Children's home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers do not always robustly raise concerns with local authorities when young people are at risk of harm.  Some staff do not have the skills and experience to diffuse a situation without calling the police.  Fire risk assessments do not reflect young people’s attempts to smoke in their bedrooms.  Physical interventions fail to fully safeguard young people.  Young people do not have a strong voice in their care planning.

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The children's home strengths

 Feedback from young people and professionals is good.  Transitions into the home reflect young people’s needs.  Staff engage young people in positive activities coupled with playing games which young people enjoy.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care quality care standard the registered person must ensure that children receive care from staff who -

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Requirement Due date

(a) understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children

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Requirement Due date

(b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children quality standard ensure that children are protected from harm, in particular that staff ensure -

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child

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Requirement Due date

(iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm

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Requirement Due date

(vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare 06/11/2015 (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children quality standard the registered person must -

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Requirement Due date

2 (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning quality standard registered person must ensure -

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Requirement Due date

(2)(1)(e) that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if -

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Requirement Due date

(i) the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs 06/11/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure staff continually and actively assess the risk to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day to day basis (The guide to the quality standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure children are encouraged by staff to see the home's records as 'living documents' supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis (The guide to the quality standards, page 58 paragraph 11.19)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to two children with emotional and or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement

Care planning is not always fully effective to meet the needs of young people. Individual placement plans are not devised in partnership with young people. Plans are not comprehensive and do not always detail relevant information. For example, background history and identified risks for a young person. Staff do not always fully meet young people’s needs and equally, young people do not know what is expected of them and what they can expect from the home. As a result, young people do not always receive a bespoke quality of care.

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requires improvement

Some young people dis-engage from their placement. A young person states: ‘They do everything they should do and look after us well but I just do not want to be here anymore, I do not want to engage.’ Managers and staff have worked hard with young people to help re-establish education, encourage activities, reduce unauthorised absences, and to provide a structure that is flexible to their age. However, when this is not successful, the registered manager has not been robust in raising concerns with the local authority. As a consequence, young people are not achieving their full academic potential.

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requires improvement

Young people benefit from a consistent staff group with whom, on the whole they build suitable relationships with. A young person’s says, ‘staff look out for you and want you to do well.’ Young people have confidence that their views will be taken seriously and they participate in the running of the home. Staff engage in activities that young people enjoy. For example, watching X-Factor and then having their own performance of X-factor with staff. Further activities to help young people engage in their local community include attending youth clubs, horse-riding and local pottery workshops. Managers and staff are ambitious for young people and see their individual potential. A placing social worker says: ‘they are wonderful, show a lot of initiative as to how they manage situations and have a good understanding of nurturing and attachment.’ As a result, young people develop social skills and enhance their self-esteem.

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requires improvement

Young people are encouraged to have contact with those people who are important to them and staff are aware of how important these relationships are for them. Arrangements for contact are flexible and fully supported, including facilitating transport. Young people have their friends to their home for dinner. This helps maintain young people’s identity and gives them a sense of belonging.

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requires improvement

Managers and staff promote independence work, reviewing and adapting it regularly to reflect the young person’s ability. This helps young people to move into adulthood with a good knowledge base of which to build upon.

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requires improvement

Young people feel safe in the home and are on the whole protected by staff who know them well. However, not all staff are confident in dealing with conflict and behaviour management without needing to call the police for help and assistance. As a result, young people’s opportunity to sustain safe, protective and caring relationships with staff is compromised.

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requires improvement

Physical intervention is a form of behaviour management used in the home. Not all staff are suitably trained to undertake physical intervention. This means, young people are not always being fully safeguarded by competent trained staff. In addition, young people are not fully protected because medical assistant is not sought, although offered, following a young person sustaining an injury.

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requires improvement

Young people are encouraged to behave well. Individual behaviour management plans are in place. General fire risk assessments do not reflect young people smoking in their bedrooms. Smoking on the premises is a breach of the home’s smoking policy and is putting young people at risk of physical harm.

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requires improvement

Some young people have disengaged from their placement. As a consequence, they spend a significant amount of time away from home on unauthorised absence. Although staff are aware of the need for welfare checks and undertake them regularly, managers fail to challenge the local authority to response to young people’s ongoing risk taking behaviour. This leaves them spending large periods of time at unsafe locations which go unchallenged. Judgement grade

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requires improvement

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since October 2014. She has the necessary higher qualification in children’s social care alongside working within this area for approximately seven year. Despite the shortfalls in this inspection, managers are child focused. They understand the needs of young people and prioritise them. This includes regularly monitoring the progress young people make and measuring the quality of care they receive. As a result, they are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home.

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requires improvement

Staff are supervised regularly and annual appraisals completed. This gives staff the opportunity to reflect on their roles and responsibilities coupled with managers ensuring staff remain competent and skilled to do their job.

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requires improvement

The home has a statement of purpose and young people’s guide. This helps young people to begin to under what they can expect and for partners including placing authorities to have a clear understanding of the home’s vision, values and aims.

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requires improvement

Managers have worked to develop relationships with partnership agencies. Some working relationships are in their infancy but effective communication is key, an educational professional comments, ‘we all have to work together positively as the young person is paramount.’ This means young people are afforded every opportunity available to them.

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requires improvement

Young people benefit from a large property which is homely and attractive. There is ample room for communal living and space if the young people require more privacy. Young people are proud of their home and are included in discussions and decoration of their bedrooms. Previous requirements have been met.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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