Children's home run by Nestlings Care BC Limited in Trafford

Inspection report children’s home: SC473473 1 SC473473 Registered provider: Nestlings Care Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to accommodate three young people who have a mental disorder. The home is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides specialist care and treatment for young people aged between 10 years and 18 years old. The team is made up by an experienced manager, registered mental health nurses, residential support workers, clinical psychologist, occupational therapist and a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is also registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A report on how the home meets the fundamental standards of quality and safety is available from the CQC.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 26 September 2018

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The service does not consistently promote young people’s safety. The manager and staff team do not robustly manage all known risks. As a result, they have failed to demonstrate consistently good safeguarding practice to ensure that the safety and Inspection report children’s home: SC473473 2 welfare of young people are maintained at all times.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff failed to implement their responsibility for maintaining the well-being of young people by adhering to risk assessments. For example, lack of vigilance by staff provided one young person with the opportunity to gain access to hazardous items within the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has failed to ensure that staff working in the home have the necessary skills, experience and qualifications to meet the needs of the young people. As a result, young people are not always supported or protected effectively.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

New staff members have not completed safeguarding, behaviour management and restraint training. This means that they do not have the knowledge or skills to recognise and be alert to signs that young people may be at risk.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not receive supervision at appropriate intervals. This hinders the manager’s ability to routinely monitor and help improve staff’s performance, competence and conduct. Staff induction records are poorly organised and do not demonstrate that staff benefit from a robust induction to the home. This means that some staff are unclear about their role and lack confidence.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager does not ensure that, following the use of restraint, there is a record completed by staff and that the incident is discussed with the child or that the member of staff who used the restraint is debriefed. This means that important information is lost and does not enable the registered manager to drive forward improvements in staff practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers do not make well-considered decisions when new young people move to the home. Compatibility risk assessments lack detail and evaluation. As a result, the manager offered a placement to a new young person without identifying and assessing their full range of needs. Furthermore, the manager failed to consider that the staff team has insufficient knowledge and skills to meet the young person’s identified needs.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff files do not demonstrate that safe recruitment and selection processes are adhered to. For example, the inspector identified significant gaps in recruitment records. This included gaps in references, the verification of references and, on at least one file, there was no evidence that photographic identification was checked by a manager.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The recruitment of agency staff is particularly poor. Not all agency profiles contain up-to- date training records, and at least two agency worker profiles did not contain an updated Disclosure and Barring Service check. These shortfalls suggest that the quality assurance of staff files is not sufficiently stringent.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not ensure that young people live in a safe or well-maintained environment. For example, exposed screws, nails and extension cables have been left unchecked by staff. This does not demonstrate that staff are able to identify and take effective action to reduce risk.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Internal monitoring of the home is not sufficiently robust. This has directly resulted in a Inspection report children’s home: SC473473 3 high number of regulatory breaches. Records are not well maintained, including restraint and incident records. The lack of effective action means that the welfare and safety of young people are not being fully promoted.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In conclusion, there is a marked decline in effectiveness of this home since the last inspection. The responsible individual has identified an action plan to try to improve safeguarding practice, encourage better outcomes for young people and promote more effective leadership.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2018 Full Good 27/11/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 31/10/2016 Full Good

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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

* 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— that 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; that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(d)) 24/02/2019

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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— 24/02/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC473473 4 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(e))

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(f)(h)) 24/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) In particular, ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 22/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety; and full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraph 1 and 2 of Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(a)(3)(d)) 22/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction and that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with 22/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC473473 5 appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 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’) has spoken to the user about

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Requirement Due date

the measure and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days 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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)) 22/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 22/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young Inspection report children’s home: SC473473 6 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.

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Information about this inspection

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

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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 185 Grove Lane, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire WA15 8LU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Thompson

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Inspectors

Ceri Evans, social care inspector Sarah Billett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC473473 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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