Children's Home run by Nurture Childcare Services Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 1 Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in August 2019 and is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is vacant. An interim manager is in post and intends to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted judged this home inadequate at the full inspection on 5 June 2025. Two compliance notices were issued under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the progress and actions taken by the provider to meet the two compliance notices. The visit identified that the provider has taken sufficient action to meet the notices.

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This monitoring visit

New safety plans have been implemented for children’s specific risks, and staff clearly understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Children’s individual behaviour support plans are detailed and have clear guidance for staff to follow.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers test the safeguarding knowledge and skills of the staff team using quizzes and discuss practice scenarios with them during team meetings. Staff Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 2 spoken to can confidently identify the known risks for the children and what actions they should take to manage them.

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This monitoring visit

There have been occasions when children have self-harmed. Staff respond appropriately to remove items that children could use to harm themselves. Staff carry out welfare checks on children when self-harm is a concern, monitoring their well-being. Staff are helping children to understand difficult emotions and are providing positive strategies to manage them. For one child, a wristband system has been introduced. However, this is in its infancy and not fully embedded in practice. Staff use de-escalation strategies and techniques to manage children’s behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

When safeguarding concerns arise, staff take action to safeguard children, including physically holding children when necessary to prevent significant harm and injury. Staff provide children with opportunities to reflect on the incident and express their views about the intervention used. However, on one occasion, this reflective session was carried out by a staff member involved in the hold. This limits children’s opportunity to raise concerns about staff practice should they wish to do so.

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This monitoring visit

The monitoring and review systems now include a management evaluation of all incidents. The manager has taken a proactive approach in ensuring that new safety plans are used by staff to mitigate risk. He ensures that safety plans are reviewed and updated following safeguarding incidents to ensure that staff have the most up- to-date information when caring for the children.

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This monitoring visit

Training has been reviewed, and all staff have now received autism spectrum disorder training to develop their knowledge and skills in caring for one child. Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have taken effective action to address shortfalls identified in relationships between children and staff. Two staff members are no longer working in the home, and no further issues have been identified. During this visit, the manager reflected on the timescales for taking effective action to move the staff member from the home and identified lessons learned.

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This monitoring visit

Previous requirements were not considered as part of this visit and will be reviewed at the full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2025 Full Inadequate 05/11/2024 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Inadequate 29/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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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

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that information is passed on to those supporting the child with their care. This includes ensuring that practitioners are promptly informed of any escalations in mental health needs. 30 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

any form of corporal punishment; 30 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 5 any punishment involving the consumption or deprivation of food or drink;

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Requirement Due date

any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on—

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Requirement Due date

a child’s contact with parents, relatives or friends;

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Requirement Due date

visits to the child by the child’s parents, relatives or friends;

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Requirement Due date

a child’s communications with any persons listed in regulation 22(1) (contact and access to communications); or

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Requirement Due date

a child’s access to any internet-based or telephone helpline providing counselling for children;

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Requirement Due date

the use or withholding of medication, or medical or dental treatment;

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Requirement Due date

imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation;

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Requirement Due date

withholding any aids or equipment needed by a disabled child;

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Requirement Due date

any measure involving a child imposing any measure against another child; or

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Requirement Due date

any measure involving punishing a group of children for the behaviour of an individual child. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that family time is not removed as a consequence for not engaging in education.

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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; 30 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 6 engage with them; and

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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 express views, wishes and feelings;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 7 is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the staff are able to build and maintain effective relationships with children to ensure that their support needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; and

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Requirement Due date

the person is physically and mentally fit to manage the home; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the person in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has—

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Requirement Due date

within the last 5 years, worked for at least 2 years in a position relevant to the residential care of children;

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Requirement Due date

worked for at least one year in a role requiring the supervision and management of staff working in a care role; and

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Requirement Due date

the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 5 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered provider considers to be equivalent to the Level 5 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

The relevant date is— 30 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 8 in the case of a person who starts managing a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 3 years after the date on which that person started managing a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of a person who was managing a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2017.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider may defer the relevant date if the person—

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Requirement Due date

does not manage, or has not managed, a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

manages, or has managed, a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c) (2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii) (3)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that a manager is recruited without delay and the application is not delayed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. 30 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 9 The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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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

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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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) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 30 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 10

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. Any damages, such as the broken gate with nails protruding, should be quickly repaired. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any monitoring equipment used is risk assessed and regularly reviewed to ensure that it is necessary and proportionate to keep children safe. This includes a review of the blanket use of window restrictors. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person should ensure that staff have an opportunity to reflect on their practice during individual appraisal sessions at least once per year. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39,

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Recommendations

paragraph 8.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and ensure that they can meet children’s specific requirements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that following any incident of staff using physical intervention with a child, the child is provided the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience with an appropriate person who was not involved in the hold. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Calls Wharf, C/o Pebbles Care Ltd, 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Inspector

Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2534829 12 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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