Children's Home run by Prime Nurture Services Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 1 Registered provider: Prime Nurture Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for four children who may have emotional, social and behavioural needs. There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an acting manager who is not registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 2 November 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/11/2022 Full Good 12/07/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 3

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from a comfortable home which is maintained to a good standard. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and they are encouraged to look after their things. Staff spend considerable time with children, and they have built some good relationships. Children like lots of hugs, which are readily given. This helps them to feel safe and secure when they are upset or worried.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they like the home, but they are not happy living with the other children. One child felt that when new children moved in the process was rushed. She said this affected her emotional well-being and potential to make progress. Another child is currently staying with family following an altercation. There has been some mediation between the children; however, this has not yet been fully effective. Staff are working to help the child return home.

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improvement to be good

Some staff do not have a good understanding of the therapeutic model of care used in the home. This means that there is inconsistency in how the model is implemented. The team is not always clear about the content of children’s care plans. When plans change, staff say that this is not always communicated to them. This is leading to staff supporting children in different ways, which has upset them and is confusing for staff.

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improvement to be good

The managers and staff support children with education. One child has made some good progress. She is currently taking GCSEs and has been offered a part-time job. Where children are struggling to manage a full timetable, staff work with other agencies towards improving their attendance. Their achievements are regularly reviewed with the relevant professionals. As a result, children learn at a pace which is comfortable to them.

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improvement to be good

Children are generally in good physical health, and they are supported to attend appointments. One child has specific health problems which require regular monitoring and review. The managers and staff ensure that there is continuity in oversight from medical professionals. Where required, children receive specialist services to help with their emotional well-being. This helps children to manage any ongoing feelings of distress and anxiety.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff encourage children to enjoy hobbies and interests. One child has a love of singing and she is able to express this in the home. Staff take children out on day trips and drives, which makes them feel valued. Children are in regular contact with their family and friends. The managers and staff work hard to make sure that these times are positive experiences for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 4

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual risk management plans contain detailed information about their specific risks and vulnerabilities. They are updated following any significant events. However, information is not consistent across all relevant documents. Staff do not have a good knowledge of risk assessments. Their views about risk levels differ from each other and from what is written in documents. This causes confusion and has the potential to put children at increased risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

The managers and staff have been required to manage some serious incidents. Some situations have been managed well. Staff have used their skills and relationships with children to keep children safe. There have been some incidents which could have been managed better. For example, there was a delay in responding effectively to an incident of self-injurious behaviour. Managers addressed this following the incident. However, at the time of inspection, the safety plan was not being followed by all staff. This was addressed again during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that important equipment is available to keep children safe from self-injurious behaviour. The equipment was missing from the home during the inspection. This happened despite staff needing access to the items at all times. It was only when the inspector discovered this that the equipment was returned to the home. Managers recognised the potential risks to children and acted quickly to ensure that this does not happen in the future.

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improvement to be good

One child has raised concerns about the practice of an agency worker. There was a delay in this being reported to the relevant professionals. Ofsted was not notified of the concerns. The incident is now being investigated. Managers are aware of the importance of notifying agencies in a timely way to ensure that safeguarding processes can be followed.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to stay safe when away from the home. They keep in touch with children and make sure that they are with people they know. There have been occasions when children have been missing from home. Overall, these have been managed well and there are detailed records of actions taken to return children safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are shortfalls in the management of the home. The registered manager post has been vacant since July 2022. The current acting manager has been away from the home for several weeks and alternative management arrangements are in place. However, the ongoing instability in the management team is impacting on the consistency of care and communication within the home. The responsible individual is working hard to minimise the impact. However, her workload is high, and it is a very challenging time. Leaders recognise the importance of recruiting a permanent manager as soon as possible. Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 5 Leaders and managers have faced difficulty in maintaining a permanent staff team. There are some core staff; however, the home is supported by agency workers on a daily basis. Some workers are familiar to the home, and work there regularly. However, this has had an impact on the workload of permanent staff as agency

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

workers cannot take on the same responsibilities. Staff are tired and say that they do not have time to complete training and other duties due to the current pressures. The situation is impacting on their levels of motivation and resilience. Managers have recently appointed more permanent staff, who are in the process of undergoing safe recruitment checks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders did not follow the required safe recruitment processes thoroughly when appointing the current manager. There is a substantial gap in the information gathered. This shortfall was discovered on inspection and had not been noticed previously. This is of significant concern due to the responsibilities of the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have received some formal supervision; however, this has been sporadic. Agency staff who work a considerable number of hours are not yet receiving regular supervision. Records of supervision are not kept in one place and members of staff are not always receiving their records. Limited supervision reduces the opportunity for all staff to reflect on their practice and receive feedback about their performance. There is also reduced accountability in relation to practice issues. This has the potential to affect the quality of care provided to children and opportunities to monitor shortfalls could be missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers recognise that the home has become busier, and that increased management oversight is required. They have started to increase the audits of the home and they are developing the role of senior workers. These developments are yet to be embedded and have a positive impact on the running of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 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 registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is an organisation or a partnership. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that a manager is appointed and registers with Ofsted within the required timescales and informs Ofsted of the reason for any delay to this process. 23 August 2023

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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

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

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all staff have a full understanding of and can implement children’s risk management plans and that this is consistent across the team. Where specific equipment or checks are 21 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 7 required for children, the registered person must ensure that these are available and/or communicated at all times.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff understand the model of care being used in the home and that it is implemented consistently with all children. If there are changes to children’s care plans, the registered person must ensure that this is clearly communicated to all staff working in the home. 26 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the person in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must only appoint a manager after gaining full information regarding their employment history and explain any gaps in employment. 23 August 2023

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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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation— 1 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 8 must include details of—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(c) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that allegations made against the home or person working there are notified to all relevant agencies, including Ofsted.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, for example teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2665204 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Prime Nurture Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Newstead House, Pelham Road, Nottingham NG5 1AP

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Inspectors

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2665204 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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