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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 1 SC365366 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

This home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 3 children with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspector spent time with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in April 2026. After a period of having an interim manager, a new permanent manager has recently been appointed, and they have applied to become registered.

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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 requires improvement to be 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 for children’s home: SC365366 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2025 Full Good 18/02/2025 Full Good 01/11/2023 Full Good 22/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 3

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Summary of findings

Children have a good experience living at this home, this has been their home for several years. This has provided children with stability and a sense of belonging. Staff understand how to keep children safe, and this is prioritised in children’s daily care and routines. There have been significant changes, and there are some shortfalls in leadership and management at the home. However, these have been recognised, and action is being taken to address this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with good quality and consistent care. As a result, they make steady and lasting progress. Children enjoy a range of activities in line with their needs and interests. The children have enjoyed a holiday away in the summer, and this was an enriching experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Attending school is a high priority at the home. Children have excellent attendance records and a good experience of school life. Staff help children to prepare for changes in their routines. For example, one child is having a new school transport provider. Staff have talked to the child and shared the drivers photograph with them, to help them to prepare for this change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to share collective mealtimes and outings; they also ensure that children have their own privacy and individual space. As a result, children share their home well, living alongside each other harmoniously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are well attuned to children’s methods of communication. Staff spend time with and listen to children patiently to understand their wishes and feelings. Staff encourage children to develop skills towards independence in line with their individual abilities. For example, helping to set the table, laundry tasks and washing up.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work in partnership with children’s families to ensure that children can spend quality time with those who are important to them. However, communication with parents is inconsistent and varies in quality. On occasion this means parents are not updated or assured of their child’s well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are aware of the children’s culture, but they are not proactive in supporting children to experience their own or different cultures. One child previously attended church, but this became overwhelming; staff have not creatively considered how else they could experience church in different ways.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is a suitable space for children to live. Children enjoy the sensory space, and their bedrooms reflect their interests. However, there are areas that are looking tired and worn, such as a torn sofa and a broken kitchen drawer. There is a lack Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 4 of care and attention in the maintenance of the home. The new manager has taken prompt action to request improvements to the environment.

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

Staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They supervise children in line with their plans, while promoting their independence, dignity and privacy.

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

Staff are vigilant and alert to changes in children’s presentation, understanding subtle signs of distress. They take action to help them to manage their anxieties. Staff are skilled at helping children to manage their heightened emotions. As a result, children maintain good emotional wellbeing and behavioural incidents are extremely rare.

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

Online safety is a known risk for one child. Staff have acted to enhance monitoring of the child’s devices. They have also spent time helping the child to learn about keeping safe and using the internet appropriately. This topic has been revisited several times to embed the learning and emphasise the importance of this matter.

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

When allegations have been made, staff and managers have taken appropriate action to safeguard children. This includes effective recording, reporting and partnership working with key professionals. However, there are inconsistencies in children being spoken to about the outcome in these instances. Furthermore, children are not sufficiently helped to understand the impact of making allegations.

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

This has been a period of change in leadership and management at the home. This has led to some unsettlement within the staff team, as they adapt.

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

The changes in management have also led to a somewhat disjointed approach to management oversight. For example, where leaders and managers have devised action plans following incidents, they are not consistently followed through to completion. This reduces the effectiveness of management oversight and results in missed opportunities for learning and development. The manager has now swiftly established routines and approaches that are being embedded to improve oversight at the home.

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

There is a very stable core staff team who have all worked at the home for several years. The home also uses agency staff, but these are staff who are usually familiar to the children. Overall, staff know the children well, understand their needs and have good relationships with them.

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

However, managers have not been sufficiently proactive to ensure the ongoing development of the experienced staff team. This includes some gaps in completing mandatory training and a significant and repeated shortfall in staff completing the required qualification. This has now far exceeded the expected timescale. There is a culture of a lack of urgency and importance about this. This reduces the overall expertise of the staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 5 Furthermore, there are some gaps in the frequency of staff supervision and regular agency staff have not received any formal supervision. In addition, permanent staff have not had annual appraisals. These are missed opportunities for staff development.

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

Despite the changes and shortfalls in leadership and management, the care of children has remained consistent, and of good quality. As a result, children have a stable home and a good experience overall. The newly appointed manager has a strong vision for the development of the home and is aspirational for children’s outcomes. Leaders and managers do understand the areas for development and are taking collective action to effect positive change. Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 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

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

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that all staff complete mandatory training in a timely way. This also relates to managers having effective oversight of children’s experiences, to develop the quality of care and make continuous improvements. 5 January 2027

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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 5 January 2027 Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 7 date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that staff complete qualifications in line with the timescales. In addition, that managers take urgent action to address any barriers and delays.

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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)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that all staff, including agency staff receive supervision. In addition, that staff have an annual appraisal. 5 January 2027

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. The home should be a homely, well maintained domestic environment. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations; however, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any allegation of harm or abuse is addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy. This includes ensuring that children receive feedback and that there is good record keeping of all actions completed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)  The registered person should ensure that children understand what local leisure and

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Recommendations

other cultural or religious services are on offer for them, support them to access any relevant leisure passes and encourage them to participate in activities in the community and wider if appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.6) Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 8

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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: SC365366 9

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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

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC365366 10 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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