Children's Home run by Solve Housing Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children's home: 2774066 1 Registered provider: Solve Housing 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

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to 2 children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. They both spent time with the inspector and contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She is registered to manage 2 homes.

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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

Date of last inspection: 9 December 2025

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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: 2774066 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2025 Full Good 26/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2774066 3

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Summary of findings

Children’s experiences are positive. They are making progress and they benefit from warm, nurturing relationships with the staff who know them well. Children feel safe and loved and their social workers speak positively about the care that they receive. Effective care planning and a strong focus on education helps children to achieve positive outcomes. The children have opportunities to enjoy new experiences that build their confidence and create lasting memories and the home is filled with laughter. Positive relationships are promoted, children are supported to overcome conflict, and they enjoy spending time together. The home is well led, ensuring children receive consistent, high- quality care from a dedicated manager and staff team who are committed to helping them thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home, they are in healthy daily routines and the warm and nurturing relationships that they share with the staff is supporting their progress and development. One child said that they want to remain living in the home until they are 18 and describe the staff as ‘the best.’ Children's social workers speak positively about the children's experiences and the care that they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from effective care planning that is tailored to their individual needs. Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home in line with their care plan. To celebrate this milestone, the child was supported to go on holiday to a Caribbean island in line with their wishes which created positive memories for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The importance of education is promoted, and children are supported to access learning that meets their individual needs. Staff have supported one child to return to full-time education through a carefully planned transition. Another child is engaging well with home-based learning while plans are finalised for their return to school following a lengthy absence. Effective partnership working with education professionals helps to ensure that children receive the support they need to make progress and achieve positive educational outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to pursue their hobbies and interests and to have new experiences. One child enjoys bike rides and attending boxing sessions, while another child enjoys spending time with staff during movie and pamper nights. Children also enjoy a variety of holidays, which helps them to build confidence and broaden their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is filled with laughter and chatter and visitors are warmly welcomed, helping to create a positive environment. Childrens bedrooms are personalised to reflect their Inspection report children's home: 2774066 4 individual interests and preferences, and features such as the fish tank in the lounge contribute to the homely atmosphere. Plans to refurbish the kitchen are underway, which demonstrates commitment to maintaining and continually improving the environment for children.

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

Children say that they feel safe and one child said, ‘You know… I think the staff proper love me.’ Children easily identify trusted adults they would speak to if they had any worries or concerns.

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

Children are safe in the home. Staff have a detailed understanding of children’s individual vulnerabilities and know how to manage the risks that they face. Incidents are managed effectively, with staff taking appropriate action to safeguard children and promote their well-being. All incidents are reviewed by managers to identify learning and support continuous improvement of practice. Children respond well to the clear and consistent boundaries in place, which helps them to understand expectations and acceptable behaviour.

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

Positive relationships are promoted and staff role model positive behaviour and respectful interactions. When disagreements between children arise, staff help them to resolve conflicts quickly and understand the importance of being kind to each other. This supports the children to develop empathy and understand the impact of their behaviour on others.

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

Children go missing from home for short periods of time. When this happens staff follow clear procedures and work closely with safeguarding partners to bring children home safely. Staff regularly talk to children about staying safe and the risks they may face in the community. This helps children to better understand risks and make safer choices.

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

Restraint has been used on one occasion since the last inspection. Its use was necessary and proportionate to safeguard the child. The child's views were sought to help staff and the manager to understand their experiences and feelings at the time. This information has informed future safety planning and helped staff to strengthen their support for the child, promoting their safety and well-being.

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

Allegations made by children are taken seriously. Since the last inspection, one child has raised concerns about a staff members practice. The concerns were promptly referred to external safeguarding agencies, and investigations took place. The outcome was shared with the child, and support was provided to both the child and staff throughout the process. This helped the child to know that their views were heard throughout and responded to appropriately. Inspection report children's home: 2774066 5 Complaints are managed effectively. Since the last inspection, there has been one anonymous complaint. The complaint was managed in line with the provider’s procedures, investigated appropriately and responded to thoroughly and transparently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The dedicated manager has recently returned to the home following a planned absence. She loves the children and is proud of their progress. During her absence, the assistant managers provided effective leadership and oversight of the home's day-to-day operations, ensuring stability and continuity of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy spending time with the children. There is a real sense of togetherness amongst the team which creates a supportive environment where children feel secure. External professionals report that communication is effective and that strong partnership working keeps children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held monthly to discuss children’s progress and developments within the home. These meetings enable staff to share information, review strategies to support and safeguard children, and reinforce practice expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders ensure that staff complete a training programme and have the skills that they need to meet the children’s complex needs. Staff speak positively about the training that they receive including learning related to when children are missing from the home and self-harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Arrangements for staff induction, supervision and appraisal further support staff development. While annual staff appraisals are completed, they do not always include feedback from colleagues and professionals, and one staff members appraisal took place too early. This limits the manager's ability to fully evaluate staff performance and identify development areas. The manager is taking steps to strengthen the appraisal process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home's statement of purpose is not fully accurate, nor does it include details of the experience and qualifications of staff working in the home. This does not impact children’s care. Inspection report children's home: 2774066 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals do not take place before staff have been working at the home for 12 months. Also, wherever possible, staff appraisals should consistently consider feedback from their colleagues and other professionals who have worked with the staff member, to provide a well-rounded assessment of their performance and practice. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the homes statement of purpose is accurate and includes the experience and qualifications of staff working in the home. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 53, paragraph 10.10)

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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: 2774066 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Solve Housing Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Azzurri House, Walsall Business Park, Aldridge, Walsall WS9 0RB

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Inspectors

Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2774066 8 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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