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 2019

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The service 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. The service is operated out of eight separate houses.

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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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This monitoring visit

An urgent monitoring visit was undertaken on 8 July 2020. This visit resulted in four compliance notices being issued, under the leadership and management standard, protection of children standard, behaviour management standard and the appointment of a manager. In addition, a restriction of accommodation was also issued.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to review the progress made in addressing the notices and compliance with the restriction of accommodation.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has been compliant with the notice of restriction of accommodation. There are no new children accommodated within the service. There have been a number of children discharged from the service and, therefore, a total of 19 children are currently resident.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice issued under regulation 27 is not met. Although a manager has now been appointed, in accordance with regulation 27, delays in submitting an application for registration mean that the children’s home continues to operate without a registered manager. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 2 The compliance notice issued under regulation 12 is not met. Although risk assessments have been developed and kept up to date they are not always followed by staff. For example, staff ratios for children who are assessed as high risk are not complied with. This failure to ensure that children are looked after in accordance to their assessed needs results in their safety and welfare being compromised.

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This monitoring visit

Children are not looked after by a consistent and stable staff team. The high ratio of agency and bank staff means that, on occasion, children who have a high risk of violence, including assault and aggression, are supported by staff who do not know the child or are not provided with crucial information about them. This does not demonstrate safe care.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and staff do not always take stringent action when there is a concern about children’s welfare. There have been further incidents of children accessing the 40ft roof of the building, which has placed them at significant risk.

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This monitoring visit

Training has been delivered to some staff to explain the new system of risk assessment, care planning and behaviour management. However, inspectors found that face-to-face safeguarding training for staff had been given to fewer than 25% of the staff. Furthermore, there was limited evidence of team meetings or supervision sessions with staff where managers had ensured that staff understood the changes made to risk assessments for the children and their responsibilities for keeping children safe within these new plans.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found variable levels of direct work for children to help them understand how to keep safe. This suggests inconsistency for children across the service, depending on the home they currently reside in.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice under regulation 13 is not met. Inspectors found that despite a number of previous compliance notices there remain significant inconsistencies in the leadership and management across the homes.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos of the service or delivers the outcomes as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

A number of staff have left the organisation and there is a high level of staff sickness. This has resulted in an over-reliance on agency and bank staff. Consequently, some children are looked after by staff who do not have a clear understanding of their needs, complex behaviours or personalities. The impact of an inconsistent and unstable staff team leads to a variable quality of care and serves to compromise children’s routines and safety plans.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors identified a number of practice developments since the last monitoring visit on 8 July 2020. However, inspectors found an inconsistent approach to adopting developmental changes throughout the children’s homes. This has not been Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 3 identified by the appointed manager, and there is little evidence of effective and consistent monitoring of care practice by the appointed manager. This means that shortfalls are not identified in order for suitable action to be taken. Consequently, the provider is unable to demonstrate how the practice developments have served to positively impact on the care, safety and well-being of children in all of the homes.

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This monitoring visit

Behaviour management plans are further developed and now include strategies for managing behaviour, including de-escalation strategies. However, the management oversight of some physical intervention records is poor. Records do not demonstrate that the registered person has analysed or recorded their assessment of the effectiveness of the measures used or identified additional strategies where necessary. The compliance notice under regulation 35 is not therefore met.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this monitoring visit the restriction of accommodation remains in place and all compliance notices are reissued.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child— 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;

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Requirement Due date

keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document; 23/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 5 ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about— the children’s guide; how to make a complaint or representations I relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with; and what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision; and

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped 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.

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Requirement Due date

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 bullying and how to deal with them.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(xii)(xiii)) 23/09/2020

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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. 25/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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 child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 25/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 7 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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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);

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)) 23/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 8 * The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b)) 25/09/2020

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Requirement Due date

* The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

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; 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.

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Requirement Due date

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’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and 25/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 9 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(c))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

The systems referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 23/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC371267 10 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; 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 23/09/2020

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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.

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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

Maria McGranaghan, social care inspector Sophie Thompson, social care inspector Jessica Forshaw, 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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