Children's home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 1 SC371267

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Nugent Care

Monitoring visit 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 and who require either a residential-only provision or residential and specialist-school provision. There is currently no registered manager at the home as the registered manager resigned from her post in June 2019.

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This monitoring visit

On 22 January 2020, an interim inspection was carried out at the children’s home. During this inspection, the inspectors found that there were serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice, leadership and management and behaviour management at the home. Following the inspection, three compliance notices were issued under Regulation 12 The protection of children, Regulation 13 Leadership and management and Regulation 35 Behaviour management policies and procedures of Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. This monitoring visit was undertaken to monitor the progress made on the three compliance notices issued. The inspectors found that the provider had not taken sufficient action to improve safeguarding practice, leadership and management and behaviour management at the home. The managers and staff continue to demonstrate a lack of understanding in relation to their roles and responsibilities in protecting children. Staff failed to identify that

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This monitoring visit

one child had been smoking in his bedroom and had caused damage to his window ledge and frame with a cigarette and lighter. Staff did not remove lighters from the child’s possessions when they moved his belongings to another bedroom, despite children not being allowed to have lighters in the home. Furthermore, risks and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 2 strategies relating to smoking and fire setting are not included in the child’s risk assessment. Some risk assessments reviewed during the monitoring visit did not contain sufficient information about all known risks to children or strategies to manage identified risk such as fire setting. Furthermore, staff spoken to during the inspection were unclear on the individual risks to children and they were not implementing the identified strategies to manage risks. For example, the strategy to manage the risk of knives in the home is for random room searches to be undertaken, yet this has

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This monitoring visit

not happened. Consequently, this fails to ensure that risks are managed consistently by staff and that appropriate support is in place to help to keep children safe. Missing from home incident records for children do not demonstrate that effective action is taken to manage incidents when children are missing from home. Some records indicate that the police have not been immediately informed when children are missing. Furthermore, records do not demonstrate that staff have followed missing from care plans or taken sufficient action to locate children and make sure that they return safely. There continue to be shortfalls in the management of allegations. The provider failed to follow its own and external safeguarding policy and procedures in relation to allegations against staff. There was significant delay in a referral being made to the local authority designated officer following an allegation against a member of staff.

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This monitoring visit

Furthermore, the records relating to the allegation do not clearly demonstrate that the provider took immediate action to safeguard other children in the care of the member of staff. This demonstrates that the poor management of allegations continues to place children at risk. The provider’s oversight of care planning and risk management needs to be strengthened. Some records relating to the care and safety of children such as risk assessments and missing from home records were found to be inaccurate, not up to date or sufficiently detailed. Records of restrictive physical intervention for children do not demonstrate that debriefs with staff involved in the incident have taken place within 48 hours of the intervention in line with regulation. Furthermore, the date of some staff debriefs is not evident on restrictive physical intervention records, and some restrictive physical intervention records do not demonstrate if children or staff

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This monitoring visit

have sustained any injuries, or if first aid or medical treatment was offered or provided to children. The monitoring systems in place have not identified the shortfalls in staff practice and records to improve the service being provided. This has impacted on outcomes for children and compromised their safety and well-being. The compliance notices under Regulation 12, the help and protection of children standard, Regulation 13, the leadership and management and Regulation 35, behaviour management policies and procedures, have not been met. The compliance notices have been reissued, and a further monitoring visit will take place to consider the action taken by the provider to meet the steps within the compliance notices. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/01/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/08/2019 Full Good 04/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 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

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare; help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child; and regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care; ensure that each child—

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives; has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and is given appropriate advocacy support; 10/04/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 5 keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document; ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about— and ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(e)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped

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Requirement Due date

to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual trust and respect; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of

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Requirement Due date

bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11(1)(2)(I)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(xii)(xiii)) 10/04/2020

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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— 10/04/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 6 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; 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; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s

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Requirement Due date

child protection policies; that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(b)) * 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care

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Requirement Due date

to each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each 10/04/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 7 child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h)) The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14(1)(2)(c)) 10/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing— injury to any person (including the child); serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home. Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (a)(b)(2)) 10/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27(1)(2)) 10/04/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 8 * 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 location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

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 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 the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 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. (Regulation 35 (3)) 10/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

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 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. 10/04/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 9 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).

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Requirement Due date

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 parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)) The registered person must notify HMCI 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; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other serious incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)) 10/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 10

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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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Inspectors

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Mrs Catherine Fargin, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 11 to 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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