Children's Home run by Unique Care Homes Support Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2503306 1 Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

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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 children’s home is owned and run by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since May 2019. She has obtained the required qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered by Ofsted in May 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected Inadequate

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Inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Inadequate

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Inadequate

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

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Inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2503306 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This is the home’s first inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2503306 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—

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) 22/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(3)(a)(d)) 22/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

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))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that staff have received the necessary training and have the necessary skills to support children with additional needs, as cited in the home’s statement of purpose. 22/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2503306 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is inadequate due to recent poor recruitment practices by managers. Serious shortfalls in pre-recruitment vetting have the potential to leave children at risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

All children have education in place. This is a credit to the manager and staff team because most had not engaged well in education prior to moving to this home. One young person has secured an apprenticeship locally and is doing very well. Other young people who had been out of education for some time prior to moving to this home now have better attendance and engagement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health needs are well met by the staff team. Staff support children to attend routine health appointments as necessary. Work is currently being done to support one child in relation to their therapeutic needs and the ways in which those needs will be met. The manager is working closely and proactively with relevant agencies to ensure that specialist health services are identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have formed positive relationships with the manager and staff team. They feel able to share their wishes, views and feelings openly. They feel confident in raising any concerns they may have. The manager responds to any complaints in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children feel involved in their day-to-day care. They have a say in how the home is run. They take part in a range of social activities in the local and wider area. This promotes their sense of belonging and inclusion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to keep in touch with people who are important to them and staff fully support all agreed plans for direct or indirect contact. This includes supporting those children who are living a distance from their home area.

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

Managers have not effectively vetted staff to ensure that they are suitable to provide care to children living in the home. Managers failed to fully consider information provided in an application form. This included details of a previous serious disciplinary matter relating to an applicant. Managers failed to seek further clarification and details on this matter prior to interviewing the applicant. They then failed to record their discussions with the applicant during the interview process, or their rationale for employing them. They failed to seek full and detailed references in relation to the applicant. They also failed to adequately verify or challenge references provided. They then appointed the applicant, without putting a risk assessment in place.

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

Staff ensure that detailed risk assessments are in place for each child. These set out the triggers for risky or concerning behaviours. Staff understand what action they should take in the event of a risk to children. Inspection report children’s home: 2503306 5 There have been no reported incidents of children going missing from care since the home opened. Managers and staff work closely with local police officers. Community support and missing from care officers have visited the home to discuss safety and risk issues. This is a positive and proactive approach.

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

The use of restraint is well recorded. Staff have all attended training and have the necessary skills. There has been a reduction in the use of restraint for one child. Their parent also commented on how much calmer and less angry their child now is. Placing social workers commented on a positive and consistent approach by staff to behaviour management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and responsible individual have failed to ensure that safer recruitment practices are followed. The responsible individual failed to ensure that full and satisfactory pre-employment checks were completed for one applicant. The verification of references did not sufficiently consider the potential safeguarding issues, which were clearly stated in the application form.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager, responsible individual and director proceeded to employ and allow a person to start working in the home, despite the above serious recruitment shortfalls. No risk assessments of the potential risk that this person may pose were put in place. Children and staff are placed at risk because recruitment practice is not robust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A range of mandatory and non-mandatory training is provided for staff and managers. The home’s statement of purpose refers to additional needs that children may present with. These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, pathological demand avoidance, social communication disorders and oppositional defiant disorders. There is no current provision of training for staff in how to support children with these additional needs. Staff do not have the necessary skills to provide care for children with such additional needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. Staff feel well supported by her and by senior managers. A parent, two placing social workers and an independent reviewing officer all spoke very positively about the manager. She is seen as committed and a strong advocate for children.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 2503306 6 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 it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2503306 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: White House Business Centre, The White House, Greenalls Avenue, Warrington WA4 6HL

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Inspector

Tracy Murty, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2503306 8 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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