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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 1 Nurture Support Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the visit, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is vacant.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 13 and 14 July 2023. Following this inspection, three compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These compliance notices were in relation to regulation 10 (the health and well-being standard), regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted also issued a notice restricting accommodation at the home. This notice was issued with immediate effect from 14 July 2023 to 6 October 2023.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the compliance notice in respect of regulation 10.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have reviewed plans in relation to the child’s health needs. These plans now provide staff with more detailed guidance on how to support the child’s physical and emotional health and well-being.

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This monitoring visit

Staff spoken to have a good understanding of the newly implemented plans. Staff have taken effective action to seek appropriate medical advice and treatment for the child when they have been required. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 2 Leaders, managers and staff take consistent action to ensure that the home is a safe environment for the child. They have included the child in reviewing and implementing care plans and have encouraged the child to take positive action in relation to their mental health.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has identified appropriate training for staff in mental health awareness. Until staff have received this training, they are receiving support from an identified mental health practitioner. This support has been implemented by the child’s placing authority.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, a case review was held and the decision was made that the provider has taken sufficient action to address the steps in the compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted will carry out further visits to monitor the notice restricting accommodation at the home and the compliance notices in respect of regulations 12 and 13. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/07/2023 Full Inadequate 16/05/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 4

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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 with 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 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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the child’s risk assessment outlines the risks to the child and provides clear strategies for staff to follow to reduce these risks. 11 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 5 Further to this, the registered person must ensure that staff take effective action, in line with the risk assessment, in response to safeguarding concerns.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that avoidable hazards to the child’s health are addressed.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the child who lives in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff receive training to support the child’s mental health needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they develop staff’s skills and knowledge through practice-based supervision and debriefs following incidents.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must implement an effective monitoring system to ensure improved oversight and evaluation of safeguarding and incidents in the home. 11 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 11 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 6 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.

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the child’s relevant plans are used to inform the home’s plans for the child. These include education, health and care plans and local authority plans for the child’s care and health reports.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(ix)) 11 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 7 After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is an adequate number of fire doors on the premises. 11 September

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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 an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that copies of relevant training certificates are obtained. 11 September

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 11 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 8 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that records of consequences and restraints contain the information that is required by legislation. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 9 Further to this, the registered person must ensure that restraints are only used when necessary and as a last resort in accordance with legislative guidance.

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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

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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) 11 September

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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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: 2711439 10

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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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Inspector

Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2711439 11 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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