Children's Home run by Nile living services in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: 2813095 1 Registered provider: Nile living services

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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 is a privately owned children's home that provides care for up to 3 children who experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager was registered in March 2025 and is undertaking the relevant qualification.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of inspection, 3 children were living in the home and 2 were spoken to. Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved in and one child has moved out.

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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: 9 September 2025

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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: 2813095 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/09/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2813095 3

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Summary of findings

Staff build positive and trusting relationships with children and support them to make progress in line with their care plans. Staff effectively safeguard children during challenging times and make sure they have the support they need. Staff and leaders make sure that they work well with partners, and multi-agency working is strong. These factors contribute to staff being able to meet children's needs. Some children move on from the home at short notice as children's needs are not always well understood before they move in. This has, on occasion, negatively impacted on other children in the home. Some aspects of the home environment could be improved, including ensuring that children have sufficient space to store their belongings in their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home and feel supported and safe. They enjoy spending time with the adults who care for them. Staff consistently demonstrate a nurturing approach that has enabled children to feel supported and to develop trusting relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children's views, wishes and feelings well, and they promote and act upon them. Children are encouraged to attend and participate in their care review meetings, ensuring they are central to planning and kept informed about decisions that affect them. Staff use a range of approaches to support children to express their wishes and feelings, including monthly children's meetings where feelings, suggestions and achievements are discussed. Children receive regular praise and rewards for achieving their goals. These approaches help children to feel valued, listened to and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's cultural needs are well understood and consistently met. Children are supported to attend religious activities and spend regular time at places of worship where this reflects their individual beliefs. In addition, staff actively foster an interest in children's cultural foods, with children participating in meal planning and preparation. This promotes a warm, family ‑ like environment. Furthermore, children are encouraged to attend local community groups, such as activity clubs and cadets. This helps children to develop a strong sense of identity, belonging and social inclusion at home and in the local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The extent of children's educational progress is varied, with some children making good progress and others experiencing barriers to learning. However, leaders and staff work effectively with professionals to identify and reduce these barriers. This means that children's school attendance has improved from their starting points and children are making positive progress towards their academic targets. One professional said, '[Name of child] has made vast improvements in education. This is due to them receiving the emotional support needed, which is helping with engagement at school.' Inspection report for children's home: 2813095 4 Staff understand children's health needs well and promote healthy lifestyles. Staff adapt practices to help children improve their health through key-working sessions and meaningful conversations. If staff have any concerns about children's health, they promptly seek appropriate medical advice. Staff work effectively with specialist services

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

to provide children with further support, guidance and oversight as needed so that their health needs are consistently met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved in and one child has moved out in a short period of time. Not all children experience positive starts or endings to their time in the home. Children's needs and identified risk are not always fully identified by leaders and staff at the point of children moving in. For one child, this led to a serious incident shortly after they arrived, resulting in them moving out immediately. In addition, leaders have moved some children into the home at pace, despite other children in the home struggling to live alongside others. The lack of preparatory work with children in the home, and occasional lack of planning for children moving in, has impacted on some children's relationships with staff. However, this has been identified, and staff are invested in helping children to form positive relationships and feel settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home and rear garden are not well maintained. Some areas of the home require redecoration and lack decorative items, which reduce the homely atmosphere. While children's bedrooms are personalised, some lack suitable storage for personal items. The rear garden had items that posed risks to children that had not been identified prior to the inspection. Leaders took immediate action to make the area safe and are committed to making this a more accessible space for children.

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

There has been an increase in incidents since the last inspection, including occasions where physical intervention has been used to keep children and others safe. There has been one serious incident, which resulted in children temporarily staying at an alternative home for a short period. However, on the whole, staff manage incidents well and take decisive action to maintain safety. Leaders and staff continue to review risks regularly to ensure that children are safeguarded and support arrangements remain effective.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children's individual needs and the risks associated with them. Their practice is guided by detailed, up ‑ to ‑ date risk assessments that clearly outline strategies to manage identified risks. In addition, children are supported to develop their own understanding of risk, including staying safe in the community and online. This helps children to make safer choices and promotes their independence while maintaining appropriate safeguards.

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

When allegations are made, leaders take these seriously, share information with children's social workers and other relevant agencies, including the local authority designated officer, and investigate as needed. Children are spoken with following investigations, and outcomes are shared with them in a way that they can understand. Inspection report for children's home: 2813095 5 Children who experience difficulties with their emotional wellbeing are well supported. Staff and leaders work closely with external agencies to help children understand their feelings and emotions. As a result of this collaborative approach, new strategies have been put in place that have had a positive impact on children's wellbeing. This work also helps staff to better understand each child's emotional needs and to provide consistent, tailored support.

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

There have been times when children have displayed self-injurious behaviours. Staff take proactive and appropriate action to ensure that children are safe. Staff learn from these occasions and adapt their approach to further help children while ensuring their safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a passionate and dedicated manager. She is a strong advocate for children and has positive, stable relationships with them. Children enjoy spending time with her. Professionals are complimentary about her understanding of children's needs and her ability to ensure that children's interests are at the forefront of planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are supported by a stable and resilient staff team. Staff are patient and provide caring consistency to children when they are upset. Leaders use agency staff at times, but they ensure that these are only staff that children have met before and have formed relationships with them. This helps children to experience continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by leaders. They are helped to develop their care skills through detailed supervisions, team meetings and training centred around children's needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has introduced effective monitoring systems that support their oversight of practice and enable ongoing staff development in areas that benefit children. The requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection have been met. Inspection report for children's home: 2813095 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(c)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home and garden are well maintained and provide comfort, and that necessities for children, including suitable storage of personal items, are in place. 7 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 7 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2813095 7 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.

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that effective care planning is in place for children moving into the home that takes account of each child's needs and risks. Care planning arrangements must be made in the best interests of children so that children experience positive, well ‑ planned starts and endings to their time living in the home.

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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: 2813095 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Nile living services

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 19/21 Hatchett Street, Birmingham B19 3NX

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Inspector

Joanne Humphreys, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2813095 9 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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Inspector

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