Nook Residential Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 1 Nook Residential Limited Registered provider: Nook Residential Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This service registered with Ofsted on 18 November 2024 and is operated by a private provider in the north-west of England. It can accommodate up to 5 looked- after children and care leavers in one group living home.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, one child was receiving support and accommodation in the service.

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provider

The registered service manager, who is also the nominated individual for the service, has been in post since the provider’s registration.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 15 June 2026 and started that day. The inspector was on site on 17 and 18 June 2026.

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Outcome

Serious or widespread weaknesses lead to significant concerns about the experiences and progress of children. Leaders and managers must take urgent action to address failings. The next inspection will be within approximately 6 months.

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Summary of findings

Most children do not have positive experiences of the service.

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Summary of findings

Children with complex needs cannot be kept safe in the supported accommodation service. One child was given immediate notice to leave the day before the inspection following a serious safeguarding incident. There are also concerns that this child had been in possession of weapons and involved in criminal exploitation. Another child reported that they had experienced intimidation and harassment from this child since they had moved into the accommodation. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 2 Leaders and managers minimise vulnerabilities of children before accepting them in supported accommodation. A child who had assaulted their carers lived alongside another child who was physically aggressive towards others.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not consider all the information available to them when assessing children’s safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Some children who have moved into the home are not ready to learn independence skills. Their needs have not been met in supported accommodation. Staff are unable to provide the level of help that children need, and this limits their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff teach children daily living skills needed for independence. However, leaders and managers have low expectations for staff to carry out learning sessions, so they are infrequent. For example, one child only had 2 learning sessions with staff in 6 weeks. Leaders and managers do not assess whether a session has improved children’s knowledge, nor do they provide suggestions for further learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to register with dentists, doctors and other primary healthcare services. They refer children to access specialist healthcare agencies, such as mental health and substance misuse services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff offer children support with cooking or going to the gym. However, most children spend long periods in their bedrooms or out in the community. Children know that staff are available if they need support. However, one child had been accommodated for several weeks but felt that they did not know staff well enough to speak openly with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers help children to explore opportunities in education or training. Children are supported to attend interviews for college or apprenticeships. Staff know that children may have had poor experiences at school and encourage access to training and career development. Staff are aspirational for children and want them to do well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children typically do not have positive experiences of moving on from their home. The provider serves notice on children’s placements due to not being able to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff help children to understand their entitlements as care leavers, such as finances and the right to independent advocacy. Staff support children in attending care planning meetings. Children’s views on their plans are listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers no longer use CCTV in the communal areas of the accommodation. However, this has only been a recent change. Leaders and managers now recognise the proportionate use of surveillance to protect the rights of children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 3 The service is located close to amenities and transport links. There is a well- presented open-plan kitchen and living room area.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not consistently consider known risks to children to assess whether they can safely live together. This has led to conflict and threatening behaviour between children. As a result, leaders and managers have had to move children to different premises or end their placement. This causes disruption to children’s lives.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff fail to identify emerging vulnerabilities of children. For example, one child did not tell staff that another child was threatening him and had financially exploited him. The child has been bullied since they moved in. Staff reported that the children appeared to be good friends and spent some time together. Staff are not curious about children’s relationships and potential exploitation.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff do not understand the risks to children when they are in the community. For example, one child was missing from home, and they spent 3 days living with a 15- year-old girl. This child had a history of sexual allegations made against them. Staff did not contact the registered person for support during the incident and cited responsibility with the police. Staff do not share information promptly or receive direction from the registered person or consistently liaise with social workers.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not act promptly to safeguard children when it becomes clear that the provider cannot meet their needs. They do not act quickly enough to work with social workers to find an alternative plan for the child. This means that children are likely to suffer significant harm.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not consistently inform Ofsted when serious events occur. For example, staff did not inform Ofsted when a child was experiencing feelings of self-harm and had set fire to their bedroom. On another occasion, a member of staff offered a confusing description of an incident to Ofsted without informing the registered person. This limits the regulator’s ability to maintain oversight and ensure that responses to serious incidents protect and support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not have effective oversight of the service. The registered service manager delegates responsibilities to staff. This limits her understanding of the progress and experiences of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The director of the supported accommodation makes decisions regarding admitting children. This director has been interviewed by Ofsted and is deemed to not have the knowledge, skills and experience to run the supported accommodation undertaking effectively. The director has had no further training to improve his skills or increase his knowledge of managing children’s needs in accordance with the regulatory framework. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 4 Regular supervision meetings give staff the opportunity to discuss any worries they have about children and their plans. The registered service manager provides supervision for 3 members of staff, and they are expected to supervise the remaining members of the staff team. However, the registered service manager does not check supervision meeting notes, and the quality of these is mixed. Staff do not have sufficient skills and training to carry out management tasks and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager promotes staff to management positions. These staff do not have the appropriate skills and experience to oversee supported accommodation. Staff do not have supervisory experience or demonstrate knowledge of regulatory requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There are inadequate arrangements for out-of-hours management support. The registered service manager is not available and there is no effective plan for support in her absence. Staff call the director for support; however, child protection procedures are not always followed. Children do not generally have support from the multi-agency teams following incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff do not always communicate effectively with social workers. One social worker reported that staff do not share information with one another, and they receive inconsistent messages about the progress children make. Furthermore, one member of staff inappropriately challenged a social worker in the presence of a child. This affected the child’s relationship with the social worker.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not always have children’s local authority plans and do not challenge this entitlement effectively. This means that support for children may be based on outdated or irrelevant information and not in line with their current needs. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection standard is that children are enabled to feel safe and that their needs are met.

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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

have 24-hour access to help in a crisis or emergency situation;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar and act in accordance with child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation or any other harm, and act to reduce such risk;

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Requirement Due date

work collaboratively with children to help them understand how to keep safe, by offering guidance and support on how to minimise any potential risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies, and share information where relevant to keep children safe; 2 August 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 6 understand the relevant roles and responsibilities assigned to them by the registered person in relation to protecting children. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(f)(i)(iii)(iv)(vi))

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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 supported accommodation undertaking that puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.

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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 supported accommodation undertaking in a way that is consistent with the ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the undertaking’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work effectively as a team, where appropriate, to meet the needs of children;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills appropriate for the work that they are to perform;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation undertaking and admissions of children to premises used as supported accommodation, including, where relevant, emergency referrals and admissions. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)) 2 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation or child criminal exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child and the registered person considers that incident to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it;

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Requirement Due date

is instigated, or 2 August 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 7 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry);

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Requirement Due date

there is an incident involving the use of a measure of restraint of a child;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

any other individuals or organisations who or which have been notified;

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

is made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)(f) (4)(a)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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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

ensure that plans for support are based on initial referral information, are meaningful and are created in full consultation with the child, taking account of relevant plans for the child;

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Requirement Due date

keep the child’s support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe;

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Requirement Due date

comply with requests by the child’s accommodating authority to provide—

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Requirement Due date

the accommodating authority with information relating to the child; 2 August 2026 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 8 engage and work with the accommodating authority if the registered person has concerns or if the child’s support needs to be changed, including where that change may mean that the child requires more intensive support;

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Requirement Due date

in the event that the registered person or a member of staff considers that an accommodating authority or a relevant person is failing to provide the support set out in a child’s relevant plans, make representations, or, as the case may be, enable staff to make representations, to the accommodating authority or relevant person with a view to ensuring that the child’s needs are met;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such individuals or organisations that the registered person considers appropriate, having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended the supported accommodation undertaking is to provide support and accommodation. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(c)(e)(i)(f)(h)(i))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the use of CCTV in communal areas is as least intrusive as possible to respect the privacy of children. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 30)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 9

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Nook Residential Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Sarah Leahair

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: wrenburyhouse@outlook.com

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Inspector

Sue Garner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Nook Residential Ltd 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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