Children's home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Liverpool

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two children have been admitted to the home since the last inspection. Both placements have been well planned in advance. Effective collaboration with placing authorities enabled the home to have a good understanding of each child’s needs, and to plan appropriately for their admission. Children were well prepared for their move to the home. They were made welcome, and careful consideration was given to matching them to other children to give them the best possible experience of living in the home. One child moved in sooner than was anticipated in response to a crisis in his previous home, which necessitated an earlier move. This demonstrates that the home is responsive and flexible, and is able to meet children’s needs.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three children have left the home since the last inspection. In two instances the home served notice, recognising that it could not meet the children’s needs. Despite the home’s interventions, both children were having a negative impact on others. The boys’ very high levels of challenging and dangerous behaviour were not reducing. The home worked with placing authorities to help plan more suitable future placements for these children. The third child was discharged when the placing authority served notice because he had been missing for almost three weeks. This child had not been at the home for long, and had been missing for significant periods of time from previous homes. Despite these unplanned endings, feedback from the relevant placing authorities was positive and recognised the good work of the staff team.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person is due to move out immediately after this inspection. His transition to adult services has been extremely well planned and person centred. The home has worked collaboratively with the placing authority, new provider and family to ensure a smooth and successful transition. This has reduced the young person’s anxieties and enabled him have a positive experience of well-supported introductions to his new home. The home and the staff team have demonstrated an exceptional level of commitment to him, which is recognised by the young person, his family and his placing authority.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Where it becomes apparent that children in one house are not getting on well, or where children request a move, the home considers a change of house and carries out impact risk assessments. This ensures that the needs of the child and other children are taken into account in any decision. A recommendation to demonstrate decision-making in relation to such moves has been implemented, so there is now good evidence that any moves between houses are made in children’s best interests.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Most of the children continue to make good or very good progress across all areas of their development. They enjoy the many activities on offer, both in the home and in the community. Children are encouraged to contribute their views to their daily lives and individual plans, and most do. Consultation with children informs activities, outings and meal choices. They have warm and friendly relationships with the staff team and have an overall positive experience of living in the home. One child explained: ‘It’s quite nice. Staff are friendly and they help you when you’re down and need their support. This home is different.’

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home promotes children’s good health well, including their mental health. It helps many children to re-engage with education, thereby improving their future life chances. Staff support contact with families well. Over time, staff develop good relationships with parents. Children receive support from a variety of other professionals, in accordance with their assessed needs, and staff support them to attend appointments, including appointments with the youth offending service and specialist health advisors.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A small number of children are unhappy, and are becoming increasingly involved in negative or dangerous behaviour. Staff give good advice and consistent support to help them turn their lives around. However, their success in helping children to re- engage is variable, and in some cases external influences are so strong that children continue to run away to be with family. Some display high levels of anxiety and distress, manifesting in aggressive and anti-social behaviour and criminality. Managers advocate well for these children, listen to their views and influence local authorities to review their care plans and seek more appropriate placements. They work well with the local police and community.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The newly strengthened management team continues to develop and evolve. Each house is led by a care manager who is supervised by the assistant manager. There has been a focus on developing a sense of identity and accountability within each team. Consequently, staff are developing a sense of belonging and commitment to the house they work in, and the children living there.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and assistant manager are well supported in their work by the responsible individual, and there is good partnership working with the new school principal. This helps to ensure that children’s holistic needs are considered and addressed, and that pertinent information is shared with school, so that children’s ever-changing needs are taken into account in their day-to-day education and care. Managers have a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and have created a clear development plan, which includes addressing the requirement and recommendations made following the last inspection. Progress in meeting some of these has been good. For example, staff are now meeting regularly as a team to discuss the children living in their house. Although this practice is not yet fully embedded, it is promoting better consistency of care and behaviour management. Written impact risk assessments are supporting better

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

planning for children moving between houses. Children receive good support to maintain their bedrooms in a clean and comfortable state, and most manage to do so. Staff provide additional support as necessary to those children who struggle with this so that all children have a welcoming, comfortable personal space.

p.4

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Systems for checking DVDs and electronic games coming into the home have been strengthened. Consequently, the home better protects children by reducing their access to inappropriate or adult materials.

p.4

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

More recent closer scrutiny of referral information is helping the home to improve children’s outcomes. This is because the home is more focused on only admitting children whose needs can be addressed and met. It is taking better consideration of the needs of children already in placement. This is helping the home to offer placements to those who are less likely to have a negative impact on resident children.

p.4

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

External monitoring of the home by an independent person is strong. The operation of the home, its safeguarding practice and the quality of care are very well scrutinised and evaluated. Actions raised by the visitor are addressed by the manager, and this helps to promote improvements in the quality of care.

p.4

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The use of restraint with some children has been high. The records show clearly that restraint is used appropriately, and only to prevent serious harm or damage. A requirement made to improve records relating to control, discipline and restraint has been partially met. Further improvement is needed because details of antecedents are not well recorded. This means that records do not demonstrate that staff have responded well to children, or taken action to prevent the child’s behaviour escalating. They do not show that staff have a good understanding of children’s emotional needs. Records are not always reviewed by the manager within five days, and sometimes there is no evidence of management reflection. Consequently, records do not demonstrate that staff are supported to learn from incidents and improve their practice.

p.4

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Discussions are held with children following incidents, including missing incidents, but these discussions do not focus well on the child’s views. They are not used effectively to help children reflect on what prompted the incident, and how they were feeling before and during the incident. Once again, the opportunity to learn from incidents is lost.

p.4

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although independent return interviews are requested, and sometimes held, records do not clearly demonstrate that these are held after every missing incident, and the independent person who undertakes this work on behalf of placing authorities does not share information with the home. This undermines the otherwise good partnership working and the home’s proactive approach to safeguarding. Although the home has taken action to escalate this shortfall in service to those responsible for independent return interviews, so far this has not been effective.

p.4

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers know the children well and have a good understanding of their individual needs and placement plans. They hold daily meetings with care managers, which ensures that they are kept up to date with issues arising and serious incidents. The leaders and managers are available to staff and children, and both groups feel comfortable in raising issues of concern, which are quickly and appropriately addressed. For example, where children have complained of being bullied, strategies have been put in place to reduce the likelihood of bullying. Additionally, the home has carried out key worker sessions with both the victim and the perpetrator, in an effort to build resilience and self-esteem, and to help them understand other people’s feelings. This has had varying levels of success, and more needs to be done to establish a strong no-bullying culture within the home.

p.5

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A recommendation to help staff further develop skills in countering bullying and resolving differences through a restorative justice approach has been partially met . Two staff are being trained in restorative justice, and staff report that they have received some good guidance about how to protect children from bullying. Plans are in place to roll out restorative justice practice and to train staff in countering bullying, but the pace of implementation is not quick enough, given that this is a live and ongoing issue in the home.

p.5

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A recommendation to ensure that children have access to a computer to support their learning and development has not been met because there have been delays in implementing the new computer systems within the home. This makes it difficult for staff to support children to use the internet and social media safely, and to ensure that children understand how to stay safe online. The manager reports that computers will be fully in use shortly after the inspection, and measures will be taken to ensure that children using the internet do so safely.

p.5

Information about this children's home

The home is provided by a voluntary organisation and is registered for up to 36 children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities or a mental disorder.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/09/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/10/2015 Full Requires improvement 28/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.6

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets 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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

3(a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— (ii) details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

(b) 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")— (i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

(c) within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

p.7

Requirement Due date

(4) Paragraph (3) does not apply in relation to restraint that is planned or provided for as a matter of routine in the child's EHC plan or statement of special educational needs.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the monitoring of incidents; and the appropriate reflection on incidents with staff and children to promote learning and to help children express their feelings about the incident. (Regulation 35 (3) (4) ) 28/02/2017

p.7

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that children have access to a computer to support their learning and development and support them to use it safely by ensuring that they understand how to stay safe online. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)  Ensure that staff understand what they must do to prevent bullying and have the skills required to recognise, and address, different types of abuse and bullying between peers. Ensure that they intervene, protect and address bullying behaviours effectively. To this end, the registered person should ensure that skills in countering bullying and resolving differences through a restorative justice approach are gained, refreshed and practised. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.16)

p.8

Recommendations

 Challenge the placing authority or another relevant person when they do not provide the input or services needed to meet a child's needs. In particular, challenge those responsible for ensuring that children receive independent return interviews, to carry out this duty in a timely way and to share pertinent safeguarding information so that children are better protected through effective risk assessment and good multi-agency collaboration. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

p.8

What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

p.9

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference that adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

p.9

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service 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’. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

p.10

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Information about this inspection

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

p.10

Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.10