Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Wigan

Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 1 Registered provider: Nugent Care 2019

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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 children’s home is operated by a charity. The home provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 3

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outstanding

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home. Children are making excellent and sustained progress. They said that they feel happy and safe and value living in the home. One child said, ‘I enjoy living here, and I wouldn’t change anything.’

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outstanding

Children experience positive moves into the home, which are completed in line with children’s needs. They are planned in such a way that children have already built relationships with staff and other children before they move into the home. One social worker said, ‘Staff developed a two-week transition plan that worked really well as [name of child] felt comfortable with the staff and the other child by the time it came to moving in.’ Another social worker said, ‘Staff were brilliant at managing the move, and it went incredibly smoothly. It was a long transition which really worked for the child, and they knew the staff team before they got there.’

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outstanding

Assessments of the children’s needs are comprehensive and include a full consideration of the needs of the children who will live together. This ensures that children have positive experiences of living in the home, and they develop positive relationships with each other.

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outstanding

Each child receives high-quality, individualised care, and children’s wishes and feelings are at the centre of everything that happens in the home. Children are given choices on activities they would like to take part in and play an active role in decisions about their day-to-day care. Staff talk to children to help them decide what incentives would help them to achieve. This involvement helps children develop a sense of belonging and a willingness to achieve.

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outstanding

The home provides a nurturing space for children to live in. Children can decide how to decorate their bedrooms. The bathroom is being redesigned to create a more relaxing and contemporary space. Children are supported to develop their independence skills, learning how to cook, clean and budget for themselves. This provides them with essential skills as they progress into adulthood. Each child is provided with a journey book which captures their progress and memories of living in the home.

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outstanding

Children have achieved in their education settings. Both children are looking forward to starting college after the summer holidays. One child has chosen to continue with educational work during the summer holidays to support their ongoing learning and development. Staff have aspirations for children to do well and have supported and encouraged them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 4 Children share excellent relationships with the manager and staff. Staff ensure that there are consistent rules and boundaries and encourage children to make the right choices. This helps children feel safe and develop appropriate behaviours. One social worker said, ‘Staff speak openly to [name of child] about risks, and they have made amazing progress in every way.’ This approach enables children to learn from experiences, which includes taking appropriate risks.

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outstanding

Staff routinely engage with other professionals to meet the wide-ranging needs of children, and they communicate well with the local authority to share relevant information as required.

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outstanding

Children receive support to access appropriate healthcare services. Staff educate children about how to keep themselves healthy. Children’s mental health is actively promoted, and staff work closely with services to ensure that children receive the support they need. One child was supported through a significant bereavement, and staff found therapeutic ways to help the child manage this loss.

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outstanding

Children are safeguarded from harm effectively, and the management of children’s risks is robust. There has been a clear reduction in children’s risk-taking behaviours since they have been living in the home. One child has had no missing-from-home episodes since moving into the home from a secure setting, when it had previously been a regular occurrence. As a result of living in this home, children are learning to make better decisions about their safety.

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outstanding

Risk management plans are reviewed following any incidents. Staff have a clear understanding of children’s needs, vulnerabilities and the potential risks they may be exposed to. Managers and staff take decisive action when they have concerns about children’s welfare, such as children going missing from the home or if they have worries about children’s safety in the community.

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outstanding

The manager ensures that children’s risks are managed. Positively, this is carried out in accordance with children’s ages and development. The manager is balanced in the assessment of risk and understands the need for children to develop resilience and make safe decisions. This promotes children’s understanding of how to keep themselves safe as they plan to move to their own accommodation.

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outstanding

Managers and staff demonstrate an excellent level of insight into children’s support needs. They tailor their responses to suit each child’s specific cognitive, emotional and behavioural needs. Incidents are de-escalated quickly due to the good-quality relationships between staff and children. Managers work closely with staff to reflect on their practice and consider any learning and development needs. Staff spend individual time with children following any incident, supporting them to reflect, take ownership of their behaviour and consider alternative responses. Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 5 Children help to devise their own behaviour support plans and decide on strategies that will help them. This provides children with a sense of empowerment and control. Children have been able to better regulate their emotions as they are aware of what strategies will help them.

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outstanding

There have been a low number of incidents where staff have needed to hold a child to keep them safe. When incidents have occurred, there are clear records in place. Both children and staff are provided with the opportunity for a debrief to reflect on the incident. Management oversight is completed on all incidents, and any areas for development are considered.

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outstanding

Individual key-work sessions are effective for discussing key risks, such as exploitation, healthy relationships and aggression. Staff are creative in finding ways to educate children about risks and promoting their safety, such as finding online videos and using quizzes. These sessions allow children to explore these issues in a safe and supportive environment.

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outstanding

Medication processes in the home are safe. There are clear procedures for the administration and storage of medication. All staff are suitably trained, and the manager ensures that staff complete a series of competency checks. As a result, staff are skilled in understanding medication processes thoroughly.

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outstanding

Children know how to make a complaint. Any concerns raised by children are dealt with effectively and in a timely manner. Managers ensure that children receive a sensitive response to their concerns, which helps children understand that they will be listened to and their concerns will be acted on. Children have access to an independent advocate. This ensures that children have easy access to support if they require it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is motivated and dedicated about achieving good outcomes for children. He is supported by a deputy manager who shares this dedication. The manager knows each individual child extremely well. He is highly visible in the home, which helps him develop excellent relationships with children and staff. He has high aspirations for each child in his care to reach their full potential. Staff value the leadership he brings to the home. One staff member said, ‘The manager is absolutely fantastic, and he is so supportive.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a strong advocate for children and demonstrates that he will challenge external services to ensure that they receive the best standard of care. This ensures that children’s needs are fully met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff genuinely care about the children they support, and they share the manager’s commitment and enthusiasm. The staff team works together and shares their knowledge and experience. One staff member said, ‘I love working here. We are a tight knit team where you can ask anyone anything.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 6 There is a strong and consistent team of staff who communicate effectively. The provider uses agency staff, with the plan to recruit them into permanent roles. Agency staff receive the same training, support and supervision as permanent staff members. This helps to ensure that there is continuity of care for children. Managers and leaders have devised a weekly podcast, where they share updates with the staff team. This creative communication helps staff to be aware of any changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff receive a range of different supervision styles dependent on what suits them individually at that time. These include formal, reflective and knowledge- based supervision which assesses staff’s skills and knowledge. Regular appraisals are completed to support staff development. The manager recognised there were inconsistencies in the quality of the appraisals and arranged bespoke training to make improvements. This helps to ensure that staff receive quality performance reviews and have opportunities to develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff attend regular team meetings and have opportunities to discuss children’s needs and plans and any support needs. The team meetings allow staff to continually learn and refresh their knowledge and skills. Staff engage in a wide range of training opportunities to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to care for children effectively. The manager has implemented an ‘air and share’ system for staff to raise any concerns, to promote an open and transparent culture. The manager takes effective action if any issues are raised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager demonstrates a strong level of oversight in all areas of the home, and he is an effective leader. He regularly reviews and monitors key areas to ensure continuous improvement and development. There are several effective internal monitoring systems in place. This helps to ensure that any shortfalls are quickly addressed, and staff receive support to improve their practice. The responsible individual also completes regular audits of the home and ensures appropriate oversight. Leaders and managers strive to make continual improvements to ensure that children receive exceptional care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children and is homely and domestic. Specifically, they should ensure that changes are made to the bathroom to avoid an institutional appearance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2725049 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Amanda Carpenter

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Inspector

Suzanne Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 9 regulates 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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