Children's home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Inspection report children's home: SC469761 1 SC469761 Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides accommodation for up to 3 children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 28 Oct 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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: 10 December 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children's home: SC469761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/11/2018 Full Good 28/02/2018 Full Good 01/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC469761 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good quality care from adults who understand their needs. Staff’s relationships with children are caring and nurturing and this supports the children’s well-being. When asked about the care provided, a professional responded, ‘Absolutely great. I wish more carers were like them.’ Because of this support, children are making good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm and welcoming environment. The children have personalised bedrooms, and memorable photographs are displayed in communal spaces. This promotes a sense of belonging . When asked by the inspector to provide a rating out of ten, a child said, ‘Definitely an eight.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education. When children face difficulties, the manager has found alternative provisions. Also, staff work with schools to support behavioural plans and reintegration. Education staff say that communication with the home is good.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with local health services and attend routine appointments. Children are encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle in a creative way. For example, a ‘Pokemon Go’ app is used to promote regular exercise. Staff identify specialist mental health services, and sessions are planned and suited to the wishes of the children Consequently, children are in good health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain. However, on one occasion, although investigation activity took place, the manager did not provide a child with a formal outcome and there was no debrief for staff. This makes it difficult to understand decision making and it is not clear whether the child was satisfied.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in general household tasks, such as cleaning their bedrooms and looking after the home’s pets. There is also a system where children can earn extra pocket money when they complete additional tasks. This contributes to a sense of ownership and development of skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions are considered and individualised. Staff have created detailed transition plans and work well with foster carers. One child’s transition to her new home is being planned effectively. In addition, children have memory boxes containing photographs and memorabilia that they can take with them. This helps children develop a sense of identity.

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

Staff understand children’s known risks and what actions they are expected to take to keep children safe. However, risk assessments do not always include clear Inspection report children's home: SC469761 4 guidance for staff about how they should respond, for example when children go missing from home.

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

Staff respond to incidents of children going missing. However, staff do not always record the steps that they have taken to locate children. In addition, on one occasion, the manager did not ensure that a child was provided with an independent return home interview. This is a missed opportunity to support the child.

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

The home follows the wider company’s behaviour management policy. Staff recognise children’s achievements and implement incentives charts, which promote opportunities for children to receive additional pocket money. Staff rarely use consequences. This ensures that positive behaviour is encouraged.

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

Physical intervention takes place only in the best interests of children. There have been attempts to improve recording. However, on one occasion, records provided conflicting information about the length of the intervention. This is a missed opportunity to learn from incidents.

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

The home has effective communication with local safeguarding agencies. The manager seeks advice, and specialist support is organised for staff and children. This supports children in keeping themselves safe.

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

When bullying takes place in the home, staff undertake reactive group work and individual sessions. However, staff do not undertake meaningful proactive work. This has a detrimental impact on children’s experiences.

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

Staff carry out fire safety checks and fire evacuations are undertaken. All children have personal evacuation plans. However, these assessments had not been reviewed within the recommended time. The home has a local risk assessment; however, statistical data used to inform judgement is not up to date. Therefore, the risks in the home’s local area are not clear or how these are responded to.

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

The home has motion sensors. There is no consultation or consent with local authority for the use of the sensors, and information surrounding the home’s policy is unclear. During inspection, the manager said she would review documentation to ensure that policy and practise is clear.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is qualified and has relevant experience for the role. The manager is passionate and committed to developing good practice in the home. The manager recognises areas for improvement and how to address shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff team have a genuine desire for the home to succeed and for children to experience positive outcomes. This is echoed by professionals who have shared that the home is child-centred and focused, and the staff are good advocates for children. Inspection report children's home: SC469761 5 Since last inspection, there have been several staff changes. When there have been shortages, the home used the same temporary staff to provide continuity. The current staff team remain stable. Staff share that they enjoy working at the home and feel valued. As a result, children are being cared for by adults who they have established relationships with and who are well informed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that they follow safer recruitment and selection processes. The registered manager understands the benefits of a well-trained and skilled workforce. All staff are up to date with mandatory training. Additional training has been sourced to help the staff team understand concerns around child exploitation, and this is delivered by the local police force. This supports continuous professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which supports them in undertaking their roles effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings take place, which encourages consistency in practice and supportive relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One child’s case file does not contain all the required information. There is evidence of the manager escalating concerns to the local authority. However, requested information is still not available. As a result, staff do not always have the information they need to provide coordinated care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals is positive. They spoke of good working relationships and said that the manager has a good understanding of the needs and experiences of the children. Inspection report children's home: SC469761 6

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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 registered person must ensure that 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

a description of the measure and its duration.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that recording of the interventions used is clear. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)) 30 September

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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

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that children understand the steps taken to investigate and respond to complaints made against care staff. 30 September

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 30 September Inspection report children's home: SC469761 7 This specifically relates to the provider ensuring health and safety records are reviewed and kept updated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1) (a)(b)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need for a child’s up-to-date care plan to be in place. 30 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand what they must do to prevent bullying of children by other children or adults. Staff should be able to recognise and address different types of abuse such as peer abuse, cyber-bullying and bullying in day-to-day relationships in the home. Registered persons must ensure that procedures for dealing with allegation of bullying are in place and staff have the skills required to intervene, protect and address bulling behaviours effectively. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.16)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC469761 8

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Emily Wallis Mandache

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Inspectors

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Sarah Junor-Fitzpatrick, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC469761 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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