Children's Home run by 2nd Nurture Limited in St Helens

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 .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has made some progress in addressing the requirements and the recommendation that were made at the last inspection. There is a clear internal monitoring and review system in place to inform the six-monthly quality of care review. Staff receive regular training and development opportunities, and a training matrix is in place to demonstrate this. However, the training matrix still requires improvement so that it clearly outlines the dates on which training is due and when it is going to take place. External monitoring is undertaken by the independent visitor and continues to take place on a monthly basis. It provides a rigorous, detailed and evaluative assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children who are living there. However, the independent visitor still does not routinely find out the views of young people, parents and social workers on the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, one young person has moved out to live in a semi- independent placement. The young person’s transition was well planned and the young person’s views, wishes and feelings were central to the plan. She was well supported to make the right choice regarding the placement that she would move on to and was enabled to visit different placement options before she made her final decision. Once it was established that the placement was suitable, staff and the young person met with the provider and staff who would be supporting her. She was able to visit her new home and have a say in how she wanted it furnished. Before the young person moved out, staff from the new provider visited the home to have tea with her. This resulted in the young person being able to establish relationships with the staff prior to moving into her new home. Staff from the home continue to maintain contact with the young person and offer her advice, support

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and guidance as necessary. Furthermore, an intensive independence package was in place that enabled the young person to gain the skills to live independently. Due to the planning of the transition and the support that was given to the young person, her transition from the home was very successful.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person moved into the home a few days before this inspection. This was an unplanned placement due to the immediate risks to the young person. The young person was welcomed into the home and given lots of reassurance as to what he should expect, as he had never lived away from his family before. He soon settled into the home after initially being quite anxious. The young person’s case file contains all the relevant information. This enables the staff to meet his needs. The file includes a very detailed placement referral form, a care plan, a placement plan, medical consent, a risk assessment, a health care plan and a contact plan. A young person’s meeting and a fire drill have also taken place with the young person. Staff have developed positive relationships with him and his family in the short time that he has lived at the home. Unfortunately, the young person was hospitalised two days after arriving at the home. However, staff have remained

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

with him throughout his time in hospital. His family have also visited him regularly during this time. Therefore, the young person has been fully supported during his transition to the home and during his illness. Consequently, he knows that the staff from the home care about him.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When the current young person arrived at the home, the staff implemented a health care plan which outlined his current health issues and how these would be managed. Staff monitored the young person and responded well to a deterioration in his health. They took immediate action to ensure that the young person received the necessary medical treatment. Due to the staff’s regular monitoring and the action that was taken by staff, the young person was treated at the earliest opportunity, which prevented any further deterioration or implications in respect of his health.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people who live in the home are encouraged and supported to do well in education. The young person who has left the home since the last inspection successfully achieved level 3 qualifications. She attained these with the support and encouragement of the staff team. They ensured that she attended regularly and supported her to do coursework at home. The current young person had dis- engaged with education prior to moving into the home. However, staff have spoken to him about the importance of this and he is keen to re-engage. The registered manager and the staff contacted education professionals shortly after the young person moved into the home to ensure that he would be re-engaged in education at the earliest opportunity. During the inspection a meeting took place between the registered manager and an education professional, and a clear plan was put in place for the young person’s education. The young person said, ‘I want

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

to get back into my education now, as I know I have gone off track.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding practice in the home is good, due to the knowledge, skills and understanding of the registered manager and the staff. They receive regular training and development opportunities, which support them in their professional practice and in keeping young people safe. The registered manager and the staff respond well to missing-from-care episodes. They take appropriate action to locate young people and to inform relevant people. The staff liaise well with the missing- from-home coordinator to ensure that independent return interviews take place. However, the records that relate to episodes of young people going missing need to be strengthened, as they do not provide a sufficiently clear and accurate account of the events. Furthermore, the home did not provide HMCI with a notification on an occasion when the missing-from-home episode was a significant and serious incident. Although the home took appropriate action to safeguard the young

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

person, the recording and notifications systems in the home need to be strengthened.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Behaviour management in the home is robust. This contributed to the much more settled behaviour of the young person who recently left the home. The registered manager and the staff gained a good understanding of the triggers for her negative behaviours. This understanding enabled them to support her in managing her own emotions and behaviour in a more positive way. Staff deal with negative behaviours in a supportive manner rather than in a punitive one. This approach resulted in very few sanctions being issued to the young person who recently left the home; furthermore, there were no physical interventions or complaints. Consequently, the young person developed positive relationships with staff and was able to learn how to manage her own feelings and behaviours more constructively.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and the staff work effectively with other professionals, such as social workers, independent reviewing officers, the local authority designated officer (LADO), missing-from-home coordinators, the youth offending team, the police, and health and educational professionals. Consequently, young people receive appropriate support that meets their individual needs and results in improved outcomes for them. For example, the transition plan for the young person who has left the home was implemented earlier than expected due to the progress that she had made. Her progress was achieved due to the collaborative working that took place between professionals who jointly encouraged and supported her to make progress across all areas of her life. The young person herself was the one who made the decision to move on earlier than expected, as she felt that she had gained the skills and confidence to enable this to happen.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and offers care and accommodation to one young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/10/2016 Full Good 31/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/01/2016 Full Outstanding 11/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if: a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)). 04/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: Visits and reports

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Requirement Due date

(1)The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. (2) When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person – (a) if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and person’s working at the home as the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44(1)(2)(a)) 04/04/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications.) The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 In particular, the training matrix should include clear, up-to-date information on when training is due, the date on which it has been booked to take place and when it has been completed.

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Recommendations

 Ensure records are kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home and actions taken by staff. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)

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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’.

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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.

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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 .

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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 children looked after 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,

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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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

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