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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 1

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. The home has been without a registered manager since January 2022.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged inadequate at a full inspection on 8 and 9 June 2022. Four compliance notices were issued under Section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These related to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, regulation 14, the care planning standard, and regulation 40, notification of a serious event.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit took place on 30 June 2022 due to an increase in safeguarding notifications and several complaints made to Ofsted. Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation notice. This was issued because Ofsted reasonably believed that children were at risk of harm. The compliance notices were not reviewed at this visit.

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This monitoring visit

A further monitoring visit was completed on 3 August 2022 to monitor the provider’s compliance with the restriction notice and the four compliance notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, regulation 14, the care planning standard and regulation 40, notification of a serious event. Inspectors found that the provider had complied with the restriction notice. However, the provider had not met the steps under the four compliance notices. Therefore, a restriction notice and four compliances notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, regulation 14, the care planning standard, and regulation 40, notification of a serious event were issued. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 2 On 14 September 2022, a monitoring visit took place to monitor the provider’s

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This monitoring visit

compliance with the restriction of accommodation notice and the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

There are no children living at the home. Therefore, the provider has complied with the restriction notice. However, the provider did not meet the four compliance notices. Therefore, Ofsted made the decision to issue a further period of restriction and a restriction notice was issued.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has made the decision to establish a new staff team. The staff who previously worked at the home are now working in other settings within the company. The interim manager who was in post for the last inspection and two previous monitoring visits has now left the company. The new manager is not in post and his start date is still to be confirmed. Furthermore, a new deputy manager has been appointed. However, at the time of the visit, her employment had not yet started.

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This monitoring visit

Other posts are still to be recruited and the responsible individual has identified two experienced workers from other settings within the organisation to join the staff team. However, currently, there is not a stable staff team in place to provide sufficient and consistent care to children. Consequently, children living in the home do not have sufficiently skilled staff to meet their needs.

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This monitoring visit

The standard of recording in the home has not improved. However, leaders have identified the areas for development to improve the skills of the staff team. However, this work has not started because there are no staff currently working at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, Ofsted made the decision to issue a further restriction notice. Ofsted will continue to monitor the notice.

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This monitoring visit

Other requirements made at the last inspection were not considered at this visit and are carried forward to the next inspection. A further visit will be conducted to review compliance with the restriction notice.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/06/2022 Full Inadequate 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 - monitoring visit: 2534829 3

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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)) 11 November 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 11 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 4 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii))

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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)) 11 November 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)) 11 November 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;

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Requirement Due date

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 — 11 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 5 is instigated; or

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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

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

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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 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)) 11 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 6 The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. (Regulation 44 (1)) 11 November 2022

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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 Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 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 Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2534829 7

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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

Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 8 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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