Children's Home run by NWC Homes Ltd in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: 2878492 1 Registered provider: NWC Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation and was registered on 12 May 2026. It provides care for up to 2 children who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were no children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2878492 2

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Summary of findings

Care planning is weak. Information provided by the placing local authority at the point of referral, regarding the child’s needs and the impact of their previous experiences, was disregarded by managers. This has led to children having poor experiences while living in the home.

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Summary of findings

Children have not received attuned care. Staff responses to children’s behaviour are not trauma-informed and have often led to situations escalating unnecessarily.

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Summary of findings

Leadership and management of the home are unsettled. Leaders have failed to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to meet children’s needs and de-escalate confrontations with children displaying violent behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Significant weaknesses in safeguarding practice and ineffective management oversight have compromised children’s safety and hindered their experiences and progress. On occasions, these failings have resulted in children experiencing harm or being placed at risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers agreed to an unlawful placement by admitting a child to the home before its registration was confirmed. This demonstrates a lack of professional integrity and a disregard for statutory requirements designed to safeguard children. Operating without registration meant there was no external regulatory oversight or assurance that the home was safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite these serious shortfalls, there are some areas of more effective practice. Children are encouraged to engage in education through clear and consistent boundaries. The child who lived in the home maintained excellent school attendance, which provided continuity and stability. Staff attended key education meetings and advocated for the child’s learning needs. This ensured that the child’s voice was heard and contributed to more effective educational planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children to adopt healthier lifestyles. The child made progress from their starting point, showing increased engagement in a balanced diet and more consistent mealtime routines. This helped the child to develop healthier eating habits and experience greater structure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff recognise the importance of children maintaining relationships with family members. This promotes children’s sense of identity and belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: 2878492 3

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

Children have experienced physical and emotional harm from the staff caring for them. On some occasions, this has resulted in police involvement, further compounding children’s negative experiences.

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

Children do not receive consistently attuned care. Staff responses to behaviour are not trauma-informed and lack curiosity about the underlying emotional needs. Staff often attribute blame to children rather than recognising behaviour as a form of communication. As a result, staff rely on punitive approaches instead of supportive strategies. This practice leads to unnecessary escalation, and opportunities to intervene early and support children to regulate their emotions are frequently missed.

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

Physical restraint has been used at times when it could have been avoided with more attuned responses. Following restraint incidents, children are offered opportunities to discuss what has happened. However, these discussions are sometimes led by the staff involved in the incident. This does not provide sufficient independence and may limit children’s ability to share their views openly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management of the home are unstable and disorganised. At the time of the inspection, the registered manager had recently resigned, and a replacement had not been appointed. Despite this instability, plans to admit another child to the home have continued. This decision is not child-centred and increases risks both for children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Care planning is ineffective. Before the child’s admission, the placing authority provided sufficient information about the child’s needs and experiences. However, leaders and managers did not ensure that staff had the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to meet those needs. This lack of preparedness has resulted in a behavioural approach to care. Consequently, the child experienced poor care and left the home in an unplanned manner after a short period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Learning from incidents is ineffective. Although managers hold reflective discussions, learning is not consistently shared with the wider staff team. As a result, practice does not improve, and the quality of care remains poor.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not maintain effective oversight of safeguarding practice, staff performance and risk management. Records of incidents are inconsistent and lack sufficient detail. Additionally, serious incidents have not always been notified to Ofsted, including those involving police intervention or hospital attendance. This lack of transparency and oversight increases the risk of harm and contributes to poor outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2878492 4

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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 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—

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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

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

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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; and

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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)(iii)(v)(b)) 17 July 2026

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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

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; 17 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2878492 5 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’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met;

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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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—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that arrangements are in place to— 17 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2878492 6 plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(iii)(e)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

An organisation may only carry on a home if—

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Requirement Due date

each director of the organisation, except for a director who is the responsible individual, who is involved in the carrying on of a home by that organisation satisfies the requirements in paragraph (6).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character. (Regulation 26 (4)(i) (6)(a)) 17 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2878492 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8 Harcourt Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1WP

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Inspector

Becky Rutter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2878492 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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