Children's Home run by Nurture Support Services Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 1 Registered provider: Nurture Support Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties. There is one child currently living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been registered with Ofsted since March 2023.

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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/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 3

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inadequate

The child’s overall experiences and progress have been adversely affected since she moved into the home.

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inadequate

Outcomes for the child since moving into the home are poor. When the child moved in, staff did not have the necessary training to support the child’s specific needs. Staff were not trained in the therapeutic approaches as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. Staff have limited experience in supporting children with complex needs. As a result, the child has not received the level of care and support that she requires.

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inadequate

The child has developed relationships with the staff team. However, staff are not confident in challenging behaviour. They do not use professional curiosity to understand the child’s needs and vulnerabilities. As a result, staff are not supporting the child to develop skills and strategies to manage her own feelings.

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inadequate

The registered manager and staff do not ensure that the child receives the relevant support to meet her individual needs, for example in relation to the child’s mental health. Specialist therapeutic support identified at the time of her moving in has not been provided. Staff have advocated on her behalf to access specialist mental health services. However, there has been a delay in this.

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inadequate

The child currently attends an educational provision after a period of not attending. Education professionals say that she is making progress and that she engages well with staff and learning.

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inadequate

Staff support the child to develop her independence skills. Staff spend time with her, undertaking tasks such as cooking and cleaning. The child told inspectors that she is now able to cook meals, which she had not been able to do previously. Staff spend time with the child doing activities that she enjoys. She has joined a local football team. She is supported to engage in charity events, and she engages in plans to donate a defibrillator to the local community. She enjoys arts and crafts activities, which are evident throughout the home.

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inadequate

Staff support the child’s relationships with family. They advocate on her behalf to ensure that arrangements to spend time with family members are in line with her wishes.

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

Staff do not understand the child’s vulnerabilities, so they cannot support her safely. Staff do not know specific triggers for the child, and they do not ensure that there are clear boundaries in place to provide safe and effective care for the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 4 Language used by staff during the inspection to explain the child’s behaviour demonstrates that staff do not have the experience or skills to understand the child’s needs.

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

At the time of inspection, the home environment was unsafe. Bedroom windows were locked, with no clear escape route in the event of a fire. Risks were identified in the bathroom, with no access for staff in the event of an emergency. These were rectified during the inspection.

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

Staff do not always look for the child when she is missing from the home. Staff rely on emergency services to locate her. The child’s records do not include clear guidance for staff to follow when she is missing from home. This does not support the staff in practice. Therefore, staff are inconsistent in their approach to find the child. This leaves the child at risk of harm in the community.

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

A consistent model of physical intervention training is not used in the home. Staff and managers are trained in different techniques. On one occasion, the child was held by two staff who were trained in different techniques. This places the child at risk because she is physically held by staff who are not appropriately trained. Independent oversight of incidents is not undertaken when the registered manager is involved. Therefore, the registered manager and staff cannot identify any triggers for incidents to prevent this from happening again.

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

Staff adopt a multi-agency approach to safeguard the child. However, there is a heavy reliance on police intervention to manage incidents of challenging behaviour both in the home and in the community. As a result, the child has experienced traumatic incidents of being restrained and detained by the police at times of crisis. She has been criminalised and is currently involved with the youth justice system.

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

To promote independence, the child is now allowed to have a mobile phone. Staff recognise that accessing this can be a trigger for an escalation in challenging behaviours for the child. There is no formal plan in place to monitor how this is being used. On one occasion, the police attended the home following a family member reporting safeguarding concerns regarding online safety. Staff had not been aware of the concerns. Any monitoring of the child’s phone is undertaken externally from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A suitably qualified manager manages the home. However, there is no clear leadership in the home. The manager is not involved in the decision-making process for the daily running of the home. She is not consulted in respect of recruitment processes for new staff, internal promotions or staffing rotas. This limits her ability to have effective oversight and management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not aware of the whistle-blowing policy in relation to the directors who work in the home. An independent person is not available to whom concerns can be raised in the event of allegations. Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 5 Staff say that they receive regular supervision from the manager. The manager does not receive regular reflective supervision. The responsible individual does not have the relevant experience to undertake this. This means that the manager does not have the level of support that she needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The child is cared for by a stable team of consistent staff. However, the staff team does not have the level of experience and qualifications to meet the child’s complex needs. Staff members have been promoted to senior positions in the home without the relevant level of experience or qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff have undertaken all mandatory training as specified in the home’s statement of purpose. There has been a delay in staff undertaking therapeutic training. This means that the child has not received the level of care she needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings take place monthly. The director of the company chairs these meetings. The child joins these meetings, which gives her an opportunity to express her views and wishes, although this does not happen.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management, Ofsted issued compliance notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 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, The 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

*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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

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

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

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that there is clear guidance for staff to follow when children are missing from the home; that staff actively look for children when they are missing; that the 4 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 7 physical environment is maintained to ensure that there are no hazards in the home which could place children at harm; that staff provide care to children to minimise and mitigate risks; that staff are trained to de-escalate challenging behaviour; that monitoring of phone and internet use takes place in the home and that all staff are trained in the same model of restraint.

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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

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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 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; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the registered manager has consistent oversight of the care being provided to the child; that the registered manager has involvement and oversight of the staffing arrangements in the home; that the registered manager provides staff with supervision and appraisals; that the registered manager ensures that the staff team is working in line with the home’s statement of purpose and that the staff team and managers undertake training relevant to the child’s needs. 4 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 8 The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended;

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Requirement Due date

that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that arrangements are in place to manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(e)(i)) 4 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who —

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iv)(v)) 4 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 9 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the staff have the relevant experience and qualifications for their roles. 4 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider is an organisation, the organisation must ensure that the responsible individual undertakes such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the responsible individual has the skills needed for supervising the management of the home. (Regulation 29 (2)) 4 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out —

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. (Regulation 35 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all staff and managers undertake training in a consistent approach to restraint and that preferred techniques to use with the child are recorded in the child’s records. 4 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 10

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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: 2711439 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 35 Prescot Road, St. Helens WA10 3UF

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Rebecca Williams-Seddon

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Inspectors

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Sarah Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2711439 12 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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