps in information for one child who has regularly been going missing. This has negatively impacted on the consistency and quality of care provided to children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager acknowledges that her oversight has been impacted by vacancies in the senior staff team. This has limited her ability to provide the level of oversight required for the home. The home has 4 staff vacancies and 4 staff are new to the home. Thirty- three different agency staff have worked in the home since the last inspection. This means that the home has not had a sufficiently stable staff team. This impacts on the quality of care provided to children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff have the skills and experience to meet the needs of the children. Only 2 staff members are suitably qualified. Seven members of staff are outside the statutory timescale to achieve the qualification. The manager does not have sufficient systems to track their progress towards gaining the qualification. Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff have the required training to meet children’s needs. As a result, staff have struggled to manage some children’s needs and to keep them safe.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive regular supervision and say that they feel well supported by the manager. During supervision, staff reflect on ways that they can improve the care that children receive. However, there are missed opportunities to reflect on staff training and development. Team meetings take place regularly and they are informed by the home’s therapeutic model of care. Staff are provided with emotional support and they reflect on significant incidents. However, this does not always clearly identify ways in which practice can be improved.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not ensured compliance with regulations when completing the Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 6 review of the quality of care. The report does not identify key areas for improvement and does not consider the views of children. This limits the manager’s ability to improve the quality of care children receive. Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 7

p.5

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Leaders must ensure that staff, including managers, have the skills and knowledge to recognise when a child may have been harmed or be at risk of harm.

p.7

Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff understand their role and responsibilities in protecting children. 19 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 8 Leaders and managers must ensure that concerns raised by children are dealt with effectively and promptly.

p.7

Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that policies and procedures in relation to complaints and allegations are understood by staff and followed.

p.8

Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff understand children’s needs and vulnerabilities.

p.8

Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that strategies are in place to reduce the risk of any harm to children.

p.8

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—

p.8

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

p.8

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.

p.8

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 19 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 9 research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

p.9

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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

p.9

Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that they consider children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities when planning for children to move into the home. They must also consider the impact on other children living in the home.

p.9

Requirement Due date

Leaders, managers and staff must have the required experience, skills and knowledge to provide safe and effective care to each child.

p.9

Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there are sufficient staff to safely care for children.

p.9

Requirement Due date

Leaders, managers and staff must ensure that children are provided with the opportunity to provide regular feedback about the care they receive. Action taken to address this feedback should be evident in practice.

p.9

Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there are effective monitoring and oversight of the quality of care children receive and take action to make improvements when needed.

p.9

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.9

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.9

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff— 19 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 10 understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.9

Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.10

Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

p.10

Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

p.10

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

p.10

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

p.10

Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

p.10

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.10

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(ix)(c)(i))

p.10

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that the home is cleaned and maintained to a high standard. The manager must also ensure that care is delivered as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose.

p.10

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.10

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

p.10

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

p.10

Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and 19 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 11 seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

p.10

Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that they liaise with partner agencies when there are delays in children receiving services that they require. They must also ensure that they challenge the placing authority when additional support is required to meet a child’s needs in the home.

p.11

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.11

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.11

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.11

Requirement Due date

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

p.11

Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

p.11

Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

p.11

Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

p.11

Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

p.11

Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(e)(i))

p.11

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager’s responsibility to ensure that any children moving into the home are supported by effective planning and preparation, taking into account their individual needs. 19 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 12 The registered person must ensure that—

p.11

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—

p.12

Requirement Due date

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

p.12

Requirement Due date

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

p.12

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.12

Requirement Due date

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

p.12

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;

p.12

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.12

Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.12

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")—

p.12

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.12

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.12

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)) 19 April 2026

p.12

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 13

p.12

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: SC467264 14

p.13

Children’s home details

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

p.14

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Natallina Khushia-Narhar

p.14

Inspector

Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC467264 15 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.14

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 . 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.15

Inspector

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

p.15

Inspector

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

p.15