Children's Home run by NOVA CHILDREN'S CARE LTD in Derby

Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 1 Registered provider: NOVA CHILDREN'S CARE LTD

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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 home is privately owned and provides care for up to 6 children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2026.

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Information about this children's home

The registered provider has appointed a new responsible individual, and Ofsted is currently checking that this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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 inadequate

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2025 Full Good 02/12/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 3

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Summary of findings

There are a significant number of shortfalls in the leadership of the setting. There has been high staff turnover, and staff are not regularly offered supervision to allow them to reflect on the challenges of the role or to support their development. There is a lack of consistent use of resources to support children with their communication, and a lack of gaining children's wishes and feelings. The home is large and lacks a homely feel for children who live here. One area of the home has been specially adapted and meets the needs of a child. As a result of the shortfalls identified, children are not yet adequately safe or receiving good enough care.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved out, and 2 children have moved in. The children's guide is not child friendly and has not been reviewed to ensure it meets the communication needs and styles of children. Despite this, children who have recently moved into the home have been provided with the children's guide. This impacts on how children are supported to understand where they are going to live and what support will be offered to them.

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improvement to be good

Several children do not communicate verbally. Staff use a pictorial communication system with children, but these systems are not easily accessible to children. Staff do not regularly use the full range of the communication system resources with children, meaning that there is a lack of choice for children. Staff do not consistently gain the wishes and feelings of children and therefore there is a lack of understanding of children's views and their experience of care. Children do not have access to independent advocates, which impacts their ability to express their views to an independent person. These shortfalls limit opportunities for children with disabilities to participate actively and meaningfully in decisions about their lives.

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improvement to be good

Children are not supported to attend important meetings about their lives. Staff do not routinely seek children's views before review meetings. Leaders have not challenged when other professionals have not made efforts to involve children in these meetings. The manager has not maintained oversight of actions agreed at reviews, and meeting records are not always completed promptly or minutes obtained from other agencies. One child will be reaching adulthood soon and there has been a lack of progress to ensure that all key actions have been completed to support this important transition. While leaders have raised concerns about this with relevant agencies, these actions have not been effective in securing the progress required for the child.

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improvement to be good

Children require ongoing support to maintain good oral health and access dental care. Staff have attempted to register children with dentists; however, this has not been successful for all children. Professionals have raised concerns about some children's Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 4 dental health needs. One child is prescribed specialist toothpaste. However, staff have been unable to support the child to consistently use this, which is impacting the child's dental health needs.

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improvement to be good

The home is large and some areas are in the process of being decorated. There are lots of areas that require attention to bring them to an acceptable standard. Carpets are worn in areas and there are damaged fixtures inside. The garden and front area of the home are not well maintained. Some inside areas are kept locked and used as storage for broken items of furniture that need to be disposed of. The manager has aspirations for the home environment, but progress is slow.

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improvement to be good

Children's bedrooms are in the process of being decorated and some are personalised. Recently, an area of the home has been specially adapted to support the individual needs of one child. Key professionals and family members of this child give positive feedback about the adaptations to meet the needs of the child and to support the stability of the child's placement.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend education, and 2 children are in education full time. Where children are not in education, the manager is in discussion with key professionals to support children's education.

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improvement to be good

Fire safety is not upheld. One fire exit was rendered inaccessible due to stored items in the way, and staff did not have access to enough keys to ensure a quick exit from the front door. Immediate action was taken during the inspection to address this. However, the risks were not identified by leaders prior to the inspection. Staff had not reported a lack of keys to leaders. Furthermore, tasks related to the fire risk assessment were not completed in a timely way.

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improvement to be good

Medication practices are not consistent. Staff have not undertaken temperature checks consistently to ensure the safe storage of a particular medication. When errors have occurred, prompt action has not been taken by leaders to address errors. Leader's oversight of medication is poor. Medication audits undertaken have not identified shortfalls in staff practice, including occasions when children have missed prescribed medication.

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improvement to be good

At times, staff have held children to support their safety. However, staff are not consistently offered a debrief discussion in line with regulations. At times, staff involved in physical interventions with children have recorded the debrief discussion with the child. Due to the complex communication needs of children, this limits opportunities for an independent person to be able to support children and record observations of the child following the intervention.

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improvement to be good

One child who recently moved in did not have a missing-from-care protocol in place to support staff to understand what action to take should the child go missing. Immediate Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 5 action was taken to address this during the inspection. Staff do not regularly update care plans for children, and, for one child, their care plan was significantly out of date. Support plans for children are lengthy and complex, which can impact on staff easily understanding how to care for children. Leaders have identified this and are planning to review these plans. The location risk assessment has not been updated regarding consultations with relevant people.

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improvement to be good

When children make allegations, leaders take action, including referring to external safeguarding agencies and undertake investigations as necessary. However, records do not consistently show that children are updated about the outcome of the allegation. On one occasion, issues raised from an external agency regarding a member of staff were not addressed by the manager and risk management was not clear.

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improvement to be good

When complaints are raised, leaders review the concerns and keep people informed of the actions taken in response. Leaders use complaints as an opportunity for reflection, identifying lessons learned and implementing changes where necessary to strengthen practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are several shortfalls in leadership and management. The manager has recently been registered with Ofsted, having started the role in October 2025. The manager has aspirations for the children; however, progress has been slow. The manager has support from 2 deputy managers. However, due to staffing shortages, deputy managers have been working on shift, which has impacted on their leadership roles and responsibilities being completed. Further, the manager has not yet developed a clear understanding of what should be delegated and what requires her direct oversight, which impacts the consistency of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Prior to a child moving in, leaders had not stabilised the staffing arrangements. This has led to a significant increase in the use of agency staff to meet the needs of all 4 children. There is a lack of clear induction of agency staff. Therefore, it is unclear how leaders are assured that agency staff know the expectations of the care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been significant staff turnover, with several staff leaving and several new staff joining the team. Many of the new staff have not previously worked in a children's home. Despite this, staff are not consistently receiving professional supervision. This is of concern given the number of inexperienced and unqualified staff caring for children with complex needs. Staff do not have regular opportunities to reflect on their practice, discuss challenges and receive guidance from leaders. Furthermore, staff do not consistently raise concerns or difficulties they are experiencing to the manager. This limits the manager's oversight and ability to identify and address issues in a timely way. In addition, not all staff who are due an appraisal have received one, further reducing opportunities for performance and development to be formally reviewed and supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not always attend shift handovers or fully review information about previous shifts. Handovers are not consistently recorded or signed by staff, making it unclear Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 6 whether key information has been communicated or whether required actions or tasks have been identified and completed. There are several shortfalls in recording related to children's records. The manager is aware of this and is taking steps to address it, but this is yet to be embedded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The independent visitor fails to secure feedback from important people during visits. There were no feedback responses to the Ofsted survey. This lack of feedback means that leaders do not have a good understanding of independent people's views and experiences of care. These are missed opportunities for leaders to evaluate their strengths and areas of development. The review of quality-of-care report was completed for the last period. However, this was not shared with the regulator in line with regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is attempting to stabilise the shortfalls identified but, as yet, this has been ineffective. The responsible individual offers the manager support and has identified development needs. They are supporting coaching for the manager, who welcomes the support. The staff meet regularly, which supports good communication in the staff team. The manager seeks specialised training for staff from external professionals. The responsible individual and manager are reflective and accepting of the shortfalls identified. They wish to improve practice to improve the care of children. Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

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

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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

Agency staff receive a thorough induction and meet employment eligibility requirements. 4 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 8 Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals.

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Requirement Due date

Staff access handovers and the recording of handovers are thorough.

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Requirement Due date

Staff recording is improved so that records are clear, accurate and provide a comprehensive account of children's experiences, needs, the support they receive and the progress they are making.

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Requirement Due date

The manager delegates tasks appropriately, ensuring they maintain effective oversight of children's needs and actions that need to be taken to promote their care.

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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;

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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;

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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;

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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)(i)(iii)(v)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that access to fire exits allows prompt evacuation and that actions from fire risk assessment are 4 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 9 promptly completed. Furthermore, ensure that information from external agencies is addressed with staff as necessary.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children's home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, medication should be stored appropriately and when there are errors, prompt action should be taken to address shortfalls. 4 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child's views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child's best interests when making decisions about the child's care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home's care;

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

keep the children's guide and the home's complaints procedure under review and seek children's comments before revising either document;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child's arrival about— 4 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 10 what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(b)(i)(iii)(c)(d)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, communication needs for children should be consistently met, children should have access to advocacy services and the children's guide should be child friendly.

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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

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

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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)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home environment is welcoming and meets children's needs. 4 September 2026

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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")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. 4 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 11 (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should receive debriefs following physical interventions.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

that each child's relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, support children to contribute to meetings regarding their care, and support their transition to adulthood to avoid delay. 4 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children's home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 4 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 12 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to: respond to the health needs of children; administer basic first aid and minor illness treatment; help children to manage long-term conditions and, where necessary, meet specific, individual health needs arising from a disability, chronic condition or other complex needs. In particular, support children with their dental hygiene needs. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 34, paragraph 7.12)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. This includes gaining feedback from key people via independent visits and the point in time survey. Furthermore, regulation 45 reports should be sent to the regulator in a timely way. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2785955 13

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Children's home details

Registered provider: NOVA CHILDREN'S CARE LTD

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Para Group House, 6-11 Riley Street, Willenhall, West Midlands WV13 1RH

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Inspectors

Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Sarah Orriss, Regional Inspection Manager Inspection report for children's home: 2785955 14 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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