Children's Home run by Nugent Care 2019 in Wigan

Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 1 Registered provider: Nugent Care 2019 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a charity. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties or have learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. They spoke to the inspector about their experience of living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in October 2025. There is an acting manager in post.

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: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/07/2024 Full Outstanding 05/09/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 3

p.2

Summary of findings

There have been several significant improvements and positive changes in staff practice, responses and managerial guidance.

p.3

Summary of findings

Planning for children moving into and out of the home has much improved. Children have experienced positive and trusting relationships with staff and have been supported to make progress.

p.3

Summary of findings

Consistent staffing has remained a concern, and several vacancies remain in the wider staff team. However, the core members of staff working in the home have continued to provide loving and nurturing care for the child currently living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child was positively supported to move into and out of the home after a brief time, returning to the care of their family in line with their plan. Staff worked closely with the child to rebuild their familial relationships, which resulted in their reunification. The other child currently living in the home has remained settled for over one year. The child said, ‘I really like it here; staff listen to me and are really kind. This is the best place I have lived in since being in care.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know and understand the barriers faced by the child to access an appropriate educational setting and have worked alongside external professionals to identify the most suitable provision. Staff ensure that the child’s views are consistently shared with relevant professionals. Staff have implemented a personalised and structured transition plan, which enables the child to build their confidence and attend their identified school after a significant period out of education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of familial relationships and ensure that the child can spend time with those most important to them. As a result, the child’s family time arrangements have steadily increased in line with their wishes and feelings. The child’s family members are welcomed into the home during visits, and the child can spend time in their parent’s home with their sibling and in their hometown. The child’s parent said, ‘Staff are amazing. They work really well with us, and although I would like the home to be closer, whenever we go up there, they make it like a family home.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the child’s health and wellbeing. They know the child’s needs well and help them to access the right support at the right time. The child is up to date with all their routine healthcare appointments and has specialised services in place to support their sleep routine and mental health. Staff also support the child to take their medication; however, further exploration is needed to consider the child’s ability to take more responsibility for their own medication in line with their age and development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 4 The child is encouraged to develop some independence skills. They manage their own laundry needs and prepare healthy meals, and they are learning how to budget. However, the child does not have a clear independence plan and is not consistently given the same opportunities as their peers to take age-appropriate risks or develop the necessary skills and resilience to live independently.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well decorated and furnished, and the child can choose to decorate or change their bedroom when they wish. The child says that they love their bedroom. Shared spaces in the home, such as the living room and hallways, have excessive signage, which detracts from the overall warmth of the home.

p.4

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

Staff know how to keep the child safe and have a clear understanding of the child’s needs and the risks they face. The child reports feeling safe with staff. As a result, incidents in the home have significantly reduced.

p.4

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

Since the last inspection, the child has gone missing from the home on one occasion. During a changeover of staff, the child left the home without staff knowledge and was later found by police. The child was supported to safely return to the home, and appropriate actions were taken by the manager to ensure that failings in staff practice were addressed.

p.4

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

There have been no incidents of physical intervention in the home, and all significant incidents are professionally managed by staff. Staff consistently use the child’s behaviour support plans and risk assessments, which provide clear guidance and strategies for them to follow. Following any incidents, staff carry out direct work with the child to support their understanding of how to appropriately resolve conflicts and make better choices.

p.4

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

Consequences are rarely used but are fair and proportionate when given. Any consequences used are subject to managerial scrutiny, and the child’s views are always considered.

p.4

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

Allegations are well managed, and immediate actions are swiftly taken to ensure that the child is safe. External agencies are appropriately notified, and the child’s views are thoroughly explored. Where appropriate, mediation and repair work are carried out with the child to support more positive relationships with staff.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left the home in October 2025. Since then, there has been an acting manager in post who is experienced and provides clear leadership and guidance for staff in the home. Staff say she is approachable and supportive. She is supported by a deputy manager who is equally knowledgeable and provides consistent support to the wider staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 5 The manager ensures that staff access a wide range of training. Staff are up to date with the mandatory training required to work in the home. Staff say that they find training useful and can request any additional training or resources from the manager, who encourages ongoing professional development.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision from the manager or a senior member of staff. This provides them with the opportunity to reflect on their practice, discuss the child and explore any areas for development. Appraisals are used as another opportunity to reflect on practice and include direct feedback from the child.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although there are some core staff members who have provided consistent support to the child, there have continued to be significant staffing shortages in the home, with a high turnover of staff, many of whom chose to take redundancy following changes and uncertainty in the wider organisation. However, the manager has ensured that no further children have moved into the home while vacancies continue in the staff team. Recruitment is ongoing, and the manager has enabled the child to take part in this process, valuing their views and opinions regarding any potential future staff who may work in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed and implemented systems that support far-reaching and thorough oversight of the home. The manager ensures that any areas for development or shortfalls in staff practice are quickly identified, and appropriate action is taken to address any areas for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 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 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

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(d)(e))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that there is a stable staff team in place. 7 August 2026

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are supported to manage their own medication, where safe to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.16)  The registered person should ensure that children are appropriately supported and encouraged to develop their independence in line with their peers and due consideration is given to providing house keys and children spending time unsupervised in the home, where safe to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that the home reflects a family home environment and does not feature excessive signage, noticeboards or fire escape lights in communal areas or children’s bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.6

Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 7

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: 2725049 8

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Justina Henry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2725049 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 looked after children, 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