Children's home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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The children’s home provision is inadequate because:

 Staff do not promote young people’s safety and welfare.  Staff have failed to implement appropriate behaviour management strategies that help to keep young people safe.  Young people do not receive the guidance, support and advice they need to stay healthy.  Staff have failed to ensure that young people’s records contain the required information.  Managers have failed to ensure that the home operates in line with its statement of purpose.  Staff have failed to engage young people in their care plans or in the development of the home.  Young people do not regularly attend education, and staff do little to encourage attendance.  The registered manager does not ensure that staff are regularly supervised.

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The children’s home strengths

 The staff make sure that fabric of the home is well maintained and decorated to a high standard.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

(1) The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible . 28/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

(1) The health and well-being standard is that— (a) the health and well-being needs of children are met; and (b) children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being . 28/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

(1) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (ii) help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; and (iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone . 28/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 28/04/2017 (a) that staff— (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; and (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; and (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child, and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 28/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5)) 28/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice- related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 28/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)) 28/04/2017

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have 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 N/A

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Inadequate

Since the home’s registration in August 2016, two young people have lived at the home. One young person only stayed for a short period and the second young person has lived at the home for approximately six months.

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Inadequate

Staff have not encouraged or supported young people to be involved in their care plans or risk assessments. This lack of information and involvement from young people means that young people have not benefited from personalised care planning that reflects their individual needs and supports their development. Consequently, young people do not have an understanding of what they can expect from staff and what staff want to see from them. This means that young people experience uncertainty about what are the expectations of the placement. This has had a significant and negative impact on young people’s emotional and behavioural development.

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Inadequate

Staff are not making sure that the young person’s health and well-being needs are being met. Young people’s health plans do not take into account key information or help staff to make satisfactory arrangements to improve young people’s health. Staff have failed to ensure that when young people have previously accessed therapy, this service is continued when young people move to the home. Managers have minimised the professional health diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder and oppositional defiant disorder by commenting that, ‘The social worker does not believe he has it.’

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Inadequate

Young people do not have the help they need to make sufficient and sustained progress in their learning. School placements are not arranged before young people move to the home. One young person did not access education for four months and currently only attends school on a reduced timetable. Staff have failed to get copies of a young person’s statement of special educational needs. This significantly hinders staff in understanding and promoting this young person’s educational potential.

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Inadequate

The current young person’s relationship with staff is very poor. The young person is verbally and physically abusive to staff. A member of staff told the inspector, ‘You cannot have a conversation with him without him punching, spitting or swearing.’ The young person was observed during the inspection to use inappropriate, discriminatory and offensive language towards staff. This behaviour was not challenged by staff because staff say, ’That is his everyday behaviour.’

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Inadequate

Direct work with young people is reactive and not planned. Staff do not enable young people to reflect on their behaviours, risks or circumstances. For example, critical key-work sessions for one young person regarding inappropriate touching, animal cruelty and sexual assault on staff have not taken place. This absence of guidance means that the young person is neither given the opportunities to learn how to act as a responsible citizen nor to have his perceptions and actions challenged.

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Inadequate

Staff have insufficient opportunity to understand the needs of young people on their admission. This is because managers have failed to make sure that sufficient information is secured prior to young people arriving. This leaves staff with limited insight into young people’s past experiences prior to them moving in.

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Inadequate

Staff do support young people to maintain relationships with their families. However, some young people do not receive the level of support they need. For example, one young person does not know if his mother is alive or has passed away. Staff have not been proactive to try to find out this information. As a result, the young person feels confused about their identity.

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Inadequate

The staff ensure that the fabric of the home is well maintained and decorated to a high standard.

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Inadequate

Young people are not safe because staff struggle to manage escalating behaviours safely. This includes the young person challenging the staff, combined with verbal abuse and physical assault.

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Inadequate

Staff are not consistent in managing concerns about the safety or well-being of young people. Behaviour management plans fail to identify how staff should respond to the individual needs of young people. Staff fail to be consistent in their behaviour management strategies. These failures and inconsistency in practice mean that risks are not carefully considered and action is not taken that is in the best interest of the young person. By their own admission, staff have become immune to the young person’s behaviour. Consequently, staff have not managed to make any positive change in the young person’s behaviour.

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Inadequate

A lack of structured behaviour management puts young people, staff and members of the public at risk. Staff have been unable to manage behaviours that have subsequently resulted in restraints. This weakness in behaviour management has resulted in one young person requiring 29 physical restraints over a 6-month period. Staff do not help young people to understand the risks associated with unsafe lifestyle choices. For example, the current young person has started to go missing from school and home. There have been five such missing incidents recently. Staff have followed policies and procedures and notified the relevant professionals. However, staff do not have a secure relationship with the young person to ensure that he understands the risks to his health and safety of going missing.

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Inadequate

Staff involvement in contributing to young people’s risk assessments is poor. This means that risk assessments do not provide sufficient evidence to underpin well- informed judgements about the risks that young people face and their vulnerabilities. Staff do not ensure that risk assessments result in strategies that all staff follow. For example, despite staff knowing about a young person’s risk to animals, staff did not effectively assess these risks. As a result, there is lack of preventative work with young people in order to minimise future safeguarding incidents, and to change their views and thinking.

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Inadequate

The registered manager has a level 5 diploma in leadership and management in residential care. The registered manager has not been at the home regularly to provide day-to-day responsibility for the home, the staff and young people. As a result, management oversight of the home is poor and ineffective.

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Inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervision. This means that they do not have the opportunity to reflect on their practice and the needs of the young person assigned to their care. This is particularly pertinent given the challenges and sexual targeting of a staff member by one young person. As a result, the care and safety of young people is compromised.

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Inadequate

Quality assurance processes have not been effective as they have not identified the shortfalls in the home. The independent monthly quality assurance has identified some shortfalls. However, managers have not addressed these shortfalls. As a result, managers do not understand the impact that the poor quality of care has had on young people and do not use this to inform the development of care practice in the home.

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Inadequate

Managers are not meeting the aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose. In particular, managers do not make sure staff provide ‘a holistic approach to support and develop young people’s positive attributes, and consistently strive to offer the best service available for young people in our care.’ As a result, staff are not working effectively together to deliver the support that young people need.

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Inadequate

Managers have not been provided with information that reflects the needs of the current young person. Managers have raised concerns about the appropriateness of the placement with the placing local authority, and have requested further medical assessments. However, managers have not made sure that staff are sufficiently experienced and skilled to meet the needs of the young person. As a result, the young person’s risk-taking behaviour, including physical and sexual assaults, and missing episodes, continue to increase.

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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 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 0300 123 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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