Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in St Helens

Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 1 SC022447 Registered provider: Nugent Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and managed.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The statement of purpose states that the home is set up to meet the needs of children who have previously been in secure care and require intensive support to transition to a children’s home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The interim manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/08/2022 Full Good 17/11/2021 Full Good 13/08/2019 Full Good 21/05/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said that they enjoy living in their home. They volunteer in the local community to support vulnerable adults. This helps the child to develop their social skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build constructive and warm relationships with the child. This helps staff to respond better to the child’s needs and prevents incidents from escalating. This also helps the child to develop confidence and resilience. A family member said, ‘The home is just like one big family, they care for her so much.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has access to a wide range of activities in and around the home. This promotes adventure and new skills. However, the manager and staff are not aware of the local offer, which sets out the support available for children with special educational needs or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with health teams and use a therapeutic approach to understand the underlying causes of the child’s behaviour. This enables staff to sensitively support children who experience traumatic events. As a result, the child is making good progress with their emotional health and well-being.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in a bright, spacious home with modern furnishings throughout. However, some parts of the home have an institutional look which detracts from it being welcoming and homely. This includes locks on doors and large information boards on walls.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create memory books with the child while they are living in the home. These include photos of the child’s experiences and positive activities. This contributes to the child’s history.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are ambitious for the child and liaise well with their school to track progress. However, staff do not consistently promote education when the child does not attend school. This limits the child’s progress in education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carry out regular key-work sessions with the child. This includes discussions about relationships, staying safe and personal health.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child knows how to make a complaint. They said that they were happy with the outcome of their complaints and that the manager had responded to them in writing. The child said that they also have an advocate, and they speak to them if they need additional help.

p.3

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

Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 4 The child feels safe and protected from harm by staff. The child feels able to talk to staff and knows that they take their worries and concerns seriously.

p.4

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

Staff know the child’s vulnerabilities and they help the child to regulate their emotions. Staff follow clear risk management plans which help them to provide a consistent approach. As a result, the number of serious incidents has reduced in recent months. A social care manager said, ‘I can’t think of another residential placement that could have managed their needs as well as this one.’

p.4

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

The child’s missing-from-home incidents are reducing. Staff help the child to understand the dangers when they are missing from the home. Staff also follow robust missing-from-home protocols to return the child home quickly and safely.

p.4

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

Physical interventions are minimal and proportionate. The child and staff review incidents, which helps them to reflect and learn. However, leaders use jargon when describing physical interventions in their reports, and staff do not consistently sign their records. This means that records are not always clear.

p.4

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

Staff support the child to stay safe online. They have a range of strategies to protect the child from online harms when using their devices. Staff also conduct regular parental checks to keep the child safe. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The care team in the home has really worked hard and developed good relationships with [name of child] and managed their risks well.’

p.4

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

Managers do not consistently report serious incidents to Ofsted within the required timescale. This means the regulator has no initial oversight of what action staff take to keep the child safe.

p.4

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

The manager uses safer recruitment processes when bringing new staff into the home. This helps to ensure that only suitable adults work with the child.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is developing a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. They have made improvements in recent months to ensure that the child’s needs are met. This includes the production of a child-friendly plan, which the child will find easier to understand.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious for the child and demonstrates a clear understanding of their needs. They advocate on behalf of the child and work closely with partner agencies to maximise opportunities for the child to develop. Furthermore, the manager follows up and escalates concerns if responses from agencies are not satisfactory.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by their leaders. They receive regular supervision and additional one-to-one meetings. This helps staff to reflect on their work and identify areas for Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 5 development. One member of staff said, ‘I feel well supported. [Name of manager] is a fantastic manager, she listens to staff.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers conduct appraisals with staff on an annual basis. Staff reflect on their work and set targets for the year ahead. However, appraisals do not include the views of the child or key individuals. This limits their effectiveness.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager chairs monthly meetings with the staff team. This develops their skills and knowledge, as does the wide range of training courses they access. The training is focused on the needs of the child. This supports staff to safely care for the child. Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 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

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.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home is welcoming and maintains a domestic rather than an institutional impression in areas such as the hallway. This includes the removal of locks on communal doors. 10 November

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.6

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.6

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.6

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

p.6

Requirement Due date

is instigated; or 10 November Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 7 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.7

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")—

p.7

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(b)(i)(ii)) 10 November

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are aware of the child’s education plan and actively encourage the child to engage in education when they are not attending school. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)  The registered person should make sure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer setting out the support available for children with special educational needs or disabilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and of children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

p.7

Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 8

p.7

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: SC022447 9

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Mark Woodbridge, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC022447 10 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.9

Inspector

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10