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

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470413 1 SC470413

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Unity Residential Care Services

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to two young people who present complex behaviours because of their early childhood experiences. The home is operated by a private provider who currently chooses to operate it as a solo provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since September 2017. The current acting manager has been in post since July 2018 and has applied to Ofsted to be the register manager.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the last full inspection on 16 and 17 July 2018. This resulted in 11 requirements and three recommendations being made.

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This monitoring visit

To evaluate the progress that the managers and staff have made in addressing the concerns, a monitoring visit was conducted on 6 September 2018. This visit found that six of the requirements and two of the recommendations were met. The manager and staff are making good progress in addressing the remaining five requirements and one recommendation.

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This monitoring visit

A new manager was appointed to the home immediately after the last inspection. She has improved management oversight of the service. All reports outstanding to the regulator at the last inspection have now been received by Ofsted. The statement of purpose has also been updated, and it now provides accurate information about the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have received training to support them in understanding the needs of the one young person currently living at the home. This has raised the awareness of staff in areas such as child sexual exploitation, missing from care and keeping young people Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470413 2 safe online. This comprehensive training programme has helped to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to reduce the risks posed to the young person.

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This monitoring visit

The young person’s risk assessments are still not always kept up to date and clear. For example, the young person’s risk assessment had not been updated to reflect a change in contact arrangements. This continued shortfall means that staff do not have current information to enable them to safeguard the young person effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager has implemented new fire safety processes and has addressed some of the health and safety elements from the previous inspection. However, this is not always consistently implemented in practice. For example, all staff have now completed training in food hygiene. However, the inspector found unsafe storage of food, which places the young person’s health at risk.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have implemented a reward system that promotes positive behaviour. This provides clear guidance for staff on what behaviour management responses are acceptable. It also provides the young person with a clear understanding of what is expected of them. The system focuses strongly on positive rewards and, because of this, staff have not found it necessary to impose sanctions on the young person since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The young person has made one allegation since the last inspection. This was managed appropriately and reported to the right safeguarding professionals. However, the incident was not notified to the regulator. This limits the opportunity for external scrutiny of the home.

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This monitoring visit

There have been no complaints received since the last inspection. However, the manager has not ensured that the record of complaints includes clear information about the action taken.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 16/07/2018 Full Inadequate 01/11/2017 Full Good 15/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/11/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470413 3

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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, 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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 and understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure 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. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(i)(v)(d)) 12/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14(1), (2)(a)) 12/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. 12/10/2018 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470413 4 If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27(1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii), (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(1), (3)) 12/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 12/10/2018

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint (regulation 35(3)(c)). Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. Children should be offered the opportunity to access an advocacy support to help them with this (regulation 7(2)(b)(iii)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470413 5

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 98 Lancaster Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 1DS

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Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470413 6 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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