Children's Home run by 2nd Nurture Limited in St Helens

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 1 SC413223

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Registered provider: 2nd Nurture Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home that provides care for one child. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 2014.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 13 September 2022

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

The child has lived in the home for over 12 months. However, the child has not been in the home for a significant amount of time due to wanting to remain with their family. Staff respect the strong relationships with family and the impact this has on the child’s engagement with them. The manager has advocated on the child’s behalf to ensure plans are in place to support their transition back to the care of their mother.

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The care of children

Specialist educational assessments have now been undertaken and requests for further support and assessment have been made. The child has a bespoke educational package in place to support their engagement. However, the child is not currently attending any form of education.

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The care of children

Action has been undertaken to address the child’s health needs. Specialist services have been accessed to meet their physical and mental health needs. However, difficulties continue with the child’s reluctance to engage with professionals.

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The safety of children

Incidents of the child being missing from the home have significantly reduced. When incidents do occur, these are managed well. Staff have a good understanding of the child’s friends and family that supports them in locating the child when they go missing from home. However, the recording of incidents lacks detail and there is no evaluation provided by the manager.

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The safety of children

When the child is not in the home, staff maintain regular contact and undertake daily welfare checks to ensure that the child is safe. Staff adhere to the guidance from the local authority in monitoring the child’s well-being in the community and in the family home.

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The safety of children

Staff adopt an incentive-based approach to promote positive behaviour and encourage engagement with support. However, this has had limited impact. Staff know the child well and recognise the barriers to their engagement. They liaise well with social work professionals to implement support to help overcome these. Since plans have been put in place for the child to return home, incidents of challenging behaviour have reduced. However, the child’s risk plans are brief and lack detail and evaluation. Furthermore, behaviour management plans do not include all relevant risks and areas of concern. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 3

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered manager was not present for the inspection due to annual leave. The senior residential support worker and registered manager for another home in the organisation supported the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Records demonstrate that the manager liaises well with professionals involved in the child’s care. She is consistent in her communication to ensure that support is provided and implemented for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager has implemented development plans for the home that identify strengths and areas for improvement. Clear actions are set out to address any shortfalls. However, the manager’s evaluation of the care being provided to the child is lacking. An independent visitor visits the home on a monthly basis. Feedback is consistently sought from professionals and the child. However, the reports from the visits do not always identify areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The child is cared for by an established and stable team. However, not all staff have undertaken the full range of training relevant to the child’s needs. Consequently, a requirement has been raised in respect of these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Sufficient action has not been taken by leaders and managers to address shortfalls identified at the previous inspection, and three requirements have been restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/08/2019 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 4 May 2023

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; 4 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 6 raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that plans are in place for children to increase engagement in education. In addition, to ensure that support is provided to children to access educational opportunities when there are barriers to learning, ensuring that outstanding assessments and specialist support is identified and undertaken and that concerns are escalated in the event of delays.

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that children’s risk management plans include up-to-date and detailed information in relation to specific risks and include strategies to manage these.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 4 May 2023

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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. 4 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 7 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’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

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager should ensure that all staff undertake training to meet all of the child’s needs, and they should ensure that there is managerial oversight and evaluation following incidents and in respect of the care being provided to children. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: 2nd Nurture Limited

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Inspector

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC413223 9 inspects 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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