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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 1 SC447645

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Unity Residential Care Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring inspection was conducted in response to information received by Ofsted. This visit raised concerns about the safety of children and the ability of staff to manage children’s complex needs. The inspector found significant shortfalls in the protection of children and the leadership and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this visit, Ofsted has issued compliance notices under regulation 12 and regulation 13 and has issued a restriction notice on how many children can live in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Since January 2020, children have experienced having four different managers and several changes in the staff. These changes have compromised children’s continuity of care.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not have access to up-to-date risk assessments and behaviour management plans for the children in their care. The absence of staff having informed assessments and plans means that they do not understand children’s presenting needs and current risks. Staff do not review strategies for managing children’s behaviour. As a result, children’s presenting behaviours have escalated in frequency and severity.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s behaviour management plans lack detail and they do not give staff enough guidance to be able to manage the individual children or the dynamics Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 2 between children to keep them safe. Staff have called the police to the home because they have been unable to manage children’s behaviour. As a result, children are at risk of being criminalised.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not identify when a child is a victim of physical and emotional bullying. On one occasion, a child was injured during an incident of bullying. Staff did not follow safeguarding procedures and escalate concerns with the child’s social worker.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are not vigilant when supervising children. As a result, children can go missing from the home without the staff’s knowledge. When children go missing, staff do not always follow a child’s missing-from-care protocol. As a result, children are placed at increased risk.

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This monitoring visit

Recording of incidents is poor. Records do not meet regulation and do not help managers and staff to understand what has happened and what staff need to do to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are not able to manage children’s challenging and complex behaviours. The lack of appropriately trained and skilled staff in the home is of significant concern.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home has been maintained to an acceptable and safe standard. The inspector found that one child was sleeping on a mattress on the floor and that his bedroom was chaotic with toys stored in the shower, which prevents it from being used. Additionally, there was an old paddling pool covering ventilation for the heating system, which is not safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff lack skills and experience. They have used physical intervention without the required training. Some records of physical intervention are missing and senior managers within the organisation are not aware of significant incidents between children.

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This monitoring visit

Monitoring and review systems have not identified weaknesses found during this inspection and omit analysis and learning about safeguarding issues. This lack of consistent management oversight does not enable managers and staff to review and reassess risk effectively and ensure that children’s plans are up to date and reflect their needs.

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This monitoring visit

The matching of children to the home is not effective. Children are placed in the home regardless of the assessed risk about compatibility. Managers have admitted children to the home who are known to present a risk to other children. This has led to a child and a staff member being seriously assaulted by children in the home.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of poor matching, children have experienced unplanned moves from the home. This has affected children’s stability and their self-esteem. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 3 Leaders and managers do not always record which staff are working on shift or when staff are caring for children overnight. Inaccurate information leaves staff and children vulnerable and at risk of allegations.

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This monitoring visit

Recording of planned meetings with children is poor and managers do not respond to children’s requests. This means that children are not helped to express their views and to contribute to decisions about their day-to-day care.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/10/2019 Full Good 19/02/2019 Full Good 10/01/2018 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 4

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)) 30/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 staff— 30/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 5 de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(xi)(xii)(xiii)) 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;

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)(d)) * 02/08/2020

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and 02/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 6 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) * The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h)) * 02/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; 30/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 7 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 8

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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 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Belvoir Farmhouse, Woolsthorpe Road, Redmile, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG13 0GN

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447645 9 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 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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