Children's Home run by Nurtured Future Living in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 1 Registered provider: Nurtured Future Living

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. The home registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. A manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first full inspection of the home since registration. An assurance inspection on 13 December 2023 did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Shortfalls in the safeguarding of children and management oversight have limited the child’s progress and experiences. At times, this has compromised the safety of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have not supported the child to develop positive day and night-time routines. This impacts the child’s wellbeing including their readiness for learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child is registered with the required health professionals and has attended some routine health appointments. However, staff have not supported the child to access specialist health services. A lack of diligence by staff in undertaking routine checks of the premises means that they were unaware that there were vapes in the home. The lack of action by staff does not create a safe environment for the child and does not support them to receive the help required to address their health and well-being needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since moving into the home, full time education has not been available for the child. The manager has advocated for the child and written to the children’s commissioner on their behalf. As a result, a tutor has recently been allocated for the child while an alternative education placement is identified. Staff are supporting the child to engage with the tutor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is large and spacious and has been decorated to an adequate standard. However, the absence of soft furnishings creates a sparse and cold environment. The child’s bedroom is grubby, and one bathroom is locked reducing the child’s access.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

During the inspection, positive relationships were observed between the child and staff. The child did not wish to speak with inspectors, however the child’s social worker confirmed that the child was happy living in the home.

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

Shortfalls in safeguarding practice have compromised the child’s safety and well-being.

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

The manager and staff do not understand or act on their responsibility to keep the child safe. Staff have not supported the child in understanding the risks associated with aerosol misuse and therefore the child remains vulnerable to significant harm. The guidance provided to staff to inform their day-to-day practice is insufficient. Consequently, monitoring arrangements are poor and the child has not received the support they need to reduce significant risk.

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

There are no arrangements for staff to monitor the child’s mobile device use to ensure that it is being used safely. Direct work with the child does not fully explore the specific Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 3 risks of their use of electronics and the internet. Poor monitoring arrangements and a lack of curiosity by staff leave the child vulnerable to harm of exploitation.

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

Missing from home incidents are infrequent. However, when they have occurred staff have not always acted according to guidance. Staff have not followed the child and encouraged them to return to the home. This has placed the child at risk. Post incident learning is not consistent, captured effectively or used to improve staff practice and safeguarding arrangements.

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

The quality of recording by staff following significant incidents is poor and lacks sufficient detail. Managers have not routinely ensured that records completed by staff are clear and a true account of events. Consequently, managers do not have the necessary information to review staff practice and whether it is safe and promotes the child’s welfare.

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

Overall, the manager responds well to allegations about staff and works alongside relevant professionals to consider concerns. However, following an investigation by the responsible individual into one allegation actions were not completed and there was insufficient guidance and support to staff to improve practice. Subsequently, an agency member of staff was left in sole care of the child. This meant that for a period of time the child did not receive care from a sufficiently experienced or trained member of staff.

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

Leaders and managers have not ensured that recruitment practices are safe. For example, references have not been verified and gaps in employment history have not been fully explored. Furthermore, no overseas checks are carried out before staff commence work with the child at the home. Failure to ensure the safe recruitment of staff could leave the child at risk of being cared for by unsuitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is no registered manager in post despite the home only having registered with Ofsted in October 2023. The current manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not ensure that staff working at the home have the required knowledge and experience. Insufficient permanent staff are employed and so there is a reliance on agency staff who sometimes work at the home on their own. When staff contact the on-call manager the advice they receive is sometimes unsafe. For example, staff have been advised not to intervene to avoid escalating a situation despite potential safeguarding issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is suitably qualified, child-focused and has a clear vision for the home. However, she has not had the capacity to embed an effective monitoring system to identify and make the required improvements. Furthermore, the current systems do not enable managers to understand the home’s strengths and areas for development, and do not help to improve outcomes for children. Due to staff shortages and the inexperience of staff, the manager has spent a significant amount of her time directly Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 4 supporting the child. This means that she has been unable to prioritise her management tasks to ensure the smooth and safe running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff say that they feel supported. The manager has ensured that staff have had some supervisions. However, there is no policy in place around the frequency of supervision, especially for staff who are in their probationary period. For example, a newer member of the staff team had not had supervision for a period of six weeks. This is a missed opportunity to address practice issues and develop staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Professionals say that the manager’s communication is excellent. The child’s social worker said that he is always kept informed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(c)(i)(ii)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that the physical condition of the home is improved and maintained to a good standard. 4 July 2024

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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 staff— 4 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 6 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; 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff having clear guidance that they understand and implement, staff’s monitoring and supervision of children, and their role in keeping children safe.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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;

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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)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h)) 4 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 7 This specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that the staff team is trained, skilled and experienced to meet the needs of children and keep them safe.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, managers and leaders should review monitoring systems to improve oversight of staff practice and records.

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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; if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff are safely recruited. 4 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring children’s records are up-to- date and are reflective of their needs. 4 July 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that no more than half the staff on duty at any one time, by day or night, at the home should be from an external agency. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.17)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.18) Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 8  The registered person should ensure that contingency plans are prepared in the event of a shortfall in staffing levels. If it is likely that there might only be one member of staff on duty at any time, the manager should make a formal assessment of the implications for children’s care, including any likely risks. This assessment should be recorded and available for inspection by Ofsted and placing authorities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 59

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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: 2731865 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurtured Future Living

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nurtured Future Living Ltd, Grosvenor House, Hollinswood Road, Central Park, Telford, Shropshire TF2 9TW

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Inspectors

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2731865 10 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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