Children's Home run by Nurture Childcare Services Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 1 Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to three children. The home provides care for children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since January 2022

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 17/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 3

p.2

improvement to be good

There is one child living in the home. He is settled and making progress in some areas of his life. Most staff know the child well, and they have built trusted relationships. This helps the child to develop a sense of belonging.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff encourage the child to take part in various activities outside of the home. This helps him to develop his self-esteem and social skills. The child shows pride in his abilities and presentation. His achievements are celebrated in the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff regularly talk to the child about his family, and they support his wishes and feelings about spending time with them.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child has not attended formal education provision for over a year. The staff team supplements the child’s limited online tuition with activities and trips, but this does not fully meet the child’s educational needs and has limited their academic progress. Staff have regularly raised this issue with the child’s social worker and independent reviewing officer. However, they have not escalated their concerns to more senior managers in the local authority, despite the child continuing to miss full- time education.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child is in good physical health, and staff support the child in receiving routine, age-appropriate healthcare. However, the child’s cognitive abilities remained unassessed for a significant time which delayed other forms of support, such as therapeutic intervention and mental health support. The lack of escalation from leaders and managers in challenging delays in the local authority means the child has not received appropriate specialist support for their emotional and mental well- being.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child knows how to raise issues, and the staff team listens to and acts on what the child says. The child’s wishes and feelings inform their daily care. An independent advocate has recently been identified for the child.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child feels safe in his home and with the staff.

p.3

improvement to be good

Some of the physical restrictions in the home, such as the locking of a utility room, have not been reviewed appropriately. This means the child’s physical environment has been unnecessarily restricted, which has also limited the child’s ability to develop skills in managing aspects of their behaviour. Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 4 When the child makes allegations or disclosures, the staff team acts promptly to ensure the child is safe and appropriate agencies are involved. This has included successfully challenging other agencies when their response has not been adequate.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff are aware of their responsibilities in the event of any safeguarding issues concerning the child. They understand the potential risks of online activity and what they need to do if a child goes missing from home. The interim manager has made connections to local services, such as the missing-from-home coordinator in the police service, to promote collaborative working.

p.4

improvement to be good

The use of restraint or restrictive practices by staff is proportionate and necessary. However, it is not always well recorded and in line with regulation. This limits the ability for managers to review the steps taken to avoid physically restraining the child.

p.4

improvement to be good

The staff team promotes positive behaviour, and the need to restrain the child has been reduced while living in the home. However, direct work with the child is not well planned and is often reactive to incidents. In addition, staff have sometimes blamed the child for behaviour arising from the child’s previous experiences. This is not in line with the care identified in the home’s statement of purpose and does not help the child to understand and manage their feelings.

p.4

improvement to be good

Potential staff members are appropriately vetted and checked before commencing work in the home. This ensures that only suitable people work with the child.

p.4

good

The home has not had a registered manager since January 2022. A manager was appointed in December 2022, but their application to register has only recently been submitted. Coupled with changes in the position of responsible individual, there has been a lengthy period of instability for staff and the child.

p.4

good

The manager in post has had a positive impact since being appointed. The requirements made at the previous inspection have been met. The manager has improved oversight and scrutiny of the functioning of the home.

p.4

good

Staff receive detailed and child-focused supervision, and the staff team meets regularly to discuss any issues about the child or the home. Staff receive training appropriate to the child’s needs and the home’s statement of purpose. However, this training is not consistently embedded in staff practice.

p.4

good

Staff are happy working in the home, and the staff team is more stable. The provider does not use any agency staff, using two employed bank staff who are known to the child to cover staff absences.

p.4

good

The manager is aspirational for the child and the home. However, this does not always translate into consistently good practice with the child. For example, direct Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 5 work with the child does not always meet their needs and does not fit with the home’s ethos.

p.4

good

Leaders and managers understand the plan for the child but have not been effective in challenging the local authority over a lack of progress in meeting the child’s needs. In addition, the child’s day-to-day care has not been reviewed frequently or robustly enough so leaders and the manager can continue to improve the quality of care provided for the child. For example, staffing levels have not kept pace with the child’s changing needs and behaviours, and a room has continued to be unnecessarily locked. Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 6

p.5

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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (c)(ii)(iii)(iv))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to not locking rooms in the home unnecessarily or for disproportionate lengths of time. 24 October 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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 (a)(b)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to effectively challenging the local authority or other agencies and escalating concerns when necessary. 24 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 7 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (2)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i) (b)(v))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff applying the ethos of the home as set out in the home’s statement of purpose when talking with and working with children.

p.7

Requirement Due date

It also relates to staff understanding the impact that abuse or neglect may have on children’s behaviour and using this to inform their work with children. 24 October 2023

p.7

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring children receive appropriate educational provision. 24 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 8 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.8

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; and

p.8

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)(f))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff work with children in line with the home’s stated ethos and that they understand the impact abuse and neglect may have on children’s behaviour.

p.8

Requirement Due date

This also relates to the manager reviewing staffing levels at appropriate intervals so that children receive a level of care appropriate to their changing needs. 24 October 2023

p.8

Requirement Due date

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—

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

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;

p.8

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)(a)(vii)(viii)(c)) 24 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 9 This specifically relates to recording steps taken to avoid the need to restrain a child.

p.8

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: 2591479 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

p.10

Inspectors

Kathryn Grindrod, HMI Social Care Rebekah Tucker, HMI Social Care Inspection report for children's home: 2591479 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.10

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11