Children's Home run by Nestlings Care BC Limited in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 1 Registered provider: Nestlings Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have learning disabilities and/or mental health disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently three children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since June 2023.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 3

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improvement to be good

On some occasions, the staff have administered the incorrect dose of medication to children. Furthermore, some medication that was unaccounted for was later found in a bag that staff use when they are working. This practice compromises the children’s health and well-being.

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improvement to be good

One child has a recent diagnosis from the in-house doctor. The child’s health plan does not reflect the new diagnosis. This is a missed opportunity for staff to understand the child’s needs so that they can provide better care to the child.

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improvement to be good

Education is a challenge for one child. As there is no suitable education provision identified for this child, they have not accessed education in a long time. This hinders their social and academic outcomes and may affect their chances for better career opportunities later in their life.

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improvement to be good

The home is currently undergoing some redecoration to improve the environment for the children. The children’s bedrooms are clean and tidy. They are decorated to the children’s individual tastes, which gives them a sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Children told the inspector that they enjoy living in the home. Positive relationships between the staff and the children were clearly visible during the inspection. Children feel confident and comfortable in sharing their views and worries with the staff and the clinical team. This means that the children receive the right support and guidance to help them cope better when they are struggling.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of leisure activities, such as walking trips to the seaside and playing games in the home. These activities help the children to develop their self- esteem and confidence when they are out in the community.

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improvement to be good

The staff do not consistently provide a detailed account of the use of physical intervention, and some records are backdated. The registered manager has not identified these shortfalls, and her review of these documents is out of timescale. In addition, the manager does not explore how the children have obtained items to self-harm with. This poor practice prevents the manager from being assured that the staff’s practice is safe and proportionate and that the staff are responding in a way that better protects the children.

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improvement to be good

Agency workers provide the staff in the home with their Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate before they start their work with the children. Should they not provide evidence of an up-to-date DBS certificate, they will not enter the home and care for the children. However, the registered manager does not know whether gaps in some agency staff’s employment have been explored by the Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 4 agency. This does not reassure leaders and managers that the safer recruitment process has been undertaken thoroughly. This issue is repeated from the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments provide the staff with clear actions to follow to reduce the risk of harm to children. The registered manager and clinical team frequently review and update the children’s risk assessments as and when is needed. This helps to identify whether risks are increasing or reducing in frequency.

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improvement to be good

Staff have positive relationships with the children, and they can mitigate escalation in the children’s behaviours through verbal redirection. This enables the staff to manage any disruptive or unwanted behaviours. Children continue to develop their resilience when feeling angry or sad. Consequently, for some children, incidents of self-harm and missing-from-home incidents continue to reduce. This is considerable progress for the children.

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improvement to be good

There has been one incident of a child going missing from home since the last inspection. The registered manager worked in line with the police, and staff followed the child’s missing-from-home protocol. This ensured that the child was located as quickly and safely as possible. Furthermore, staff spoken to are aware of each child’s missing-from-home protocol should they need to use it.

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improvement to be good

Necessary action is taken by leaders and managers to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively. Allegations from the children are taken seriously by the registered manager. She works in consultation with the local authority designated officer and follows their guidance when she promptly investigates these matters.

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good

The registered manager of the home is supported by a deputy manager. Both managers lead by example and think of the children with high regard. This nurturing approach is reflected in the staff team, which spoke with compassion for the children.

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good

The staff feel supported by their management team. This promotes cohesion among the staff who work consistently with the children, who they know well. This helps to create a positive environment for children to live in.

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good

One child’s plan to move on from the home is ineffective. There continues to be no identified placement secured, and a legal document has expired that is needed to ensure that the child moves on to a provision that can meet their needs. This uncertainty is causing the child to worry. This resulted in the child engaging in more self-harming behaviours after they had experienced a period of stability. Although the registered manager expressed her concerns, she did not escalate these to more senior leaders in the local authority.

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good

The in-house clinical team plays a big part in the learning and development of staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 5 Training is specific to each child, and support and guidance are readily available for the staff, to support them in providing better care for the children. Nevertheless, one member of staff, who has been in post for two years, has not been enrolled onto the required childcare qualification. Leaders and the management team have now responded to this, and the member of staff has now been enrolled.

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good

Internal monitoring of the home has not recognised the shortfalls that have been identified during this inspection. While the registered manager is aware of some of the shortfalls, medication errors continue to occur. The actions taken to address these errors are ineffective. There are no sufficient steps to address the medication procedure to reduce the frequency of the errors, and there is no plan in place to monitor the staff’s performance to ensure efficiency when handling and administering medication.

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good

Staff receive regular and reflective supervision sessions and team meetings. Safeguarding the children is a stand-alone topic that is discussed to improve the staff’s practice. The staff receive targeted supervision sessions, where leaders and managers focus on a particular topic. This continued learning helps the staff to evolve in their roles, and this gives them the chance to learn both in a group and individually. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 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(s) 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that the arrangements for handling and administering medication are effective and that staff are competent throughout this procedure. 15 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

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; 15 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 7 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

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 signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that consequences used to manage negative behaviour are fully recorded in accordance with the regulation.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being;

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Requirement Due date

and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)) 15 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 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—

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 15 September

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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

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

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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 (a)(c)) 15 September

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; 15 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 9 raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

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 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

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate

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Requirement Due date

qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”);

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Requirement Due date

In the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d) (4)(a) (5)(a)) 15 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 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: 2594061 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nestlings Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 4, 1 Derby Street, Leigh WN7 4PF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Thompson

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Inspectors

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2594061 12 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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