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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 1 Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to two children who may have social or emotional needs. The home is operated by a private organisation. At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since January 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 3

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inadequate

Children have not always been protected from harm or from the risk of further harm. Their progress is not well supported because managers have failed to ensure that their care is safe and effective.

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inadequate

Managers failed to properly consider one child’s needs before agreeing that she could live at the home. As a result, her care has not been well planned and she has not had a positive experience.

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inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in respect of internal care planning. For example, one child’s care plan failed to address some specific dietary needs, and in another case, no plan was put in place to care for a child following a serious injury. These shortfalls mean that children are at risk of receiving unsafe, ineffective care that does not meet their needs.

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inadequate

Children are not making good progress in education. One child has not been in education since he came to live at the home in March 2022, although he is due to start at a new school. Another child has a heavily reduced learning package in place, which is not supported by a structured home learning programme.

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inadequate

One child is well supported to maintain important relationships. Staff encourage his positive friendships and welcome his family members to the home. However, another child has missed out on valued family time due to the significant distance between the home and her family. No plans have been put in place to resolve this. The child’s family member expressed concern about the impact this could have on their relationship.

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

Children remain at risk of harm. There have been significant concerns about children going missing from home and experiencing unsafe situations. In recent weeks, however, incidents of children being missing have reduced.

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

Risk management requires improvement. Some risks to children’s safety or well- being are not identified. At times, risks are identified but strategies to manage them are unclear or not followed by staff. The judgement of staff has, on occasion, been poor and this has resulted in increased risks to children.

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

Meetings take place with external professionals and the manager shares concerns appropriately. However, clear outcomes are not always recorded, which means opportunities to agree how risks to children should be managed are missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 4 A recent safeguarding concern was not managed in accordance with child protection procedures. The manager did not notify the relevant agencies immediately, which delayed the matter being properly investigated.

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

Children are not benefiting from consistently effective behaviour support. Staff do not have sufficient understanding of children’s behaviours and on at least one occasion, a staff member’s response to a crisis escalated the incident. The use of restorative consequences for inappropriate or unsafe behaviour is limited and opportunities to help children develop their understanding of safer behaviour are often missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager since January 2022. There have also been management changes at a regional level. This has led to significant disruption in the home’s leadership. Although a manager has now been appointed, shortfalls, which mean that children’s welfare is not consistently promoted, continue.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the recent disruption, a vacancy on the staff team and concerns about the child already resident, it was agreed that a second child could move to the home. This was poor judgement on the part of managers, which does not support good outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staffing arrangements do not support children’s safe and effective care. Lone- working risk assessments do not demonstrate that there has been sufficient consideration of relevant information and there is conflicting information about safe staffing ratios. This means that children and staff may be exposed to unsafe situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff meetings and individual supervision have been inconsistent. The newly appointed manager is working towards resolving this but is not making effective use of supervision to address practice issues or concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children do not always benefit from consistent staffing. For example, on the second day of the inspection, one staff member on duty was from an agency and the second staff member usually worked in a different home. This makes it difficult for children to develop trusted and meaningful relationships with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been a recent compliance audit which has assisted managers in understanding what improvements are required. In addition, the newly appointed responsible individual has identified several areas for development. However, internal monitoring is not consistently effective and poor practice is not always challenged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite requirements being made on two previous occasions, there has been continued failure to notify Ofsted of significant incidents that occur in the home. Failure to notify Ofsted of significant events compromises the regulator’s ability to Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 5 understand and assess risk and therefore does not support children’s safety or welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 6

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation (8) (1) (2)(a)(ii)(vii)) 31 July 2022

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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.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii)) 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 7 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 8 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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 once 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—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for 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 the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 9 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 in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system 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)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that consequences that are restorative in nature are used to help children recognise the impact of poor behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. Staff should be skilled in supporting children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that clear records are maintained of the verification of all references, demonstrating that appropriate enquires have been made. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 for children’s home: 2534829 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

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Inspector

Marie Cordingley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2534829 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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