Children's Home run by Quest Children’s Home Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children's home: 2728028 1 Registered provider: Quest Children’s Home Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. They were both present during the inspection and spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2026; she is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2728028 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2025 Full Good 16/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2728028 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress in all areas of their lives. They enjoy living in the home and have positive relationships with the adults who care for them. Children are being effectively safeguarded.

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Summary of findings

One child has lived in the home for three years. The other child moved into the home in January 2026. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out in a positive and planned way in line with their care plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff want the best for the children who live at the home. Relationships between staff and children are warm and affectionate. Positive interactions between staff and the chil- dren are clear to see. Children like spending time with staff and enjoy living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health needs of children are promoted. All health appointments are up to date and children, should they need to, are able to access specialist services where required. The staff have a good understanding of meeting health needs. Staff draw on the knowledge and expertise of external professionals and the organisation’s therapy team. This means that staff are supported by therapeutic input where required. This is reflected in the pro- gress that children are making in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff understand the importance of education. Children have good at- tendance and are making effective progress. There are clear plans in place to support children with their academic progress. Children are encouraged to attend education and to achieve as highly as they can. The staff have built a culture of opportunity in the home where children are encouraged to make plans for their futures and realise these ambitions. One child has recently sat their functional skills and has been successful in achieving all. Additionally, they have received awards for their perseverance, excellent attendance and recognised progress in maths.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and therapy team distil learning from theoretical models to staff. This gives staff greater understanding of children’s emotional needs and supports staff to deliver consistent and individualised care. Training in therapeutic approaches and an under- standing of attachment theory underpin staff practice. Regular therapeutic consultations, care planning meetings and reflective discussions are used, and these are effective in improving staff practice. This enables staff to better understand the reasons behind some of the children’s behaviours while providing a nurturing environment in which chil- dren can thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain regular contact with their families. They support chil- dren in maintaining safe, appropriate and enjoyable time with people who are important Inspection report children's home: 2728028 4 to them. Staff provide practical and emotional support to maintain and develop these re- lationships. This means that children are not isolated from those who are important to them. One family member said, 'They are simply amazing. They have transformed my child. I have my child back. I am so grateful for the work they have done, it wasn’t easy at the start, but they did not give up.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff place great emphasis on children making memories and having shared experi- ences that they can cherish and keep forever. Children like spending time with staff and enjoy living at the home. As children grow in confidence, they access new social circles and enjoy a range of new activities. This provides children with the opportunity to gain new experiences and have fun. Children's likes and interests are nurtured particularly well. For example, one child attends football camp and scouts. Whilst another attends the local gym and DJ lessons regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Internal care planning processes are structured and well recorded for one child living in the home. However, the other child's plans do not detail up to date targets and enable staff to track this child’s progress and achievements in line with the children's local au- thority plans. This does not always promote good-quality or consistent care.

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

Relationships between staff and children are affectionate and loving. Staff provide a cul- ture of respect, nurture and safety. They are enormously dedicated and committed to the children. Staff are continually curious about and reflect on how they can help chil- dren’s development further. This helps children to build trust and to feel safer and re- laxed in their surroundings.

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

Keeping children safe is seen as paramount. There is an effective system in place for re- cording, reporting and monitoring safeguarding concerns. Communication with profes- sionals, such as the local authority, the designated officer and social workers, is effec- tive. The manager shares information with professionals swiftly to avoid delay and to en- sure that children are protected from harm. Multi-agency working is a strength, and col- leagues work together to ensure that children are safe.

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

The strength and consistency of the trusting relationships that children have with the staff makes children feel secure. Staff are clear about their responsibilities and know how to respond to safeguarding concerns. Comprehensive training and team meetings provide staff with the knowledge and skills they need to inform their practice and effec- tively care for children.

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

Incidents of restraint have significantly reduced from children's starting points. Although there have been periods of unsettlement, staff remain committed to the children and have shown great resilience and perseverance. Staff physically intervene as a last resort when children become unsettled or show behaviours which place themselves or others at risk of harm. Staff use a wide range of behaviour strategies which are cohesive and suc- cessful in de-escalating situations. They have an empathetic approach to behaviour man- Inspection report children's home: 2728028 5 agement which helps children to develop trust in the staff and to reflect upon their be- haviours. Strategic reviews of all incidents in the home provide constant evaluation of staff practice and highlight children’s changing needs. As a result, children are treated fairly and stay safe.

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

Robust protocols provide staff with clear direction about what to do if a child goes miss- ing. Staff search for children and liaise with the local police until they are found. When children return to the home, staff talk to them to ascertain the cause, provide support and review individual safety plans to ensure that it does not happen again. As well as staff conversations, an independent person comes to talk to the children when they re- turn home.

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

There are comprehensive written plans for each child. These are updated regularly and changes are discussed in team meetings. As a result, staff have up to date guidance on how to care for children, mitigate risk and keep children safe. Staff’s knowledge of the children is embedded in their day-to-day work, which effectively reduces and minimises the risks for children.

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

Staff educate the children around risk particularly well. Children take part in key-work sessions and engage in discussions to address identified risks and raise their awareness about topics of concern. This direct work includes exploitation, missing-from-care and the importance of telling the truth. This positive work enhances children’s knowledge of risk and allows them to take the lead in their learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an extremely dedicated, enthusiastic and conscientious regis- tered manager. She is passionate about the service. advocating for children's views and keeps children at the heart of all she does. The manager shows great ambition for the home and where it aims to be. This ethos is shared with the staff and children, resulting in good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong connections with partner agencies. Professionals are unanimously positive about the communication with the team and about the care provided for children. One social worker told the inspector, 'They are like a different child. It was really tough at the beginning, they were all exhausted, but they kept going, and as a result incidents and staffing ratios have reduced. They have worked so well with them, it's been so lovely to witness the changes’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is effective. Staff speak positively about working at the home. The manager is well regarded by the staff, and she is nurturing towards the team. This means that staff work in an environment where they feel well supported. There is effective support and challenge, and the registered manager ensures that all actions are reviewed. This ensures that poor practice is addressed effectively and that effective practice is pro- moted. Inspection report children's home: 2728028 6 Leadership, management and staff cohesion are clear strengths of the home and en- sures the safety and welfare of children. The registered manager has developed and maintains effective systems to track children’s needs and behaviours. These highlight emerging themes which inform changes to staff’s responses to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice to continually meet the children’s individual and diverse needs. Team meeting sessions take place monthly and are used as an opportunity for reflection and learning. Important issues are tracked and discussed. However, staff do not receive regular supervision in line with the company policy. This has the potential to negatively impact the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report children's home: 2728028 7

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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, 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all staff receive supervisions and appraisals in line with company policy. 06 December 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Children’s plan should be kept up to date and mirror actions from statutory local authority plans to monitor and track the progress made by children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 children's home: 2728028 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quest Children’s Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 60, Zenith House, Highlands Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 4PD

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Inspector

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2728028 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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