Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in St Helens

Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 1 SC022447 Registered provider: Nugent Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a charitable organisation. It provides care for up to three children who experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home’s statement of purpose states that it is set up to meet the needs of children who have previously been in secure care and require intensive support to transition to a children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 2021. The manager is also the registered manager of another children’s home run by the charity.

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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 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: 17 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/11/2021 Full Good 13/08/2019 Full Good 21/05/2019 Full Inadequate 12/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive high-quality individualised care that meets their needs. Staff have the capacity and competence to build genuine and constructive relationships with children. The strength of these relationships is making a difference to children’s lives and influencing their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with emotional warmth and clear boundaries and expectations. Children feel safe and confident that the adults caring for them can keep them safe from harm. Consequently, children are developing a stronger sense of emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can identify and talk about how they are feeling. They are finding their own strategies that help them manage difficult emotions, for example, listening to music and spending time with their pets. A child said, ‘I always have had pets even in secure. I get on with animals, they help me feel calm.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are now reaching out for help and accepting the support available to them from staff and child and adolescent mental health services. Children are feeling stronger and safe enough to take positive risks, such as going horse riding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respond appropriately to children’s wishes and feelings. They make sure that children reflect on their experiences and take part in the decisions affecting their lives. Staff respect children’s wishes. They wait until children are ready to talk about difficult things that are on their minds.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s learning and development. They understand the impact that trauma may have on children’s ability to take part in formal education. Managers and staff work with schools and the virtual school headteacher to provide children with the right support to help children achieve their learning objectives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to learn informally at home to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. Children have opportunities to take part in activities they enjoy, learn new skills and find out about the world around them. Staff celebrate children’s achievements and share them with children’s families and professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and monitor children’s individual health and emotional well-being. They make sure that children receive safe and effective advice, support and treatment that meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff make sure that the needs of children living far from their homes are met. They support children to stay in touch with the important people in their lives. Staff ensure that children have safe and positive experiences when they spend time with their families. They provide opportunities, advice and emotional support to help children and families repair their relationships. Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 4

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

Children feel safe and are protected from harm. They see managers and staff as trusted adults and tell them when they are worried or upset. A child said, ‘Though I get on better with some staff, all of the staff care about me and know how to keep me safe.’

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

Staff are suitably trained and understand their responsibilities for safeguarding children. Staff understand each child’s vulnerabilities and identified risks. They are vigilant and curious. They recognise the signs that children may be at risk of harm. Staff always take appropriate action when they have concerns about children’s welfare.

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

Staff actively and continually assess the dangers for each child and follow up-to-date plans effectively to reduce the risk of harm. They follow court directed orders consistently to reduce risks to children. Strong management oversight of children’s risk assessments and plans ensures that the strategies for protecting children are being used effectively.

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

Staff have the skills and confidence to manage difficult and dangerous situations safely. They use restraint appropriately to protect the child and those around them. The number of difficult situations and the need to use restraint has reduced significantly.

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

Staff understand that children may communicate their feelings through their behaviour. Staff know that children need time to make sense of information. Therefore, staff use clear and effective communication and their positive relationships with the children to deal with any problems constructively. Staff listen to children’s views about the best ways to help them when they are upset.

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

Managers review and evaluate serious incidents, including the use of restraint, carefully. They use the information to inform the best ways to support the child. However, the incident records do not always include the duration of each restraint. This important information helps managers understand how staff managed the incident in line with the legal framework.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager runs two children’s homes. She is experienced and suitably qualified. The manager demonstrates sufficient capacity to be in day-to-day control of both homes. The manager and three deputy managers are a well-organised and effective leadership team. They have high expectations for the standard of care that children receive. They aspire for children to be safe and happy and to reach their full potential. This ethos and culture are evident in every aspect of children’s care and the running of the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 5 Managers have a clear understanding of children’s plans and the progress they are making. Regular meetings with the clinical team enable managers and staff to understand what is working well, and to identify shortfalls and make improvements. Managers and staff recognise small improvements and build on them to increase children’s resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff maintain positive working relationships with other professionals and agencies, including education providers and local children and adolescent mental health services. Managers make sure that these partners play their role and provide children with the high-quality support that they need at the right time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide the necessary structure and guidance to make sure that staff understand their responsibilities and have the right skills and knowledge to provide children with a high standard of care and protection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Trauma-informed practice is embedded thoroughly. Staff have a detailed understanding of children as individuals and the impact of their experiences on their emotional and social development. The quality of staff’s relationships with children is making a significant difference to children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by enough staff with suitable experience and skills to safeguard and promote their needs. Managers always make sure that children receive continuity of care from staff that they know and who know how to care for them safely. This is helping children to build trusting relationships with staff and develop a sense of emotional security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and are positive about the support they receive from managers, their colleagues and the clinical team. Staff receive relevant and suitable training that provides them with the essential skills and knowledge for meeting the children’s needs, including in attachment theory, trauma-informed practice and adverse childhood experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that is focused on children and their needs. This includes reflecting on staff’s work with the children in their care and evaluating the impact of training and learning on children’s experiences and quality of care. Managers and the clinical team help staff to consider the emotional impact of their work and understand and manage their own feelings constructively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records provide a detailed picture of their experiences. They provide evidence of children’s measurable progress. The records are written in an engaging way that shows children’s strengths and achievements. However, some records are not always dated to show when the work took place. This makes it difficult to track children’s progress over time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The review of the quality of care reports does not evaluate the impact of the support that children receive on their experiences, progress and outcomes. Likewise, the reports do not show how the views of children, parents and professionals contribute to the continued improvement in the quality of care provided. The reports should Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 6 also identify any areas for development and the action required to make the necessary improvements. Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 7

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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 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

a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to making sure that a record is kept of the duration of every measure used. 8 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which —

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(c)) 8 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the review of quality of care report demonstrates how children’s and stakeholders’ views inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that the review of quality of care report evaluates the impact the quality of care provided by the home is having on children’s experiences, progress and outcomes. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weaknesses in the home’s care. The report should clearly identify any actions required and how those actions will be addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 64 and 65, paragraphs 15.2 and 15.4) Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 8

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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: SC022447 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 10 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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