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

Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 1 SC454265 Registered provider: 2nd Nurture Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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 may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager does not hold a suitable qualification in line with the regulations for children’s homes.  The monitoring and review systems in the home need to be strengthened. This will enable the registered manager to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the home and take appropriate action to address the shortfalls identified. Furthermore, the reports from the independent monitoring and quality of care reviews are not sent to Ofsted in line with regulations.  The home does not have effective systems in place to ensure that young people receive the appropriate support and monitoring when they are under the influence of a substance.  The home does not record clearly what actions are taken to locate young people when they are missing from the home or what action has been taken when they return. Independent return interviews do not routinely take place when young people return from being missing.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The education needs of young people are not always met. The home does not support young people to engage in education-based activities when they are not in formal education.  Young people do not always engage in regular recreational and social activities and spend a lot of time in their bedroom.  Records, plans and risk assessments for young people do not provide an up-to- date account of the young person’s needs and risks or how these are being met.  Behaviour management in the home is unclear. Behaviour management plans fail to identify the individual behaviours of young people and what the home is doing to manage poor behaviour or to promote positive behaviour.  The recruitment procedures for new staff working in the home do not demonstrate safe recruitment practice.  The home’s location risk assessment does not include information from other safeguarding professionals in the area. This does not demonstrate that the

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Key findings from this inspection

home is aware of all known risks in the community.  The home’s workforce development plans need to be strengthened to include information relating to the supervision of staff and how poor performance is managed.  Although the home has a robust induction for all new staff, they do not always complete mandatory training prior to working alone in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 3 The children’s home’s strengths:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The number of times young people go missing from the home has reduced. This is due to the supportive and nurturing environment offered to the young people.  Partnership working is good. This ensures a consistent approach to supporting the young people.  Young people are supported to have regular, safe contact with people who are important to them. The home has good relationships with the family and friends of young people, which contribute to the positive contact young people have with them.  Young people have positive relationships with the registered manager and staff in the home. They benefit from regular key-work sessions to address specific issues relating to them and to share their views, wishes and feelings.  The home provides young people with a safe, secure and nurturing environment. Furthermore, the home is decorated and furnished to a high standard offering the young people a homely environment.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff team feels supported and receives regular supervision that allows it to discuss the young people and reflect on its practice. Furthermore, the staff members have regular team meetings, which allows them to discuss issues as a team and share positive practice, research and learning.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2017 Interim Not judged 12/10/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/01/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 4

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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

8: The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete the independent study; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing

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Requirement Due date

authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and 29/11/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 5

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Requirement Due date

resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(b)) 12: The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— the staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; that the home’s day to day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)(b)) 29/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

14: In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must— ensure that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. With particular reference to the home’s placement plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) 29/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

16: The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 29/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

35: The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2)) 29/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

44: The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to— (a) HMCI; (b) upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located; (c) the placing authorities of children; (d) the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and (e) the responsible individual (if one is nominated) (Regulation 44 (1)(7)) 29/11/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 6 45: The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided to children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s

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Requirement Due date

home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided to children. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality care review report’). The registered person must supply HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review was completed; and make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated at the home. The systems referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their

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Requirement Due date

parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)) 29/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

28: A person may only manage a children’s home if— The person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children. For the purpose of paragraph (1)(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has— by the relevant date attained— The level 5 diploma in Leadership and Management for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 5 diploma’); or a qualification which the registered provider considers equivalent to the level 5 Diploma. The relevant date is— in the case of a person who was managing a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2017. (Regulation 28 (1)(i)(2)(c)(3)(b)) 29/11/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 7

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  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 the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.31) In particular, this refers to the support provided to young people on their return home.  Children’s home staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home’s plan for their care. Each child’s talents and

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Recommendations

interests should be understood and nurtured, with children selecting activities based on their personal preferences and abilities, so far as is reasonable. Staff should also support children to try activities that are ‘new’ for them, where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)  Under regulation 46 the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) In particular, they should clearly demonstrate that they have consulted, and taken into account the views of, each relevant person.  Sufficient staff means a home should have enough suitably trained staff

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Recommendations

(including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home, and that those staff are able to respond to emergency placements where accepted. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1) In particular, staff who are lone working should have completed all the home’s mandatory training.  The registered person should have a workforce development plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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improvement to be good

Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 8 Young people are not supported effectively with their education, they do not always attend formal education and although the home liaises with education professionals to address this, they do not challenge the delay for young people effectively. Furthermore, the home does not ensure that the young people engage in education-based activities. Consequently, the educational needs of young people are not always met.

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improvement to be good

The home has difficulty encouraging young people to regularly engage in social and recreational activities. Young people often spend a lot of time alone in their bedroom. Staff do not demonstrate a proactive approach to engaging young people in activities to enhance their social interaction, self-esteem and confidence.

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improvement to be good

The health and developmental needs of the young people are clearly understood by the registered manager and staff in the home. They offer the young people the appropriate care and support to ensure that their individual health needs are met. With staff’s determined support and encouragement, the young person’s attendance and engagement with health professionals has increased. The staff take a proactive approach to supporting young people who are reluctant to engage with health professionals to access appropriate health and development support and intervention. Consequently, the young people’s health and developmental needs are met well.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand how important it is for young people to keep in touch with their family and friends. They facilitate family contact in line with the agreed contact plan to ensure that contact is meaningful and safe. Transport is provided at all times to enable young people to regularly meet with their family and friends without having the added difficulty of managing public transport. Furthermore, the home maintains regular contact with the young person and the people they are having contact with to ensure that the young person is safe and happy during contact. Consequently, young people are able to develop and maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Young people benefit from a warm, comfortable, nurturing and homely environment. The home has recently been decorated and further improvements are planned to take place. Young people are encouraged to choose colours and themes for the home’s decoration and to personalise the home. This demonstrates that the young people are valued and have a say in their home’s upkeep and decoration.

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improvement to be good

Young people have good relationships with the registered manager and staff. The views, wishes and feelings of the young people are regularly ascertained and taken into consideration. Key-work sessions regularly take place to address individual issues relating to the young people, where staff offer the young people appropriate advice, guidance and support. This ensures that generally, the needs of the young people are appropriately met and outcomes are improved for them.

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improvement to be good

A number of young people have moved on from the home since the last full inspection, as the home has been unable to meet their needs or safeguard them. However, transitions for young people moving into the home are robust. On the information obtained prior to young people moving into the home, there does not appear to have been any reason why the placements would have been inappropriate. A social worker Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 9 said, ‘This was a planned placement and the registered manager gained all the necessary information prior to the young person moving in. She was adamant that she wanted all the relevant paperwork, including care plan, placement plan and consent forms, before the placement started. The registered manager also met with the young person before he moved in.’ This demonstrates a robust process and a smooth transition for young people moving into the home.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practice and the actions they should take to identify and reduce the individual risks to young people. Staff receive regular training in safeguarding to ensure that they have the relevant knowledge, skills and understanding to safeguard young people. However, records in the home do not demonstrate that this is always embedded in practice.

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improvement to be good

When young people are under the influence of a substance, the home does not always take appropriate action to safeguard them. Records in the home do not demonstrate that young people are regularly monitored when they are under the influence of a substance or that appropriate medical advice or intervention are sought. Consequently, young people are not safeguarded when they are under the influence of a substance.

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improvement to be good

The records relating to young people who have been missing from home do not demonstrate that the home has taken appropriate action to locate young people or to support them when they return home. Young people do not always receive an independent return home interview in line with statutory guidance on children who are missing from home. This does not demonstrate that effective systems are in place to locate and support young people when they are missing. Furthermore, it does not enable the young person to discuss the reasons why they were missing from home or the risks that they faced during the time they were missing. However, due to the safe, supportive and nurturing home environment provided to young people, the number of times that they are missing from home has reduced since they moved into the home.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments do not clearly outline the individual risk to young people or the strategies in place to manage and reduce the risks. However, the registered manager and staff demonstrate a good understanding of these areas. Therefore, this demonstrates a shortfall in recording rather than in safeguarding practice. However, the manager accepts that this could consequently place young people at risk.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that health and safety checks are routinely carried out and repairs are swiftly actioned to safeguard young people and staff in the home. Regular fire drills take place to ensure that the premises are safe and that the young person can respond in an emergency.

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improvement to be good

There is a review of the home’s location in place. However, this does not demonstrate that the manager has consulted with other safeguarding professionals in the area. Therefore, the home cannot be confident that the location review identifies all known Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 10 risks in the community. Consequently, young people are not fully safeguarded in the community.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management in the home is not clear. Behaviour management plans are not individualised to each young person. Therefore, the staff and young people are unclear on the strategies in place to manage individual behaviours and to promote positive behaviour. Consequences for poor behaviour are inconsistent and not restorative in nature. Furthermore, rewards for positive behaviour are not promoted. Consequently, young people’s behaviour does not always improve and they do not recognise the benefits to them of presenting with more positive behaviour.

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

The home continues to be led and managed by a suitably experienced manager. The manager has enrolled on the course to complete her leadership and management qualification. However, this has not been completed in a timely manner in line with regulation. Therefore, she does not have the necessary qualification to fulfil her role effectively.

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

The monitoring and review systems in the home need to be strengthened. The independent person who completes the external monitoring of the home does not send the completed reports to the regulator in line with regulations and the registered manager does not provide a response to the recommended actions from the visits. Furthermore, the registered manager has not completed a quality of care review of the home in line with regulation. Consequently, the regulator does not have the opportunity to have an overview of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and what actions have been taken to improve the quality of care for the young people or to develop the home.

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

The home’s statement of purpose has been updated regularly to reflect relevant changes. However, this has not been provided to the regulator in line with regulation. Again, this does not allow the regulator to be kept up to date with any changes in the home’s ethos, aims and objectives or staff changes.

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

The recording systems in the home are not robust. Up to date information should be clearly recorded in plans and records. This would provide a clearer account of the young person’s journey through care and their current circumstances. Not all records and plans demonstrate that the staff and young people have read and understood them. This potentially could lead to relevant information not being shared in the home and the quality of care being compromised.

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

The staff team members feel supported by their manager and each other. They receive regular supervision that allows them to discuss young people and reflect on their practice. Team meetings take place frequently and allow the staff to discuss the progress of young people and reflect on their practice. This then enables staff to identify positive practice and plan effectively for young people. Furthermore, the staff team members are provided with their own development folders to provide them with the opportunity to read information that will support them in their professional development. Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 11 Consequently, the staff team is supported to provide a good quality of care.

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

The training opportunities for staff are good and this supports them to develop their practice, knowledge and skills. All staff are either trained or working towards the recognised qualification for residential childcare. However, not all new staff complete the home’s mandatory training prior to working alone with young people. Consequently, this does not ensure that the young people are always cared for by suitably trained staff.

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

Staff recruitment procedures do not demonstrate that robust checks have been completed prior to new staff working at the home. References do not demonstrate that appropriate information has been obtained to confirm the suitability of new staff. Furthermore, potential issues of concern relating to staff have not been suitably explored. This does not demonstrate that the home is working in line with safe recruitment practice or that all staff have been suitably vetted.

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

The home has a workforce development plan in place that outlines the current staff team and its experience, training and development needs. However, the workforce development plan does not identify the home’s arrangements for supervision or how poor performance is managed. Consequently, the workforce development plan is not completed in line with the quality standards for children’s homes.

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

Partnership working between the home, placing local authorities, health and education professionals and safeguarding professionals is good. Regular communication between professionals ensures that all relevant people are up to date with young people’s current situation, so a consistent approach to meeting their needs is given. A social worker said, ‘The home is very responsive and supportive and has good levels of communication with the LA and family.’

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

Although a number of areas for improvement have been identified during this inspection, the registered manager fully accepts these shortfalls. She demonstrated a clear commitment to addressing the shortfalls in a timely manner and took some action to address these during the inspection. The registered manager and staff clearly have the best interests of young people at the centre of their practice and want to improve their practice to ensure that their needs are met well and that they are safeguarded.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 12 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC454265 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 64 Nathan Drive, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside WA11 0GW

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Inspector

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC454265 14 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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