Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2675485 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

The home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2675485 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2024 Full Good 17/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2675485 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children are settled and have lived at the home for a significant period. This gives the children a sense of stability that promotes their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection. The child initially settled well but then started to go missing from the home. Staff tried to tutor the child about potential risks and 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 the child safe. This was a decision that was not taken lightly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a consistent staff team. Staff understand the children’s additional needs and provide children with individualised care that is tailored to meet these needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education in securing good outcomes for children. However, educational progress for children is mixed. One child has recently completed their GCSE exams and is being supported to make choices about their next steps. Despite the staff’s best efforts, one child finds it difficult to engage with education. Staff are creative and actively seek alternative forms of education to engage and interest the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills to prepare them for their futures. For example, children are helped and encouraged to plan, shop for, and cook meals. One child has started to go for walks independently in the local community. Children’s confidence and resilience are developed through these opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to adopt a healthy diet. They are registered with community health services and supported to attend appointments. When children have anxieties, staff offer children lots of reassurance and support. This helps children to accept medical treatment when it is needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see their family and friends. This is a positive and safe experience for children. Staff work effectively with children and their families to repair and sustain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well maintained. It has a large private garden with a summer house for children to spend time in. However, door locks in communal areas are not required and detract from the homely environment that the staff are trying to create. A recommendation is repeated in relation to this matter. Inspection report for children’s home: 2675485 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children in their care and their individual vulnerabilities. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard them.

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

Children’s risk management plans are kept under review and updated following significant incidents. However, some plans do not contain all the strategies that staff are using in practice. For example, one child’s plan does not detail the actions that staff should take if they find a vape in the child’s possession. This does not promote a consistent understanding of the agreed approaches.

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

Children are settled, and incidents where children are upset are rare. Children’s plans describe the strategies that staff should use to defuse challenging situations. Physical intervention is a last resort and staff have not needed to hold a child to keep the child safe.

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

One child frequently went missing from the home. There were clear protocols in place for staff to follow. Staff were persistent in their efforts to keep in touch with the child when they were missing and to encourage the child to return to the home. However, records of these incidents do not always detail all the actions that staff have taken to locate the child. This limits the manager’s ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the staff response.

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

Direct work with children is a strength of this home. Direct work focuses on the individual child’s needs and areas of potential risk. Staff are creative and use different approaches to engage children’s interest. This supports children to learn about the potential consequences of their actions and how to keep themselves safer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced, enthusiastic, and committed manager leads this home. He places children at the centre of his practice, and he is aspirational for children to achieve their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the children’s needs and the progress they are making. He is a good advocate for children and is confident to challenge other professionals to ensure that children receive the support that they require. For example, the manager has challenged one child’s placing authority to ensure that the child is assessed for an education, health, and care plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by an experienced and suitably qualified staff team. Staff access a wide range of courses, which are centred on children’s specific needs and vulnerabilities. This equips them with the skills they need to care for vulnerable children. However, the manager struggled to access records of training during the inspection, and this is a barrier to him ensuring that all staff training is up to date. Inspection report for children’s home: 2675485 5 The is not a full staff team in place and the manager is struggling to recruit to vacant posts. Staff are covering vacancies on the roster and no agency staff are being used. This minimises the impact on children as they are cared for by staff who they know. However, the issues with staff sufficiency mean that activities with children must be pre- planned. This has not had an impact on children’s health and well-being, but it reduces the opportunities for children to enjoy spontaneous activities. A requirement is made to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular and well attended. The manager uses team meetings as an opportunity to refresh staff knowledge in areas such as missing-from-home protocols and safeguarding procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. This supports them to reflect on their practice and helps managers to identify any areas for development. In addition, staff receive an annual appraisal of their performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy their roles and feel supported their manager. One member of staff said, ‘We have a great management team who support not only our children but also our staff team. We feel listened to, cared for and supported in any decisions that happen around the home.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2675485 6

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Statutory requirement

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

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

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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)(a)(d)(h)) 29 August 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home maintains a domestic rather than institutional impression. Locks on the doors to communal areas should be removed if they are not required to keep children safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the child’s plans detail all the practical strategies that are used by staff to manage risks to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2675485 7

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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: 2675485 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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Inspectors

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Samantha Kean, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2675485 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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