Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Sefton

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2675485 1 Registered provider: Nugent Care

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Inspection date: 21 March 2024

Date of last inspection: 17 October 2023

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Inspection date: 21 March 2024

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 21 March 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has 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: 2675485 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 are enabled to build trusted and secure relationships with the staff. Staff know the children well, listen to them, and invest time getting to know them.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff support the children to maintain good physical health. Individual sessions are carried out with children about going to the dentist, vaccinations and having a blood test. The children are encouraged to eat healthily and supported to attend all their health appointments. This helps children access specialist support to improve their physical health and well-being.

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Findings from the inspection

Some children are making progress with their education. Staff support children to access learning and attend alternative education provision. However, one child is not fully engaging in education and spends lengthy parts of the day in their bedroom. This is socially isolating and demotivating for the child.

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Findings from the inspection

Children who are new to the home are welcomed sensitively and with the best possible planning. This helped one child experience a positive and smooth transition into the home. One parent said that the support from staff ‘made the move better’ for the child.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are supported to develop their independence skills in accordance with their needs. Since the last inspection, staff have supported a child to experience a positive and successful move to a shared living scheme.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff support children to see their family and maintain regular communication with them. Family members and friends are welcome to visit the children at home. This helps the children to maintain their identity and continue to see the people who are important to them.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are provided with opportunities to enjoy new experiences. One child recently went on holiday to their country of origin with the manager.

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Findings from the inspection

Following the last inspection, improvements have been made to the home environment. The house is welcoming and homely, and the children’s bedrooms are personalised.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s care plans are in place. However, parts of the plans are disjointed and not child friendly. Furthermore, one child’s plan did not detail how staff support them to improve their communication skills. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2675485 3 Individual assessments of risk are in place and updated regularly. This ensures that staff know what is expected of them when managing behaviour. Records of incidents include management oversight.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff know and understand the children’s vulnerabilities and identified risks. Children are supported to take risks appropriate to their age and level of understanding as part of their development of independent living skills. One child has recently started to walk to a local shop independently which is a great achievement.

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Findings from the inspection

Children receive help and support to manage their behaviours and feelings safely. Staff respond with clear boundaries about what is safe and acceptable. De- escalation techniques are effective and physical intervention is not used. This shows behaviour management strategies are effective.

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Findings from the inspection

Children know how to complain. Their complaints are treated seriously and are responded to clearly. Action is taken in a timely way.

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Findings from the inspection

A suitably qualified manager manages the home. The manager knows the children well. Staff spoken to describe the manager as ‘supportive’ and said that they enjoy working in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Monitoring and review systems have improved since the last inspection. Regular meetings take place with the manager and team leaders to identify any shortfalls in the quality of care that the children receive.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, the manager has worked hard to effectively challenge professionals. This is done to ensure that children’s best interests are promoted.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are supported with monthly team meetings and regular supervision. Appraisals are undertaken annually. However, the appraisals still do not always include the views of the children or key individuals. This limits their effectiveness.

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Findings from the inspection

Most of the requirements raised at the previous inspection have been met; however, two have been reinstated and will be reviewed at the home’s next inspection. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2675485 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/05/2022 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2675485 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, 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 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

support each child's learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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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

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

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;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(viii)(x)(b)) 03 May 2024 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2675485 6 In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff help children engage in education as part of a daily structured routine and in accordance with children's relevant plans.

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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; 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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child's relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child's parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child's relevant plans;

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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)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(d)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff provide care in accordance with children's statutory plans from the beginning of their placement. Furthermore, the registered person must ensure that the children's plans reflect all their individual needs and how they are met. 03 May 2024 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2675485 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home's care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2675485 8

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Children's home details

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

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Inspector

Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2675485 9 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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