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

Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 1 SC432966 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 privately owned and provides care for up to 4 children with physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities. Two children live in the home, and both children were seen and spoken with as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024 and is suitably experienced and qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/08/2024 Full Good 12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 3

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Summary of findings

Shortfalls in how children have been helped and protected and the leadership and management of the home have impacted on children's experiences. Despite these shortfalls, children were observed to be happy and settled in the home and benefit from the support of staff who know and understand them well. Managers have a good understanding of the shortfalls and clear plans to address them.

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improvement to be good

The environment needs attention. A laundry room is routinely locked, as hazardous chemicals are stored in there. A garden room is used to store furniture and is also kept locked. This limits children's access to areas of their home. In addition, some areas of the home would benefit from being repainted where there have been repairs. This work is planned.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always been vigilant in their care for children's personal possessions. The manager shared that staff were unsure whether a child had returned to the home with a favourite toy. The child's parent said that this was significant to the child. The manager has also not taken prompt action to retrieve toys that have been dropped from a window onto a roof. This does not support children to feel valued. The manager has strengthened systems for recording items coming into and out of the home and has plans to retrieve the child's toys.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and no children have moved in. The child's move was sensitively planned and included them spending time with new staff, supporting them to develop understanding of each other and to build relationships. This helped alleviate the child's anxieties and supported the move to be positive.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to personalise their bedrooms and put photos of children on display around the home, which contributes to a homely atmosphere. The home is spacious, and the garden has play equipment including a trampoline for children to enjoy. This helps children to feel a sense of enjoyment and belonging.

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improvement to be good

Staff know and understand children well. They build positive, trusting relationships with children and understand children's preferred methods of communication. They routinely use communication aids to gather children's views. This helps to ensure that children feel listened to and their views are understood. Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 4 Staff support children to access education that meets their needs. Teachers describe good communication with staff and describe them as invested in the children and promoting their education well.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. Feedback from parents about the care their children receive is mixed. One child's parent described good communication and their child making clear progress, which they attributed to the support they receive from staff. Another parent raised some concerns. The manager has a clear plan to review these with the parent and social worker.

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improvement to be good

Staff take children on activities that enhance their experiences of living in the home. Activities are individualised to their interests. Staff support children to create memory books as a lasting reminder for children of their time at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always followed safeguarding protocols. A delay in a staff member reporting a safeguarding concern prevented timely action from being taken to reduce risk. In addition, a child did not receive a prompt medical assessment when there was information that indicated the child may have experienced harm. This increased risk to the child and does not demonstrate that staff always understand the protocols of the home. Managers took action once they were aware of the concerns. A medical assessment took place, and the child was well.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always been proactive at reducing risk in the physical environment. A broken item was left in a child's room after an incident. The item had sharp edges and posed a risk of injury if the child picked it up. The manager addressed the practice with the staff involved, and the child did not sustain an injury.

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improvement to be good

Staff manage children's complex health needs well. Clear protocols provide staff with guidance on how to support a child who has epilepsy. The manager speaks with relevant professionals to ensure that the condition is regularly reviewed, and staff understand how to respond. This helps to ensure the child's health and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Staff are routinely spoken to after incidents. These discussions offer opportunity to reflect on practice and identify learning.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained in de-escalation. They use their training to support children without needing to hold them. There have been no incidents requiring physical intervention since the last inspection. This demonstrates that strategies to support children are effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Systems for monitoring the home are not always effective. The manager approves records on the electronic system. However, they have fallen behind. This means that Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 5 opportunities are missed to identify and address shortfalls and risk in a timely way. In addition, the manager has not always identified when language in written records is unclear and where there are gaps in records. This impedes the effectiveness of her oversight and is not helpful for children reflecting on their experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager aspires to provide children with good-quality care. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the areas for development for the service. They have begun to upskill staff through workshops and training that is tailored to key areas for development. For example, processes for reporting safeguarding concerns have been reviewed with the wider team. This demonstrates a commitment to developing staff and quality of care. However, learning is not yet embedded, and shortfalls in staff practice have increased risk for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

While managers complete internal investigations when there are concerns about staff practice, the outcomes are not always timely. The manager has not always thoroughly explored information that indicates concern. This has meant that opportunities were missed to identify shortfalls with practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The majority of the staff are unqualified, and multiple staff have not achieved the relevant qualification within appropriate timescales. Some staff's qualifications are significantly out of date. Staff are on course to achieve the qualification, and the manager is monitoring staff progress. This was a requirement at the last inspection and has been restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive training that is individualised to children's needs. They say they find it helpful. In addition, staff receive regular supervision and say they feel well supported by managers. Regular training and opportunities for reflection help staff to develop positive practice and increase their understanding of how to provide tailored care and support that meets children's needs. Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 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 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

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that their monitoring of the home identifies where there are gaps in records or language is unclear.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered manager must ensure that investigations take place in a timely way and are sufficiently comprehensive to promptly identify learning to develop the quality of care. 16 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or 16 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 7 if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are supported to achieve the required qualification within the expected 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

that staff— 16 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 8 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand their responsibilities in relation to reporting safeguarding concerns.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that staff are vigilant relating to risk in the physical environment and ensure that it is kept safe for children.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that children receive a prompt medical assessment when a child may have experienced harm.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child's needs. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff seek to meet children's basic needs in the way that a good parent would. This includes supporting children to care for their personal possessions. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children. In particular, repainting after repairs should be done promptly to ensure that the home is well maintained. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 9

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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: SC432966 10

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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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Inspector

Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC432966 11 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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