Children's Home run by Nurturing Nests Care Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home: 2827996 1 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Nurturing Nests Care Limited

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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 privately run and is registered to provide care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there were two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager have been registered with Ofsted since May 2025. This was the home’s first inspection after registration

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2827996 2 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in an environment that is maintained to a high standard. Children’s bedrooms are decorated in line with their preferences. The decor throughout the home reflects children’s identities and interests. These measures provide children with a sense of belonging and help them to feel valued and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good quality, individualised care from staff who are committed to ensuring their well-being. Children and staff form positive relationships with each other. Children make good progress because staff have a sound understanding of children’s developmental and emotional needs. For example, there are healthy boundaries about the use of games consoles, and this is balanced with protected time for staff to read to, and with, children in the evenings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education for children. One child is enrolled in a full- time education placement and is effectively supported by staff to attend and achieve in education. One child is not yet in education, but the registered manager has approached several local schools to find a suitable one, and the child has attended a taster day. In the meantime, staff support the child to maintain a healthy routine by providing ‘structured days’ that include a variety of educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a profound understanding of the importance of family time for children. Managers and staff have developed strong relationships with children’s families and professional networks. Children are given support to prepare them for significant events. As a result, children’s relationships with their families have improved over time.

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

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and managers ensure that staff are given clear guidance about how to keep children safe. Therefore, staff know how to best support children when risks arise. Furthermore, the good relationships enjoyed between staff and children has had a positive impact on the frequency of behavioural incidents.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing since the home opened. This is significant progress for the children currently living at the home. Children are appropriately educated by staff about their own vulnerabilities and risks in the community and when accessing the internet.

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

When physical restraint is needed to ensure children’s safety, the least restrictive restraint techniques are applied for as little time as possible. The records of the use of restraint are thorough and demonstrate that such measures are being used only as a last resort. The registered manager ensures that children receive appropriate support after incidents that lead to physical restraint with an aim to reduce the likelihood of a Inspection report for children’s home: 2827996 3 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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

recurrence. The registered manager’s oversight of such incidents is thorough and reflective.

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

Staff report any safeguarding concerns to the registered manager without delay. When needed, safety protocols are put in place to ensure that there is an appropriate response when children make allegations about staff conduct. The safety protocol is regularly reviewed with external safeguarding professionals, including the local authority designated officer. This means that all allegations are taken seriously and acted on.

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

One child has moved into the home and left again since the home opened. Although the registered manager sought to ensure that the child’s needs were compatible with those of the child already living at the home, they did not fully consider whether the staff had the necessary skills and experience to meet the child’s needs. This led to the child’s placement ending sooner than planned. The registered manager has carried out an in- depth ‘lessons learnt’ exercise with an aim to ensuring that other children experience placement stability.

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

Staff recruitment checks are completed to a high standard. Leaders seek to gain references from all previous employers. Additionally, leaders ensure that all agency staff have been recruited safely, although they only work at the home infrequently. This means that children are looked after by staff who know them well and who are safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has extensive experience of managing children’s homes and working directly with children. This is of huge benefit to this newly opened home. The registered manager is committed to helping children to progress and succeed. They have high expectations of staff, who say that the registered manager has a sharp focus on ensuring the welfare of children. One staff member described the working environment as ‘overwhelmingly positive’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in the senior leadership team, and a new responsible individual has been appointed. They are actively involved in helping the registered manager to create a caring environment for children. The registered manager and other leaders have good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses, and they design bespoke tools to enhance staff development. All staff have completed the training that is deemed mandatory by the organisation, and staff are supported to achieve the required qualifications for residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that staff receive high-quality supervision as they recognise the importance of this, particularly for a newly-opened home. Staff are confident to approach leaders, including directors, for advice at any time. The registered manager makes sure that they protect time to spend with children. This allows the registered manager to form meaningful relationships with the children. In one example, a child and the registered manager are jointly maintaining a ‘bug factory’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2827996 4 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Relevant professionals and children’s parents say that there is good leadership at the home and that children are supported with nurture and care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2827996 5 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, when emergency placements occur, there are sufficient staff trained and skilled in in the admission and care of children, where their full background may not be known. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.6)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2827996 6 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurturing Nests Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 5 Belgravia House, Grosvenor Street, Mold, Flintshire CH7 1EJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Ja hvanne Wilson

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Christopher Campbell

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Inspector

Sonata Brisley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2827996 7 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

regulates and inspects 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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