Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: SC022447 1 SC022447 Registered provider: Nugent Care 2019 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC022447 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2024 Full Good 26/09/2023 Full Good 03/08/2022 Full Good 17/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC022447 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is settled and has positive and trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. The child is making excellent progress in all aspects of their life.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proud of the child. They celebrate and praise the child’s achievements. The child enjoys spending time with staff engaging in activities in the home and the local community. Staff have created a memory book to capture the enjoyable times they have shared with the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is thriving on the nurturing care they receive from staff. The child is growing in confidence. Staff are gently encouraging the child to take small but important steps towards greater independence. For example, the child is learning about budgeting, shopping and meal preparation. These skills will help the child to live a more independent life in the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and promote the child’s interests. For example, the child loves animals, so the staff organise trips to local animal rescue centres. The child thoroughly enjoys this experience, and it is a highlight of their week.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have helped the child to re-engage with education after a significant period of non- attendance. The child has been sensitively reintroduced at their pace. The child is planning to sit examinations soon, which is a considerable achievement for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child struggled to settle at the home. They were frequently missing from the home despite staff’s efforts to engage them. The location of the home and risk factors in the local community were not fully considered as part of the decision to admit the child. This meant that managers had not assured themselves that the area was a suitable place for the child to live. Notice was served regarding this child’s placement only after managers had explored all alternative options and approaches for ensuring the child's safety.

p.3

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

Risks to children are well understood. Children’s risk management plans are kept under review and updated following significant incidents. This helps staff to respond consistently and effectively to children’s needs.

p.3

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

Children receive high levels of supervision and support. There are some restrictions in place to ensure children’s safety. Managers have made sure to involve children in discussions about how to safely reduce some of the restrictions. This approach is helping one child learn to manage short periods of unsupervised time more safely. Inspection report for children’s home: SC022447 4 Children have trusted relationships with staff. This ensures that they feel safe to talk to staff about their history and their previous experiences. A social worker said, ‘Staff are brilliant; they genuinely care, and [name of child] knows that.’

p.3

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

There are clear procedures in place for staff to follow when a child goes missing from the home. This promotes a consistent and effective response to locate the child. Staff work hard to keep in touch with the child when they are missing and to encourage them to return home.

p.4

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

One child frequently went missing from the home. This child was vulnerable to exploitation while missing. Managers worked collaboratively with other professionals to reduce the risk of harm to the child and to disrupt this pattern of behaviour. Staff tried to educate the child about potential risks and to engage them in positive activities. However, this had a limited impact, and notice was served on this child’s placement as staff were unable to keep them safe.

p.4

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

Staff support children in learning new ways to manage their emotions and anxieties. Children are encouraged to identify strategies that may help them feel calmer when they are upset. This empowers children to exercise some choice and control over their care.

p.4

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

There have been incidents where staff have held children to keep them safe. All staff have received the necessary training to allow them to do this safely. Records of these incidents are maintained, and they include management oversight. However, managers do not always speak to staff about incidents within the necessary time frames. This delay does not help managers to review staff practice in a timely way.

p.4

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

Managers’ oversight of the training needs of the staff team is not sufficiently robust. Training records are not consistently updated and do not demonstrate that all staff have completed the necessary training to care for children safely. For example, one member of staff has not received refresher training on the safe administration of medication. This means that managers cannot be assured of this person’s competency.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new manager is in post. She is registered to manage another children’s home in the organisation. She has not yet applied to register with Ofsted for this home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. She has a clear vision for the home and the changes she wants to make.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers promote a child-centred culture. Managers know the child well and have formed positive, secure and lasting relationships with them. Staff share their managers’ commitment to securing the best outcomes for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that children’s views are sought and acted on. This helps each child to feel valued. For example, they purchased a summer house for the garden to address a child's desire for personal space. Inspection report for children’s home: SC022447 5 Regular team meetings ensure that staff have the information they need to support the child. One member of staff said, ‘Teamwork is a key strength in the home, with staff working collaboratively to ensure that each child’s care plan is tailored to their individual needs.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff receive regular formal supervision. This is a missed opportunity for managers to support staff to reflect on their practice and to identify their training needs. In addition, the notes of their supervision meetings are not always available to them.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are monitoring systems in place to support managers in reviewing the quality of care provided to the child. However, these systems are not sufficiently robust. For example, managers had not identified that mandatory training for one member of staff had expired. In addition, some documentation from the placing authorities was not held in a child’s files, and the staff roster did not contain all the information required by regulation.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are poorly organised. Managers struggled to locate important documents during the inspection. For example, managers held differing records of consequences given to children. This is confusing and impairs managers’ oversight of events in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC022447 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff receive the relevant training to care for children safely. 4 July 2025

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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)(c)(d)(h)) 4 July 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 4 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC022447 7 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”)—

p.6

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the staff roster should include the full names of the individuals working at the home. 4 July 2025

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is suitably located so that children are safeguarded effectively. Specifically, information about known risks in the local community should be used when making decisions about whether to admit children to the home and if the area is safe for them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that all staff, including casual and agency staff, receive regular supervision of their practice. In addition, a record of supervision should be kept for all staff. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

p.7

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: SC022447 8

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC022447 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9