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

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people make exceptional progress beyond expectations in all areas of their development.  Staff are passionate and thoughtful when encouraging and enabling young people to settle in the home, despite their traumatic experiences.  Young people benefit from consistent nurturing parenting that is underpinned by up-to-date research, pertinent to each young person.  Young people benefit from excellent relationships between families and staff. Friends and family attend parties at the home and young people have friends home several times per week.  All young people have 100% attendance at school and are doing exceptionally well.  Excellent feedback from professionals and family members highlights first- rate practice.  The inspirational management team helps young people to understand their daily routines and expectations, contribute to the home and their individual plans.  Young people blossom in this home.

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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 03/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/09/2015 Full Requires improvement 03/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/11/2014 Full Good

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Outstanding

Young people experience exceptional care from a nurturing, consistent and inspirational staff team. A placing social worker said, ‘Staff are so nurturing, I actually asked for this placement as I have been impressed with the care they give to young people…..I think this is the best residential home I have worked with.’

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Outstanding

Staff and young people have excellent relationships and enjoy spending time together. Staff are delighted to share with everyone how much young people progress despite their traumatic backgrounds. Staff take into account young people’s history and are sensitive, and understanding, to their behaviour. Because of this support, young people make excellent progress in all key areas of their lives. For example, their attendance in education is 100%. For some young people, this is highly significant and occurs despite significant trauma in other aspects of their lives. A grandfather said, ‘[Young person] is safe and back at school, which is a good thing as [Young person] has missed a lot of school.’ A special educational needs teacher commented, ‘[We] definitely have a good working relationship…..we work very closely with staff and [Young person] is back in school full-time and is doing very well.’

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Outstanding

Consultation with young people is central to the home’s ethos and staff reflect this strongly in their practice. Young people have a say in how they would like their home to be and how they can improve it further. They contribute to their plans and write ‘all about me’, making sure staff have details of how they are feeling, their likes and dislikes. Young people have fun and enjoy themselves. Young people enjoy a wide range of positive activities. They develop a number of interests. For example, going to guides, playing ‘manhunt’ (the name the young people use for hide and seek) and going for coffee and cake are among their current favourites. In addition, young people engage in community projects including ‘race for life’. Young people also enjoy spending time with staff and have enjoyed going on holidays and to Harry Potter World.

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Outstanding

Young people’s physical and emotional health needs are fully met. Young people have complex emotional needs. To help meet these needs, staff research and seek specialist advice from bereavement and counselling services. These services provide support and guidance to staff that are critical to help them promote young people’s emotional development. This highly diligent practice ensures young people receive exceptional care from staff. Staff make sure the most intricate details are implemented into their practice to further enhance young people’s progress. For example, a young person who has suffered extreme trauma has been settled into a good bedtime routine by staff. Staff pay meticulous attention to welcoming new young people to the home while making sure other young people remain settled. Staff overwhelmingly recognise that family and friends are vitally important to young people. Young people settle

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Outstanding

quickly due to the innovative work staff do with families and young people. A member of staff said, ‘We invited all of the young person’s family into the home and they were shown around the whole house to allay any fears they had and to help the young person settle.’ A placing social worker stated, ‘[Young person] has done fantastically… took a while to settle… staff went over and above… they spent hours with the family getting to know them and the young person. Not many homes would do that. I am very impressed. If this had not happened I do not know if [Young person] would have built up the trust.’

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Outstanding

Young people receive excellent support to develop and sustain positive relationships with family members and friends. Family and friends are always most welcome at the home. They celebrate young people’s birthdays together and have friends visit them at home. For example, at a recent Halloween party, young people’s friends and their brothers were invited. All young people had a great time and photographs around the home show this. Young people have complex family contact plans as they see many various members of their families. Staff support and facilitate these very effectively including supervised contact where necessary. They collect family members to make sure young people benefit from seeing those who are important to them. As a result, relationships with family members and friends of young people are excellent. These help to maintain continuity of all relationships in young people’s lives, to maintain their identity and to feel highly

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Outstanding

valued by all adults, even if they live at a distance from their family.

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Outstanding

Staff help young people work towards independence through a gradual introduction in line with young people’s age and care plan. Managers review practice to see how they can improve this. For example, previously, some young people spent their independence money on inappropriate foods. Young people now start their independence preparation by planning, budgeting and cooking a meal for staff and young people once a week. As a result, young people are learning some essential basic skills. Additionally, they also gain a sense of pride and increase their self-esteem from cooking their meals. When young people move into independence, staff ensure that they fully support them with telephone calls and visits. Young people know that they can visit and ask for support at any time and indeed they do. A young person who has moved into independence said, ‘They supported me loads and when I left, they kept coming to see me. I also go to the

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Outstanding

home for dinner.’ Consequently, young people feel valued with the continued support and this demonstrates to other young people the value of the support they receive and that it can continue when the move into independent living. Judgement grade

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Outstanding

Young people are safe and feel safe. A young person stated, ‘I feel safe, happy and settled.’ Staff work incredibly hard with partner agencies to ensure young people benefit from a safe environment wherever they are. For example, staff held regular meetings, challenged and supported education to get one young person back into school after a very traumatic event in his life. They were single minded and tenacious in making this happen.

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Outstanding

Clear risk-assessments, combined with strong, effective leadership and pro-active safeguarding practice, ensure that young people are protected and have a strong sense of personal safety. Staff are attentive to the particular vulnerabilities and emotional characteristics of young people. Young people do not go missing from the home and are not exposed to risks such as child sexual exploitation. Young people’s risk assessments are rigorous and accurately promote an understanding of risk, vulnerability and personal safety. Young people respond well to the home’s rules and boundaries. Positive behaviour plans are clear and effective, and sanctions used to deter unacceptable behaviour are fair, proportionate and reasonable.

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Outstanding

Staff promote positive behaviour by role modelling, applying consistent boundaries and linking acceptable behaviour with individualised rewards. As a result, physical interventions have reduced since the last inspection and are only used as a last resort. This reduction is a direct result of the positive relationships young people have with staff and their effective skills to deescalate the situation. Young people learn strategies to calm themselves and keep safe. Mindfulness is one such strategy that has recently been introduced into the home. It is having a small but significantly positive impact on some young people. Records detailing physical intervention are comprehensive and give a detailed picture of the events leading up to and surrounding the intervention.

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Outstanding

The registered manager is innovative and enthusiastic with a clear determination to make sure that all young people flourish in her care. She is experienced and suitably qualified to a level 5 diploma in leadership and management in residential childcare. She is currently studying for an advanced diploma in leadership and management. A strong deputy manager and a consistent, dedicated and motivated staff team support the registered manager. Managers promote a positive culture of improvement within the home that is forward thinking, inspirational and dedicated to meet the individual needs of young people.

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Outstanding

The manager has an excellent understanding of the quality of care in the home. Research strongly underpins staff practice. Managers make sure all aspects of the care that they are delivering is based on the most up to date research, particularly in grief and trauma.

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Outstanding

The registered manager has worked incredibly hard to make sure that a highly functioning staff team cares for the young people. The results are evident by the progress young people make and the excellent feedback from professionals. A placing social worker said, ‘The manager is very proactive and initiates meetings, completes paperwork when I have not had time to do it…staff will always go over and beyond.’

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Outstanding

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals. Team meetings are used to help to inform practice and discuss recent practice developments. Staff undertake training that meets the needs of young people and the ethos of the home. Most staff are qualified. Those who are unqualified are within regulatory timescales to obtain their qualification within two years of starting work. As a result, young people receive excellent care from proficient staff who have the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Staff said, ‘[We] get a massive amount of support from managers…... they all do a lot of reflection following any incidents. The registered manager will always look at different avenues for training and all training is relevant to the young people.’

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Outstanding

There are good systems that help the registered manager and staff effectively assess the impact of their care and support for young people. Managers are aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and are constantly reviewing practice in order to make improvements. Staff are extremely proud of the young people and their development and progress. Staff plan key-work around issues that are important to the young people. They are creative in how they do this and as a result, young people have a greater understanding of the issues.

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Outstanding

The home’s statement of purpose accurately reflects the services offered to young people. Managers review and update it regularly. There are no regulatory shortfalls identified by this inspection.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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