Children's Home run by Nurture Childcare Services Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2571033 1 Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. The home provides accommodation for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and who is unable to live at home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This home was judged as inadequate at the full inspection on 3 November 2021. Compliance notices were set in relation to safeguarding, risk management and leadership. As a result, a further monitoring visit was conducted on 8 December 2021.

p.1

This monitoring visit

During this visit, significant shortfalls were identified that indicated the child is at continuing risk of harm.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Continued shortfalls in risk management were identified. Examples of risk management plans not being followed by staff were noted by the inspector. For example, despite a child having a history of smoking in her bedroom and considered to be at high risk, the manager had not taken sufficient action to address unsafe conditions, which resulted in a child’s bedroom containing a large number of smoked cigarettes. Furthermore, the child’s bedroom was viewed to be in an unkempt state. This poses a health and safety risk to the child and staff. As a result, a safe environment for the child has not been maintained.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff allowed the mother of the child to be left alone in the child’s bedroom with her, unsupervised by staff, despite the contact plan being clear that all family time must be fully supervised. This does not demonstrate robust safeguarding practice and leaves the child at potential risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2571033 2 The child’s bedroom was viewed by the inspector which identified the child had been smoking a number of cigarettes and an unknown digital watch was found. Although the risk assessment was clear that staff must undertake a room search if the child was suspected to be smoking, the child told the inspector that staff could not enter her room until she had tidied it and staff did not, therefore, carry out a room search. Staff are therefore not demonstrating that they are following risk assessments and, as a result, the child is left exposed to harm.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff members informed the inspector that they believe they are unable to safeguard the child and comply with her risk assessment in relation to the removal of the child’s mobile phone and removal of cigarette lighters. The child is considered high risk of child sexual exploitation and has been found on a number of occasions with adult males. As a result, this demonstrates that staff are unclear of what action to take to safeguard the child. Failure to provide clear risk management guidance, or to ensure that staff follow such guidance when it is in place, means that children are not protected from harm. Furthermore, the allocated social worker was not aware that these risks were not being managed by staff.

p.2

This monitoring visit

There is an insufficient number of experienced and suitably skilled staff working in this home. This leaves staff who demonstrate poor practice and do not have the skills, knowledge, or experience to understand how to care for children in the home. This places the child at potential risk harm.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Managers and staff are failing to recognise when children’s care is being compromised. For example, staff are failing to follow risk management plans and placing authority care plans, in relation to a child who should not travel to their hometown, due to the serious concerns in relation to the child going missing and sexual exploitation. Staff members took the child to an activity in the child’s hometown. As a result, this placed the child at significant risk of harm.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The quality of management oversight and monitoring has not improved and has significantly declined. The interim manager has informed Ofsted she is resigning from her post, and the operational manager was placed at the home to have management oversight and to support the interim manager. Despite this, managers are failing to identify and address shortfalls and make improvements. This is evident in the serious concerns that have been identified and have resulted in compliance notices being issued again. Issues identified as shortfalls at the last inspection are recurring and, in some areas, quality is deteriorating further.

p.2

This monitoring visit

As a result of the monitoring visit, Ofsted has taken further compliance action to help ensure that the child is provided with safe, effective care. Inspectors will continue to monitor the provider closely. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2571033 3

p.2

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/11/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2571033 4

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.4

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.4

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

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)(iii)(v)(b)(d)) 9 January 2022

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 9 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2571033 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.4

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; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)(h))

p.5

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.5

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.

p.5

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2571033 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 71 Edge End Lane, Great Harwood, Blackburn BB6 7QD

p.6

Inspector

Rachel Springford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2571033 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7