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 on 23 July 2020 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 the visit in July 2020, 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

The purpose of this visit was to check that the service is complying with the restriction of accommodation notice and to review the provider’s progress in meeting two compliance notices in line with their set completion date.

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This monitoring visit

Since the visit on 23 July 2020 the provider has continued to comply with the restriction of accommodation. One child has moved from the home and no new children have been admitted.

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This monitoring visit

The Inspector found that both compliance notices have been met.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last monitoring visit there has been one incident of a child going missing from the home. Staff followed the child’s missing from care protocol and the child was returned safely by the police. There have been no other incidents and staff have Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC447645 2 not physically intervened to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff say that the current manager, who had been in post for two weeks prior to this visit, has had a positive impact on the quality of care provided to children living in the home. A trainee manager who has previous management experience in the company has been appointed to support the manager.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have made progress in acquiring skills and knowledge to keep children safe and to manage their complex behaviours. All staff working in the home have received training in physical intervention and have completed on-line training in safeguarding, bullying, and recording and reporting. Staff are enrolled on an on-line course on therapeutic parenting

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This monitoring visit

Team meetings are held fortnightly and discussion about strategies to manage children’s complex behaviours is a standing item on the team meeting agenda. Managers have therefore increased opportunities for staff to work together as a team.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have removed items that are a risk to children’s health from the garden. A child now has a bed and children’s bedrooms have been decorated. Staff have helped children to buy items to personalise their bedrooms.

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This monitoring visit

Management monitoring systems have been implemented, and managers have clear timescales in place to undertake management audits. As a result, managers now have clear plans to monitor and improve the quality of care that children receive.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have reviewed all risk assessments, and staff have read and signed these. Assessments address when a child has been the victim of bullying and give staff clear instruction about what to do when a child is missing from the home. These were shortfalls identified at the last inspection. Risk assessments give staff clear guidance to enable them to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

While the inspector found progress in a number of areas, this progress is in its infancy, and further work is required to ensure that improved practice is embedded. Consequently, the notice to restrict the number of children that the home can accommodate will remain in place until 9 September 2020.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are continuing to make progress on the remaining requirements that are not yet due. These will be considered at the next inspection. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC447645 3

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(iv)) 06/09/2020

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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—

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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

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)(f)(h)) 06/09/2020

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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. 30/08/2020 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC447645 6 (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) The registered person must ensure that—

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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

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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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)) 30/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children's home. 30/08/2020 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC447645 7 The registered person must—

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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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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 8 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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