Children's Home run by Nestlings Care Limited in Bolton

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 1 Registered provider: Nestlings Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a specialist therapeutic home for up to two children aged from 10 to 18 who may have mental health problems and may pose a risk to themselves and others. The home is registered with Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children currently live in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since 15 August 2023.

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Inspection date: 29 January 2024

Date of last inspection: 12 September 2023

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Inspection date: 29 January 2024

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 29 January 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have their own personalised bedrooms with lots of photos of their family and friends. This helps children to feel comfortable and at home.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is worn and requires redecoration. Staff said that work is planned for the home to be redecorated in the next few weeks.

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Findings from the inspection

There are some activities during the day for children, but the plans for how these will be carried out are not clear. Children have some educational activities in place and one child has recently taken some examinations.

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Findings from the inspection

Children take part in activities outside of the home, such as visiting country parks. Staff travel with them on public transport, which helps to support children’s independence skills.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not always follow the local authority care plans for the children and this is not always communicated to the social worker in a timely way. The children are aware of this. A child said, ‘They don’t do what my social worker says.’ This is confusing for children, and it is not in children’s best interests that staff are not working positively with the local authority.

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Findings from the inspection

The provider has internal multi-disciplinary meetings to help them plan the children’s care. Partner agencies are not invited to these meetings. This fails to show clear communication and openness about the work the staff do with children.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s risk assessments are up to date and outline the risks that are relevant to the children. It has not been necessary for the staff to physically hold children for several months. Children's emotions and behaviour are managed more effectively by staff.

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Findings from the inspection

The provider ensures that potential staff undergo safer recruitment checks. This means that staff working with the children have been thoroughly vetted and are appropriate to work with vulnerable children.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have now completed training and all staff are up to date with the company’s core training, which includes safeguarding training. The company has planned a programme of training that will be rolled out to all staff over the next few months. This will include training to meet the specific needs of the children living in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The home does not currently have a registered manager. Three managers have left in quick succession. The deputy manager has remained in charge, with support from Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 3 an operational manager. The company is planning to have interviews in the next few weeks for a new manager. This has meant that the planned improvements in the service have been slow to implement.

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Findings from the inspection

The requirements from a previous full inspection have not been reviewed during this visit. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2022 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Good 13/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 5

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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

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 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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that: children’s individual missing-from-home plans contain relevant information and strategies; when children make allegations about staff, these are shared with the local safeguarding partners; any concerns about staff practice are appropriately addressed, using the correct policies and procedures. 29 February 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 6 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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must: advocate on behalf of children who are not in full-time education, by challenging and escalating concerns with the placing authority and virtual school; ensure that when children are not currently in education, they are provided with suitable, structured activities to help them to sustain or regain their confidence. 29 February 2024

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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— 29 February 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 7 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all incidents are evaluated with scrutiny, taking into consideration any learning outcomes that can be implemented in children’s risk management plans, or to support the development of staff.

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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

a description of the measure and its duration;

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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)(a)(iv)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that: when physical intervention has been used, the records contain a full description of the measure used; when conversations take place with children following the use of physical intervention, the use of restraint is explored with the child. 29 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the 29 February 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 8 following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

a person ceases to carry on or manage the home. (Regulation 49 (b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that the regulator is notified of any changes to the manager of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s plans, including their education, health and care plans and any other relevant plans, are shared with the home and available for staff to refer to. 29 February 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive good-quality supervision which gives them opportunities to reflect on their practice and discuss their ongoing development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that there is a clear system in place to record room searches when they occur. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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Children’s home details

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 9 Unique reference number: 1271581

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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

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1271581 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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