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

Inspection report children’s home: SC470413 1 SC470413 Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services

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Full inspection 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 children 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 was appointed in July 2018 and has applied to register with Ofsted. The acting manager holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC470413 2

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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 children’s home: 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 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.

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Recommendations

 Children should be 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)  When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulation 12(2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process: Children’s

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Recommendations

homes regulation amendments 2014: Advice for children’s homes providers on new duties under regulations that came in to effect in January and April 2014. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months; also see regulation 13(2)(h) (the leadership and management standard). The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC470413 4 This is in relation to the need to consult with stakeholders to gain feedback about the impact of the service and use this to inform service development.

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improvement to be good

The young person who previously lived in this home moved out three weeks before this inspection took place. At the time of this inspection, there were no young people living in the home. When reviewing experiences and progress of young people, the inspector looked closely at the experiences of the last young person who lived at the home.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager has implemented significant changes in response to the regulatory requirements from the last inspection. As a result of these changes, staff are better equipped to meet the needs of young people who may move into the home in the future.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager implemented placement plans that defined the young person’s individual needs. Staff undertook targeted work with the young person. This clear practice helped the young person to understand their care. However, records of this work did not always reflect the young person’s views. This meant that opportunities for the young person to have an influence on their care were missed.

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improvement to be good

Staff were responsive to the young person’s health needs. For example, staff responded quickly with referrals to specialist services following a significant change in the young person’s behaviour. Early identification of such issues supported the improved health and well-being of the young person.

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improvement to be good

Staff supported the young person’s return to school after a significant absence, taking her to and from school each day. A teacher told the inspector that communication between the school and the home was a strength.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Risk assessment processes in the home are greatly improved. Risk assessments were accurate and updated immediately following significant incidents, ensuring that staff had current information to enable them to safeguard the young person.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The acting manager has implemented training for all staff. This training has increased staff’s understanding of risks that young people face. A specialist worker with young people who go missing from home told the inspector that the staff responses to the young person going missing were timely and demonstrated a good understanding of the high level of presenting risk.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff take pride in a well-presented and comfortable home. Staff complete regular Inspection report children’s home: SC470413 5 checks of the home to ensure that the home is a safe environment.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are safely recruited to work at the home. Recruitment of agency staff is equally robust, ensuring that children are cared for by people who are safe to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager since September 2017. The acting manager was appointed in July 2018 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

At this inspection, four of the five requirements and the one recommendation were found to have been met. The only requirement raised at this inspection relates to the continued absence of a registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The acting manager ensures that new staff receive a clear induction to their role. This is reinforced through regular supervision and team meetings. These forums offer regular opportunities for staff to reflect on and improve their practice, both individually and as a team. Staff told the inspector that they feel supported by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The acting manager has a good knowledge of the service. This increased management effectiveness has improved systems throughout all aspects of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has reviewed the home’s locality assessment. However, this lacks some information about potential risks in the area. As a result, it leaves staff without all the necessary information to enable them to keep young people safe in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The organisation does not have arrangements in place to gain feedback from stakeholders. The manager has recognised the importance of this information in supporting service development and has started to devise a system to gather views to inform her next quality of care report.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well Inspection report children’s home: SC470413 6 it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’.

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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: Unity Residential Care Services Ltd, 98 Lancaster Road, Newcastle Under Lyme ST5 1DS

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Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC470413 7 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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