Children's Home run by Care and Management Services Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 1 SC470457 Registered provider: Care and Management Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to 3 children who have complex behaviours because of their childhood experiences.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since November 2020 and is suitably qualified.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and one child has moved out. The inspector spoke with both children who were living in the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 12 November 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/10/2024 Full Good 12/09/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, improvements have been made in the quality of care provided to children. Steady progress continues to be made by children. However, shortfalls have been identified by leaders’ oversight and monitoring. Children’s health plans lack clear guidance for good staff practice following serious incidents and not all staff have the required training to meet each child’s individual needs.

p.3

Summary of findings

Leaders’ have recognised these areas for development and give assurances that they are taking appropriate action to strengthen systems to ensure children consistently experience a good quality of care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff support children’s moves with thoughtful planning and consideration of children’s views, wishes and feelings. When children move out, the manager offers personalised support and stays in touch with children to monitor their welfare after they leave. This thoughtful and consistent approach helps reduce feelings of rejection and promotes a lasting sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good support to access and engage in education. One child has successfully completed their GCSE exams, while another child attends school daily and benefits from a consistent routine that promotes learning. he manager also works proactively with education providers to ensure children’s individual educational needs are appropriately met.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in developing their independence skills. They are able to prepare simple meals and keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. One child has particularly thrived, taking the initiative to travel independently and attend their own medication review appointments. These experiences help children build essential life skills, such as responsibility, organisation and decision-making, which prepare them for adulthood.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with the people who are important to them, including family members. Staff build positive relationships with children’s families, which helps ensure that family time is safe, meaningful and arranged in the child’s best interests. A family member of one child said, ‘Staff are very good at supporting our time in the community.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders have created a homely environment where children spend time with each other and staff. Photos of children having fun and enjoying activities are proudly displayed throughout the home. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to reflect their personal interests. Staff ensure that all areas of the home are maintained to a good standard. Consequently, children live in a comfortable and relaxing living environment. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 4

p.3

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

Staff regularly engage children in meaningful conversations to understand their wishes and feelings. They also use these discussions as opportunities to educate children about staying safe, healthy relationships and the consequences of criminal behaviour. This helps children to stay safe by raising their awareness of harmful behaviours, teaching them how to recognise and respond to such situations and encouraging open communication with trusted adults.

p.4

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

Children’s worries and concerns are listened to. The managers ensure that children are safe, protected from harm and kept informed of the outcomes. These actions help children feel confident in raising concerns, knowing they will be taken seriously and that they are safe in their environment.

p.4

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

Staff respond promptly when children go missing from the home. They actively search for the children and work with the local police until the children are found. When children return, staff spend time with them, offering the opportunity to share any worries or anxieties and to discuss their reasons for going missing and how to prevent any further missing-from-home incidents from happening again.

p.4

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

Children are supported to manage their feelings and behaviours in a kind and calm way. Physical intervention is only used as a last resort, after all de-escalation techniques have been exhausted. The manager maintains oversight of all incidents and holds discussions with children and staff afterwards. In addition, staff support children to reflect on what has happened, giving them the opportunity to express how they are feeling.

p.4

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

There has been one incident where a child hurt themselves intentionally. Staff responded promptly and appropriately, providing nurturing care and administering suitable first aid. Staff engaged the child in supportive conversations, helping them to reflect on and express their thoughts and emotions effectively. However, staff did not make a timely referral to relevant health professionals, meaning the child did not receive specialist support quickly. Leaders acknowledge this shortfall and provide assurances that systems will be strengthened so this does not happen again.

p.4

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

The registered manager is not currently working at the home. In their absence, an interim manager has been in place since April 2026. She is enthusiastic and committed to achieving positive outcomes for the children in her care. Staff speak positively about the manager, describing her as supportive and approachable.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers’ monitoring and review systems are ineffective. Staff practice is inconsistent and not informed by children’s current plans. For example, staff do not consistently contact medical professionals following serious incidents that affect children’s health. In addition, when concerns arose about a child not taking their Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 5 medication as prescribed, the manager did not gather or analyse information to identify patterns, trends or areas for improvement. This has the potential to affect the quality of care provided to children.

p.4

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

In addition to the above, the independent person does not consistently obtain feedback from children or record their views during visits. As a result, reports do not clearly demonstrate whether children are being safeguarded, their wellbeing is being promoted or their experiences are informing independent monitoring. This limits the regulator’s ability to gain a clear and accurate understanding of what is happening in the home.

p.5

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

Monitoring systems do not capture all staff training information. This prevents leaders from effectively overseeing staff development and recognising shortfalls in staff training. As a result, not all staff have the necessary training to meet each child’s individual needs.

p.5

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

Team meetings and supervision sessions are held monthly. These practices help ensure that staff are well supported in their roles and ongoing professional development.

p.5

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

Despite the shortfalls identified during the inspection, external professionals reported that communication with the manager and staff is good. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 6

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.6

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.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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.6

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)(c)(f)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff have the required training to meet each child’s individual needs and that the home’s monitoring systems are effective. 30 July 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 30 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being.

p.7

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that each child’s health needs are met and that children are supported to understand their health needs and how to access appropriate healthcare services. This includes helping children to understand the importance of taking medication as prescribed.

p.7

Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

p.7

Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

p.7

Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (2)(a) (4)(a)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children are provided with an opportunity to communicate with the independent visitor and that the independent visitor’s reports 30 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 8 clearly detail that children are effectively safeguarded and their wellbeing is promoted.

p.7

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: SC470457 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care and Management Services Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Park business centre, Wood Lane, Birmingham B24 9QR

p.9

Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC470457 10 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.

p.9

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10