Children's Home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC447645 1 SC447645 Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services 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

A private provider operates this home. It provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 2018. She is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 19 February 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC447645 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2019 Full Good 10/01/2018 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/12/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC447645 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 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 23/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 23/12/2019

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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)) 23/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1)(4)(a)(b)) 23/12/2019

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a supportive and nurturing environment. Staff have a good understanding of young people’s needs and work with them to meet their individual targets. As a result, young people make good progress relative to their individual circumstances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people attend an education provision that is appropriate to their abilities. Attendance rates are good, and this supports the academic progress that each young person is making. This is a significant achievement in relation to some young people’s Inspection report children‟s home: SC447645 4 starting points. Staff work in partnership with education departments and other relevant professionals to make sure that young people have every opportunity to reach their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy good health and they have access to specialist services and support to promote their physical and emotional well-being. They are encouraged and supported to attend routine health appointments. The registered manager ensures that there are appropriate arrangements in place for the safe administration and management of medicines to promote the safety and well-being of young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people retain positive links with their family and friends. Staff support these arrangements and have re-established links with family members. This approach ensures that young people stay in contact with those significant in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although the registered manager understands the importance of careful matching, one young person’s impact risk assessment failed to include the views of other professionals and the existing group of young people. This creates a missed opportunity to ensure that stakeholders’ views help to inform decisions about new admissions to the home.

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

Staff work alongside other agencies, including the police and youth offending team, to keep young people as safe as possible. Staff also support young people in understanding how to reduce risks to keep themselves safe. Care plans, behaviour management plans and risk assessments all contribute to meeting young people’s changing needs for safety and protection.

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

Some young people have required physical intervention to help them and others to remain safe. Effective monitoring of such incidents ensures that staff practice is effective, and that young people can express their views about their behaviour and the measures used by staff. This reflective approach to behaviour management is key to ensuring that physical intervention is only used as a last resort.

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

Staff react well when young people go missing. They diligently search for young people and help to ensure that they return safely. Young people receive return interviews. This gives young people the chance to talk about why they went missing and what happened when they were away from the home. Managers review incidents to try to prevent situations where young people put themselves at risk.

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

Young people are protected by the organisation’s thorough recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These measures positively promote the safety of the young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them. Inspection report children‟s home: SC447645 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a motivated and committed manager who has high expectations and aspirations for young people. She believes in leading by example and is actively involved in all areas of operation, including covering some shifts and completing health and safety checks. She is supported by a newly appointed deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has acted to address the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. Young people’s needs are now considered in response to incidents in the home. They are now regularly consulted about the care that they receive, and the organisation has recruited new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff develop positive working relationships with partnership agencies. All professionals are positive about the commitment of staff, the quality of communication and the care that young people receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are either qualified to the appropriate level, are on the relevant course, or are probationary staff who will be referred once they have completed their probationary period. This ensures that all staff are appropriately qualified within the required timescales. However, not all staff undertake sufficient training. For example, one member of staff has only completed training in two areas since beginning employment at the home. They have not yet completed training in safeguarding, first aid or health and safety. This means that some staff are not appropriately trained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive monthly supervision from the registered manager and records of supervision outline the areas discussed. However, these records do not detail the decisions made about practice and actions to take. Consequently, this could limit learning for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that monitoring visits from someone independent of the home take place each month. However, the reports from these visits lack detail and evaluation of the quality of care provided to young people.

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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: SC447645 6 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: SC447645 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC447645 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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