Children's home run by NASHE - UK LTD

Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 1 Registered provider: Nashe-UK Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately owned home provides cares for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 4 December 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following the last inspection of the home, compliance notices were issued under regulation 12 and regulation 13 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. Compliance notices were served against the organisation and against the registered manager. In addition, a notice of restriction was issued, which meant that the provider was not able to admit any further children to the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 3

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improvement to be good

The child’s experiences have not been wholly positive. Staff have taken the child to visit a potential new home. The child was told by staff that the reason for the move was their fault. This has left the child feeling rejected. The child describes a feeling of being ‘chased away’ by staff.

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improvement to be good

The child is not attending any formal education. The child’s school has withdrawn the child’s online education, and this has not been strongly challenged by the manager. Staff have failed to advocate for the child regarding their education. They have created an in- house education plan for the child to ensure some form of education is available. The manager stopped advocating for the child’s education when they thought the child was moving out.

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improvement to be good

The staff are not promoting and celebrating equality and diversity with the child. Staff are challenging some of the child’s negative views but are not providing additional education for the child. An external professional was supporting the child to explore their views. The manager stopped the support when they thought the child was moving out. This has left the child without positive guidance to increase their understanding of other cultures.

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improvement to be good

Senior leaders acknowledge that the staff need additional support to meet the needs of the child. The organisation is privately funding a therapist to support the child. This therapist will also assess the skills of the staff and provide additional advice and guidance to them. Senior leaders hope this will improve the quality of care the child receives.

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improvement to be good

The child has made some progress. This is due to staff becoming more confident and knowledgeable in their roles. The staff have created plans and routines for the child to make their day more predictable. As a result, the child is aware of daily expectations and is better able to manage their emotions.

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improvement to be good

Staff have ensured the child has access to external professionals such as an advocate. The child has met with their advocate, who has supported them to have their views and wishes heard in relation to their education. The child said they have found their advocate helpful.

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improvement to be good

Staff have created safeguarding plans for the child. However, the child has not been consulted on these plans or given the opportunity to contribute to them. As a result, support offered by staff is not always effective in meeting the child’s needs. The Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 4 language used in some of the child’s documents is negative and clinical. This could negatively affect the child’s well-being if they choose to read these documents.

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improvement to be good

The staff do not know how to respond to the child when they are distressed. When the child was upset with a professional, staff did not intervene to support them. The conflict was resolved when the interim responsible individual stepped in to support the child. The manager has failed to ensure staff know how to correctly support the child when they need to de-escalate a situation.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not ensured that recruitment processes are followed thoroughly. In some cases, full checks have not been completed on new staff. This has potentially put the child at risk of being cared for by unsuitable individuals. Senior leaders are currently in the process of updating safer recruitment checks to ensure this shortfall does not reoccur.

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improvement to be good

Leaders manage safeguarding concerns and complaints well. They ensure that the child is supported throughout the process. Senior leaders thoroughly investigate safeguarding concerns and complaints, and the child is kept informed of the outcomes. The child knows the complaints process and knows how to escalate their concerns if they are not happy with the initial outcome.

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improvement to be good

The manager has introduced coaching sessions with the staff. These sessions provide the staff with opportunities to show how they would manage safeguarding situations. If the staff do not demonstrate a thorough understanding of how to respond to a safeguarding concern, this is then followed up in supervision to ensure they have the necessary safeguarding knowledge. This ensures that staff can respond appropriately to situations and keep the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders have implemented new systems to ensure monitoring and reviewing tools are more effective. Although the manager is using these systems, he has not been proactive in ensuring his own oversight has improved sufficiently. He is unable to demonstrate his knowledge of some basic information around the child and around recruitment processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not demonstrated his ability to review the quality-of-care staff are delivering to the child. He stated that he was not sure how to carry out this process so did what he thought was correct instead of seeking advice and support. The report addressing the quality of care was poor and did not include information to show that the quality of care had been reviewed or his plans to improve the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders have plans to improve the service. The operations manager is currently acting as the interim responsible individual, and another manager in the organisation is supporting the manager to address the shortfalls in his practice. Five new experienced staff have been recruited, including a deputy manager. Senior leaders anticipate that the influx of experienced staff will support less experienced staff with their practice. Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 5 Staff speak positively of the changes that have been made. Staff are finding the coaching sessions and supervisions helpful in improving their practice and their relationship with the child. Supervisions are reflective and used to enhance staff knowledge. As a result, the child is more settled and is building better relationships with staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 6

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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 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; 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

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 27 April 2025

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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; 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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) 27 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 7 In particular, the registered person must understand the impact negative language in conversations and written documents can have on the child.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure services continue to be available to the child until they move out.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 27 April 2025

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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 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. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 27 April 2025

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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; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 27 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 8 The requirements are that—

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that if a person has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, there is verification, so far as reasonably practicable, of the reason why the employment or position ended.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a candidate submits a full employment history, together with a satisfactory explanation of any gaps in employment, in writing.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure the staff know how to respond to the child when they need support to resolve conflict. 27 April 2025

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 27 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 9 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)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child has the opportunity to contribute to all relevant plans and give their views on how they wish to be supported.

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child has opportunities to explore different cultures and that equality and diversity are promoted and celebrated in the home. 27 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5)) 27 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 10 *These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2775318 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1 Farmbrough Close, Aylesbury HP20 1DQ

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Inspector

Louise Webling, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2775318 12 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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