Children's Home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are happy in the home and enjoy positive relationships with each other and with the staff.  Young people are settled and making progress while living in the home.  All young people’s health needs are met.  Young people attend and engage in education, despite problems along the way.  Young people’s dietary and sleeping patterns improve.  Staff facilitate contact both in the home and at the family home.  Managers are tenacious in challenging partnership agencies to safeguard young people.  A few minor shortfalls in respect of the recording of the time of a physical intervention, making sure young people contribute fully to their plans, and managers’ internal audits to improve the quality of care need to be addressed.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the date, time and location of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)) 28/02/2017

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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 that 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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or planning to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home's support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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Recommendations

 Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)  The registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as going missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the quality standards every six months – registered

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Recommendations

persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home's care, which will be captured in a written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home forms part of a large social care company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/01/2016 Full Outstanding 26/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/01/2015 Full Outstanding

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Good

Young people live in a well-decorated and comfortable home. They are able to personalise their bedrooms and enjoy the privacy this gives them, or use the communal rooms in order to socialise with others. There are photographs and memorabilia of young people’s time living in the home. The home was decorated for Christmas. Young people enjoy excellent relationships with staff and good relationships with each other. A young person said, ‘I enjoy living here and get on with [the other young person].’ This gives young people a sense of belonging and an increase in their self-esteem.

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Good

Staff regularly review young people’s internal care plans. These mirror statutory placement documents completed by placing social workers. This collaboration means that young people benefit from integrated and comprehensive care and support. Young people participate in key work sessions with staff to meet the aims and objectives of their placement. However, young people do not fully contribute to and get involved with their risk assessments and placement plans. This means that these documents are not evolving to reflect young people’s wishes and feelings. As a result, young people do not know what the expectations are for living in the home.

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Good

Young people enjoy good health because they have access to the health support that they require. Young people are supported to attend routine health appointments and lead a healthy lifestyle. Young people engage with a range of specialist health services, and are supported and encouraged to give up smoking and substance misuse. Young people access therapeutic services such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to help them understand some of their traumatic backgrounds. As a result, all of the young people’s health needs are currently being met.

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Good

Young people engage in education, although at different levels. Some young people have 100% attendance. Other young people have struggled with their education since the last inspection and have had a reduction of attendance to 10%. Staff have endeavoured to identify suitable alternative education provision that will stimulate young people in training areas of their choice and interest. This has been achieved and all young people now attend education. As a result, young people’s aspirations are being fulfilled, and they are increasing their self-esteem and confidence.

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Good

Young people enjoy activities of their choice, for example roller skating and going to the cinema. They enjoyed a holiday through the summer months. Staff are encouraging young people to get involved in community groups, for example guides. This will help young people to develop peer relationships and self- confidence.

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Good

Young people are prepared for moving on to independence with basic skills, for example tidying their room, cooking and independent travel. Comprehensive planning to prepare young people for moving on is weak. In part, this has been due to overriding safeguarding concerns that took priority. Young people who have left the home know that they can visit and ask for support at any time and, indeed, they do. During the inspection, a young person visited the home on his eighteenth birthday. Staff had bought him a gift and cards and made him his favourite dinner to celebrate his significant birthday. This enables young people to feel valued and have an understanding of continued support and friendship.

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Good

Most young people live some distance from their families. Staff understand how important meaningful contact is for young people and make sure that they spend planned time with those who are important to them. As a result, young people maintain their identity. A parent said: ‘I cannot fault them. Staff are doing everything they can. I have no worries at all.’

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Good

Young people are safe and feel safe when they are in the home. Some young people have no episodes of missing from care, exploitation or self-harm. Other young people are going missing regularly and are at risk of exploitation. Managers have worked incredibly hard with partner agencies, including the police and child sexual exploitation teams, in order to safeguard the young person. Because of the tenacious staff, the police have been able to draw relevant information together about an inappropriate adult who is targeting vulnerable young people. As a result, the police have issued two abduction notices and a sexual risk order to the individual. Managers and staff have worked closely with the young person involved, making sure all appropriate information about the risks involved have been shared. The action taken by managers and staff has helped the young person to feel safer when out in the community, although they acknowledge the risk remains

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Good

Staff actively go out and search the local area and known addresses where young people may go. Staff do not give up looking for the young person. Occasionally, when the police categorised a young person as having an authorised absence, staff challenged the police until the young person was categorised as missing. A placing social worker said: ‘They are doing everything they can. They cannot do any more.’ A police officer said: ‘It is no problem at all to pop in and the young people are used to seeing me. I compare [other homes] to coming here as it is so good. I have worked on the patch for three years and it makes it a lot easier when staff want you to talk to the young people.’ An exploitation project worker said: ’ I think they do a fantastic job. [X] is very vulnerable. [It is] awkward to keep [X] safe… they do everything possible and follow all the procedures. In my opinion [staff at] the home do everything they can. They go above and beyond with [X]. I go into

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Good

lots and lots of care homes. All the staff appear confident and will ask questions. They are very experienced and it is a pleasure to go there.’

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Good

Behaviour management in the home focuses primarily on the positives. Staff praise young people and use positive rewards. Sanctions, although rarely used within the home, are fair, proportionate and reasonable. They are reviewed regularly. Consequently, physical interventions, used only as a last resort, are minimal. However, on the one occasion a physical intervention was undertaken, full recording details of the time were not documented. When physical interventions are used, staff allow the young person time for reflection. This helps young people to feel safe and to learn how to manage their own behaviour.

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Good

The home has a robust, safe recruitment procedure that means that trusted adults look after young people. The registered manager makes sure that regular health and safety checks are undertaken. Young people engage in fire evacuations to promote their safety and to provide a safe environment for all.

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Good

A strong, competent and enthusiastic registered manager runs the home. She has completed her level 4 in leadership and management for care services. A number of the core staff are suitably qualified, and good arrangements are in place to make sure that unqualified staff can gain a relevant childcare qualification within the appropriate timescales.

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Good

Young people’s progress is kept under constant review. Plans are adjusted as necessary and new aims set. Managers make sure that the quality of care is reviewed regularly from internal and external audits. This allows managers to identify any patterns and trends that will improve the home and the experiences of young people. The six-monthly audit undertaken by the manager does not wholly identify the quality-of-care improvements for the next six months, which means that opportunities to further improve practice may be missed.

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Good

The registered manager acknowledges the shortfalls of the home and is committed to and enthusiastic about developing her staff team further. Staff are suitably trained to make sure that they have the knowledge and skills to meet the individual needs of young people. Staff receive good support from the management team. A member of staff said management were, ‘Absolutely brilliant’. Supervisions are effective and staff talk positively about the support that they receive. This ensures that staff have the skills and support to meet the specific needs of young people.

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Good

A statement of purpose details the ethos of the home, and is readily available for professionals and parents. Managers make sure they are achieving the aims and objectives for all young people placed.

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Good

Managers and staff have good working relationships with parents and professionals. All are complimentary about the home, communication and the commitment of staff. The manager will actively challenge other professionals, if necessary, to make sure that the young people receive services that are effective to help them progress.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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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