Children's home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Liverpool

Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 1 SC371267 Registered provider: Nugent Care

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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 operated by a voluntary organisation and is registered for up to 36 children and young people between the ages of seven and 19, who have a range of special educational needs that require either a residential-only provision or residential and specialist-school provision.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager at the home as the registered manager resigned from her post in June 2019.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 4 December 2018

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2018 Full Inadequate 05/07/2017 Full Good 01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 3

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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

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must ensure— 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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)(2)(f)(h)) 20/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 20/09/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 4 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of

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Recommendations

staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1). In particular, ensure that staff members from the provider’s other homes nearby, do not routinely visit the home and if they do so, they clearly record the reason for the visit and the duration.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of care provided to the young people is nurturing and responsive and is helping them to have a positive experience and make good progress in their lives. Staff support the young people to make changes in their life at their own pace. This allows them to develop in confidence, build on their self-esteem and trust the care managers, staff and other professionals involved in their life. A young person said, ‘I really like living here. The staff are awesome and help me massively.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care managers and staff strongly support young people to achieve in education. There is effective liaison with young people’s schools and the care managers address any issues in a prompt manner. For example, one young person recently presented with some difficult and challenging behaviour at school, and a meeting was arranged with the school to ensure that there was a consistent approach at home and in school to manage and reduce the difficult behaviour. As a result, the young person’s behaviour has improved, and he is making progress in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have a good understanding of the young person’s health and development needs and these are met well. Robust systems are in place to ensure that medication is given to young people as prescribed. Routine and specialist health appointments are attended as necessary to ensure that young people receive suitable support and intervention to meet their physical and emotional health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to maintain contact with the people who are important to them. They enjoy regular contact with family members, including overnight stays at weekends and extended stays during school holidays, if appropriate. Effective multi- agency working ensures that contact with important people in young people’s lives can be arranged safely. For example, one young person’s contact is now supervised because of safeguarding concerns arising during unsupervised family contact. This supports young people’s emotional well-being and sense of identity and keeps them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Improvement has been made to the procedures for considering referrals for new young people to move into the home. The records and compatibility assessments for new young people demonstrate that full attention is given to whether the staff have the necessary experience, knowledge and skills to meet the young people’s needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 5 Furthermore, any gaps in the referral information provided have been explored with the placing local authority. The increased rigour in the procedures for new admissions results in young people being placed appropriately, where their needs can be met well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views, wishes and feelings of young people are regularly sought during young people’s meetings, key-work sessions and daily discussions with the young people. Young people are strongly encouraged to take part in fun and fulfilling activities. They enjoy regular group activities, as well as individual hobbies and memberships of local football and rugby teams and youth clubs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home offers young people a warm and nurturing environment that feels like a family home, with photographs and personal items displayed around the home. Regular maintenance to the home and improvements to the decor help to ensure that it is a pleasant place for young people to live.

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

Safeguarding practice has improved since the last inspection. The young people spoken to during the inspection told the inspectors that they feel safe living at the home. Risks to the young people reduce when they move into the home. For example, one young person has a history of going missing but he has only gone missing once since he moved into the home over a year ago. Furthermore, incidents of challenging behaviour and causing damage have significantly reduced for some young people.

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

The care managers and staff have a good understanding of the risks that young people face and the action that is required to safeguard them. However, risk assessments lack enough information relating to the individual risks for young people, for example consideration of their previous known risks about missing episodes, challenging and aggressive behaviour and exploitation. While there is nothing to show that these incomplete risk assessments have led to young people suffering harm, they have the potential to do so if they are left without important information.

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

Staff demonstrate a good level of insight into young people’s emotional responses and behaviours. There are clear, individualised strategies to assist staff in supporting young people to develop safe and appropriate behaviours. There has been a real focus on rewarding young people for positive behaviour, which has resulted in rewards outweighing sanctions. This approach means that the home is more settled, with young people being able to regulate their behaviour and emotions more effectively.

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

Staff undertake room searches and physical intervention when necessary to make sure that young people and others are safe from harm. Records for these interventions show that they are completed appropriately and that the staff and young people can reflect on the circumstances surrounding the intervention and can learn from it.

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

The care managers and staff understand the procedures to be followed when an allegation is made. Staff have responded appropriately through the home’s whistleblowing procedures when they have been concerned about practice at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 6 All allegations are reported to relevant safeguarding professionals, including the designated officer for the local authority, and are investigated and responded to appropriately.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been several changes in the leadership and management at the home. The registered manager and other senior members of staff have resigned from their posts. Three of the home’s care managers have taken on responsibility for the day-to-day management of the home. The care managers are motivated and enthusiastic and have a good understanding of the needs of the young people and the strengths and areas for development for the home and the staff team.

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

Since the registered manager left her post, the care managers have not received supervision despite them taking on new responsibilities and supporting staff through a restructure. Furthermore, the information gathered through the internal monitoring and review systems has not been collated to identify strengths and areas for development. More effective systems are needed to ensure that the safety and well-being of the young people are suitably scrutinised and always promoted.

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

The care managers and staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the needs, progress and plans for each young person. However, the content of care plans does not show this. Care plans lack sufficient detail and up-to-date information about the progress young people are making and the positive work being undertaken. For example, there is limited or inaccurate information about young people’s attendance and achievement in education, contact arrangements and behaviour.

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

Safer recruitment practice needs to be strengthened to ensure that all information required for new staff is obtained, for example proof of identity, including a recent photograph and documentary evidence of relevant qualifications. This will help to ensure that only the most suitable staff care for the young people.

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

Apart from the care managers, staff receive regular supervision that helps them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the young people. The continuous professional development of staff is a priority and staff receive regular training and development opportunities. Team meetings provide the care managers and staff with the opportunity to discuss the needs and progress of the young people and staff practice. A new staff member spoke positively about his experience of induction. He felt that he had received a good level of support and training to equip him for his role.

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

Staff report that they feel well supported and they have high aspirations for the young people. This is demonstrated through the good quality of care provided. For example, a member of staff has supported and encouraged a young person to undertake voluntary work which will also give him the opportunity to achieve further qualifications. Another member of staff said, ‘I really enjoying working here, I love working with the young people and see it as a privilege. All the young people deserve the best’. Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 7 During the inspection, inspectors observed members of staff coming in and out of the different houses at the setting. Records at each house do not demonstrate when staff from different houses have been present or the reason for their visit. This practice does not provide a clear audit trail of who is working at or visiting each house. The lack of transparency potentially places young people at risk and compromises the continuity of

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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.

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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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 99 Edge Lane, Edge Hill, Liverpool L7 2PE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Gary Thistlewood

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Inspectors

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Elaine Allison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC371267 9 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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