Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 1 SC025395 Registered provider: Nugent Care 2019 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a charity. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for up to six children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/05/2022 Full Good 18/01/2022 Full Inadequate 06/10/2021 Full Inadequate 27/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are six children currently living in the home. Two children have been settled in the home for a number of years. Plans for children moving into the home demonstrate how children’s needs can be met. Children are invited to visit the home before moving in. This helps alleviate any anxieties they may have about moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious. There is plenty of space for children to spend time together or alone. Staff have worked hard to create a warm and welcoming environment for children. The beauty room and sensory room are good spaces for the children to spend time. The home’s goats, chickens and rabbits provide children with the opportunity to care for animals, which has a therapeutic benefit for them. Children also care for pets in the home, and these are kept in children’s bedrooms. This supports children to have a sense of independence and responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some areas of the home need repair and attention. Locks on internal doors create an institutional feel to the home. Water leaks in one child’s bathroom had caused water damage. However, this was rectified during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to lead healthy lifestyles and ensure that their health needs are met. Staff have high aspirations for children to achieve in education. Staff support children to attend alternative educational provisions when they are unable to attend mainstream school. One child has made good progress in education and is preparing for university. Support is being provided to another child to access college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s records do not include up-to-date local authority plans and documentation. Education and health assessments are available for all children. This means that staff do not have the information needed to provide care in line with children’s individual plans. The manager has made some attempts to obtain these; however, this has not been escalated sufficiently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop independence skills. Staff help children to move into their own accommodation. They have access to a self-contained area of the home that provides them with the opportunity to cook and prepare their own meals. One child has recently started employment within the organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with family in accordance with local authority plans. Staff recognise and respect children’s relationships with family and friends, and they provide practical and emotional support to children to maintain healthy relationships.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 4 Staff have a good understanding of children’s individual vulnerabilities. They support children to understand and manage their risks and vulnerabilities both in the home and when they are out in the community. One social work professional commented that, ‘Staff go above and beyond to keep children safe.’ However, children’s plans do not always include clear guidance for staff to follow in practice.

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

Incidents of physically holding children are managed well. Physical intervention is used as a last resort to safeguard children and others. Strong relationships between staff and children help to de-escalate challenging behaviour. However, managerial oversight is not always recorded within timescales.

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

Staff manage incidents of challenging behaviour well. Positive behaviour is promoted by using rewards and praise. The use of consequences is proportionate, and they are only used to safeguard children following incidents. However, children’s records do not consistently reflect the extent of actions taken by staff.

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

Specialist support is requested for children to meet their needs. Staff work in partnership with other agencies to safeguard children.

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

Staff actively look for children when they are missing from home. Staff work well with other professionals to locate children and return them home. Independent support is provided to children following any incidents of being missing from home. However, children’s records do not always record the actions that staff take.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She knows the children well and is passionate about providing good levels of care for them. She uses research-informed practice to support the staff and children. Plans are underway to adopt a new model of care in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports the staff team well. She has a strong belief in investing time and support to the staff to promote best practice with the children. The introduction of ‘therapeutic Thursdays’ provides staff with opportunities to enjoy various activities and therapeutic interventions. Staff value these opportunities and say that they support their well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported by a clinical psychologist who visits the home regularly to deliver workshops. These cover various topics relating to the children’s needs. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals. Staff say they feel supported in their roles and enjoy their work with the children. Staff are given areas of responsibility, which helps them feel empowered in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly, and the use of quizzes and bespoke workshops provides staff with the skills and knowledge to provide good-quality care to the children. Podcasts are used to share information between the team members. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 5 The manager feels supported in her role and benefits from regular supervision. However, she does not always receive copies of her supervision records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by an established staff team. However, at the time of inspection, the home was not fully staffed. Existing staff work extra shifts to cover shortfalls. Not all night staff are able to drive. This means that there have been occasions where it has not been possible for them to collect children during evening times, resulting in children having to use public transport.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The internal monitoring of the home is evaluative, and the manager considers the quality of care being provided for children. The manager reflects on the care that staff provide for children. This helps to improve the quality of care that staff provide for children. The manager knows the strengths of the home and identifies actions to improve children’s overall experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 6

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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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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

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)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered manager ensures that there are sufficient staffing levels to care for the children and that there is regular oversight of the children’s records to ensure that all information is recorded and relevant. 30 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

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; 30 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 7 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

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 (2)(a)(i)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that children’s records and plans include all up- to-date and relevant information and that internal door locks are removed.

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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

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. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered manager escalates any concerns or complaints to the local authority in the absence of statutory documentation. 30 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered manager makes a record of debriefs with staff and children following incidents within the timescales. 30 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.3)

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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: SC025395 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Mandy Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 10 and 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 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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