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

Information about this children’s home

A private provider owns this home. The home can provide care and accommodation for up to six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 27 January 2020

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: 2503306 2

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The care of children

Children are making progress in the home, especially in education. All of the children engaged in education during the COVID-19 lockdown period and maintained their daily routines. This gave children structure to their days and supported them to remain engaged in learning.

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The care of children

Staff used creative ways of keeping children entertained during lockdown, including teaching them how to knit. Children had a summer holiday at the beach and participated in a range of activities in the community. Family contact was supported and promoted, and children have stayed in touch with their friends and family.

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The care of children

Overall, children have positive and nurturing relationships with the adults caring for them in the home. Staff speak fondly about the children and are proud of what the children have achieved. Staff know the children well and provide consistent care to them. Children cannot always identify who they would go to with any worries or concerns they may have. They do not have access to an advocate, which would give them someone independent from the home to talk to.

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The care of children

Children’s health needs are met in the home. The manager will access support from relevant external professionals when needed. Children and staff at the home are supported by an in-house therapy team. This team will undertake specific work with the staff and the children if needed.

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The care of children

Positive feedback was received about the home from professionals and parents. One professional commented on the commitment there is to children in supporting them through whatever difficulties there may be. This approach has had a positive impact on children in the home and led to stability in their placements.

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The safety of children

Overall, children are kept safe in the home, but some shortfalls have been identified that could impact on the children’s safety and well-being.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are individual to the child. However, they are not regularly reviewed and updated. Recent significant information has not been added to these plans. This means that staff working with the children do not have a full understanding of the current risk factors and how to manage these.

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The safety of children

Some incidents in the home have not been managed appropriately. During one incident, a child was carried up the stairs to remove them from a situation. This had the potential to cause serious injury to the child and the staff member. Another child was observed to have bruising following a physical restraint. This concern was not reported to professionals external to the home, including the designated safeguarding officer. This prevented scrutiny of this incident by someone independent from the home. Assurance visit report: 2503306 3 The manager does not always evaluate reports sufficiently when physical restraint is used. This means that themes, trends and any practice issues are not analysed, and relevant action is not taken in response.

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The safety of children

The new system of recording information and events in the home is not yet fully embedded. Not all staff understand the systems and processes in place. This has led to incidents not being recorded on the correct forms. Further training is planned to address these concerns.

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The safety of children

There was an increase in incidents requiring police involvement during the summer. Some children were regularly absent from the home, which increased the risk posed to them. Strategy meetings have taken place to look at ways of managing these incidents and supporting children to understand the risks. There has since been a reduction in police involvement at the home.

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The safety of children

Staff receive regular training in a wide range of topics to develop their knowledge and understanding. Staff understand the risk factors that may affect children and strategies for managing these risks.

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Leaders and managers

The manager is child centred and has a strong, nurturing relationship with the children in the home. The staff team feels supported by the manager. Staff receive regular supervision.

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Leaders and managers

The home is currently going through a period of transition. This has impaired the manager’s ability to have a clear understanding and oversight of documentation in the home. Finding and accessing documents can be time consuming and the manager discussed feeling overwhelmed at times with the volume of work to be undertaken.

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Leaders and managers

There has been a large turnover of staff and the manager is currently developing a new team. Most staff are not yet qualified and do not have previous experience of working in children’s homes. Staff described having a good induction to the home and feeling supported to undertake their role.

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Leaders and managers

The manager works well with external agencies, including education and health providers. External professionals gave positive feedback on the manager and leadership in the home. Assurance visit report: 2503306 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 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

are familiar with and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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)(a)(i)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to children’s risk assessments being kept up to date and regularly reviewed. This also relates to staff assessing risk factors during incidents so as not to place children at risk of harm. 1 January 2021

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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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 1 January 2021 Assurance visit report: 2503306 5 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to children’s plans and risk assessments being reviewed regularly and updated to contain current information.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (2)(b)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the need to report injuries sustained during physical interventions and to report allegations in a timely manner. 1 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in 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 effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(b) (3)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to management oversight and evaluation of all physical interventions in the home. 1 January 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support, particularly as a child in the home expressed that they have no one to talk to if they have any worries or concerns. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16) Assurance visit report: 2503306 6

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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: 2nd Floor Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2503306 7 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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