Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 1 SC025395 Registered provider: Nugent Care 2019 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 run by a charity.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since 6 August 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 inadequate

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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: 10 September 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2024 Full Good 07/06/2023 Full Good 19/05/2022 Full Good 18/01/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 3

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improvement to be good

Staff do not ensure that children have consistent, structured routines within the home. Engagement with education is limited, with most children either not participating or showing minimal involvement. There has been a recent positive development, with one child enrolling in college for the upcoming academic year. Children say that they often feel bored and perceive daily routines as inconsistent. This lack of structure and purposeful activity has a negative impact on their overall progress and development.

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improvement to be good

Activities are offered regularly. However, children do not always choose to participate, and their views are not consistently sought in the planning of these activities. They do not have regular children’s meetings. There are plans in place to reintroduce these. As a result, some children may feel disengaged or under-represented in decision-making.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to enjoy time with their families which is in line with individual care plans. Visiting family members report feeling welcomed and at ease in the home environment.

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improvement to be good

The home itself is spacious and is set within extensive grounds, offering unique opportunities such as caring for animals, including goats, chickens and guinea pigs. However, not all children choose to engage with this aspect of the home. Children’s bedrooms vary in their level of individualisation, with some children’s rooms being very personalised and others quite bare.

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improvement to be good

Staff are proactive in supporting children’s health needs and seek specialist input where required, ensuring that children’s physical and emotional well-being are prioritised.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from warm and trusting relationships with staff. They can identify specific staff members they feel comfortable with and enjoy spending time alongside.

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improvement to be good

There are concerns regarding children going missing from the home. While individual risks are clearly identified and detailed risk assessments are in place, staff have, on occasion, not followed the correct procedures. This inconsistency increases the potential risk to children, particularly those vulnerable to child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation.

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improvement to be good

Boundaries within the home are not always consistently applied. Children can receive mixed messages from staff, which can lead to children feeling confused. This undermines their sense of safety and stability. Although safety and behaviour plans are in place and Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 4 are generally understood by staff, inconsistent implementation reduces their effectiveness.

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improvement to be good

Children vape in the home and can access the internet through mobile data after Wi-Fi is switched off. Staff have limited control. This presents a particular risk for children already identified as vulnerable to exploitation.

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improvement to be good

Some children have made significant progress during their time at the home. Staff’s support and guidance have significantly reduced the risks to some children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has not been a registered manager in post for some time. Although a manager was appointed, they left before registering with Ofsted. The responsible individual has also recently left the organisation, and a new responsible individual is in post. This lack of stable leadership has been felt by both staff and children, who report uncertainty and difficulty in finding someone to make day-to-day decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has recently taken steps to improve the situation, including deploying an interim manager to the home. While this is a positive development, these changes are still in the early stages and have yet to show significant impact.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior-level monitoring is in place, but daily oversight and direction for staff remain limited. This affects the home’s ability to provide children with consistent routines and structured care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff feedback is mixed. Some staff express strong commitment and say they enjoy their roles, while others report feeling unsupported, particularly during night shifts. Some staff said they do not always feel safe at night.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from professionals is also inconsistent. While some praise the dedication of staff and the progress children have made, others raise concerns about the inconsistent implementation of risk assessments and care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff say that they receive regular supervision and attend team meetings. However, the effectiveness of this support is variable and does not always translate into consistent practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 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, 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 promotes their welfare.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(d)(f)(g)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that staff are offered consistent support and are empowered to carry out their role effectively by a permanent manager.

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Requirement Due date

That nighttime staff receive support that will help them fulfil their role safely and effectively. 7 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 6 That the use of external monitoring by the independent visitor is effective and assists the manager to understand the children’s wishes and feelings.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children have good opportunity and a variety of forums to express their wishes and feelings. When children do express their wishes and feelings, that staff act upon these whenever reasonably practicable. 7 July 2025

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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

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; 7 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 7 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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the children’s individual risk management plans provide staff with clear strategies to manage and reduce risk.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to managers and staff consistently following safeguarding procedures in response to children going missing from the home, the use of vapes and safe access to the internet.

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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

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

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(ix)) 7 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 8 In particular, the registered provider must ensure that when children are not in education, there is clear structure and routine in place at the home to support independent study.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that concerns about the lack of education and plans in place for children are appropriately escalated.

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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: SC025395 9

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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

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025395 10 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 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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