Children's home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 1 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 home provides care for up to three children who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 3

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outstanding

Children make excellent progress in important areas of their lives. This is because children experience exceptional stability as a result of the close relationships they have with the staff and the consistent, individualised support that staff provide. Consequently, children make outstanding progress socially and emotionally.

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outstanding

Managers and staff work hard to make the home a warm and welcoming place for children to live. The kitchen is the hub of the home, where children sit with staff, talk and play games and enjoy home-cooked meals. Children’s bedrooms are exceptionally well presented and personalised according to children’s wishes and needs. One child’s room has an array of dolls and craft items she has made. An older child has photos of family and of her boyfriend prominently displayed. Children take pride in their home and their bedrooms, which helps to increase their self- esteem and self-worth.

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outstanding

Staff spend time with the children by sharing children’s hobbies and interests. During the recent European football tournament, staff decorated the home and made an occasion of watching football matches with the children. Staff plan activities with the children, such as a home ‘bake off’ challenge. Staff take children on holiday and on day trips, such as to Alton Towers, and for a spa day. Creating opportunities to spend time with children means that staff know children exceptionally well and enables the children to develop meaningful relationships based on shared interests.

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outstanding

Staff encourage children’s talents and interests. One child, who is very creative, designed a poster and took part in the company’s talent competition. Staff made a short video of the child singing a song for the competition, which the child now enjoys watching. These activities promote children’s self-esteem and self-worth.

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outstanding

Children receive excellent support to help them prepare for leaving care and to live independently. Bespoke independence plans set practical, gradual targets to enable children to practise budgeting, shopping, cooking and using public transport. Regular meetings help children to review their progress and enable staff to adapt the programme and their support accordingly. This highly individualised support develops children’s self-confidence as well as their practical skills. One child is enrolled on an apprenticeship in hospitality and regularly works at a local hotel, which gives her an opportunity to meet the public. This is remarkable progress from her starting point.

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outstanding

Children make great progress with their education. This starts with staff helping children to sustain good school attendance. Staff and managers are not afraid to advocate for a change when they feel this is needed to ensure that children’s individual needs are met. For example, one child was unhappy with their college Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 4 placement. The registered manager consulted with professionals and the child. This resulted in a change of college provision. A teacher told the inspector that staff supported the child to visit the college before starting, which helped with the move. Since then, the child arrives at school in a happy frame of mind and has flourished.

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outstanding

Staff support children with their homework in the way a good parent would. This has enabled a child who was behind with education to catch up with their peers. The child is now meeting age-appropriate targets. Staff understand the impact that having a learning disability may have on children’s education. Over the second period of national lockdown, staff incorporated education into children’s daily routines. They used resources to support children with handwriting skills and to understand the value of money. This excellent support enhances children’s achievements and life chances.

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outstanding

Staff sensitively support children with their health and well-being. Staff seek specialist help when this has been necessary. This multi-team approach means that children’s needs are promoted effectively. Staff have undertaken research to meet the specific needs of the children they care for. For example, staff have researched the effect of certain foods on children’s mental health. Each child has a food risk assessment which is customised to the child’s particular needs and vulnerabilities. As a result, children become more aware of the importance of a healthy diet and are helped to maintain a healthy weight.

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outstanding

Staff understand the importance of positive memories for each child’s life story. Children have a memory book and an individual daily comments book made by staff, with photos and comments charting their time at the home. Each child will take these books with them when they move on. Positive memories like these help children to feel loved, to be happy and to be able to thrive physically, emotionally and socially.

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outstanding

Managers and staff promote children’s understanding of tolerance and diversity. For the second year, children are organising a Macmillan Coffee Morning and inviting neighbours and managers of the company. Staff increase children’s knowledge by celebrating events such as International Women’s Day, when they talk about women who have made significant contributions. Children plant plants in the garden on World Environment Day and they talk about what they can do to help the planet. Children are therefore encouraged to be curious about their world and to be socially aware.

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outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of the importance of safeguarding and the need for vigilance so that children stay safe. Well-informed risk assessments, that are specific about what action needs to be taken, help staff to keep children protected from harm. Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development of independent living skills. When the time is right, children are supported to spend time safely with friends. As a result, a child regularly spends Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 5 time with friends at their home and is looking forward to her first sleepover. This helps the child to build strong relationships with her peers through shared experiences.

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outstanding

Firm boundaries and routines give children a strong sense of safety. Highly individualised behaviour management plans ensure that staff maintain an exceptional understanding of the triggers for children’s behaviours. Timely intervention, sensitive discussions and positive reinforcement minimise children’s challenging behaviours. Children who have complex needs have had few, if any, incidents of challenging behaviours since living at the home. As a result of this exceptionally attuned care, staff have not used physical intervention or restraint to manage children’s behaviours and children have not gone missing from the home.

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outstanding

Staff take their safeguarding duties very seriously. They are extremely vigilant of children who are at risk from self-harm and act quickly to keep them safe. Staff use their knowledge of children and their strong relationships to calm them and to help them to relax. Staff then talk with children and give them strategies to help them to manage their emotions. This empowers children and promotes resilience. Staff then ensure that children receive the care and support that respond to their individual needs. This means that behaviours do not escalate, and children feel confident about asking staff for help when they need it.

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outstanding

Vigilant and highly skilled staff understand the risks that children face online. They work in partnership with the local police to talk with children about these risks and use research to educate them. This means that children learn how to be increasingly safe online. Internet safety software and random checks on children’s mobile phones support children to be safe online and they develop a good awareness about the risks of using the internet.

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outstanding

Disagreements and tensions in the home are quickly dealt with. Staff encourage children to reflect on how their words and actions affect others, and children regularly receive rewards and praise for positive and kind behaviour. Children therefore become increasingly tolerant and considerate of others.

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outstanding

Managers ensure that the home’s location risk assessment is regularly updated with information from the local police. As a result, staff are informed about known and emerging risks to children that are within the vicinity of the home. Regular health and safety checks ensure that the home is a safe environment for children to live in. This creates a comfortable and relaxing home for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, two managers have left the home. One manager left for personal development within the company. The current manager has been in post since September 2020 and is enrolled on the level 5 qualification in leadership and management. The manager is supported by a deputy who has 10 years’ experience in a residential setting and has been a consistent presence for all three children in Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 6 the home. The deputy told the inspector that she had been present when each child arrived at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When staff whistle-blow or make complaints against other staff, the designated officer from the local authority is informed. Senior managers then carry out thorough investigations and act when shortfalls in staff practice are identified. This includes additional training for staff and clear strategies to improve communication and relationships in the team. Staff have acknowledged these difficulties and say that they are confident that these are behind them. Staff told the inspector that the home is well managed and that they enjoy working there. Despite managers’ best efforts, children have been aware of tensions in the staff team. Managers have used restorative discussions and mediation to repair these relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children. She is confident in challenging other professionals when she believes that they are not acting in children’s interests. For example, the manager has challenged the plan to move a child into a semi- independent placement because she felt this was not right for the child. The child’s social worker told the inspector that the manager frequently advocates for her child. The social worker values this challenge because she thinks the manager and staff know her child best.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads a team of committed and skilled staff who strive to ensure that children achieve their full potential. The manager provides staff with regular supervision that supports and challenges them. The manager is very committed to promoting a learning culture in the home. Team meetings are a forum for sharing good practice, as well as providing training and learning opportunities for staff using research-based practice. The manager is a trainer in the home’s model of care. She regularly disseminates information to the team to develop practice and improve the quality of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by a team of well-qualified staff. Seven of the eight staff currently employed have a level 3 qualification in children’s residential care or are enrolled on the qualification. The manager and staff go above and beyond to ensure that the children experience consistent care. This includes covering shortfalls in staffing so that the children have familiar staff caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that children’s voices are heard. Children are offered the services of an advocate. When children complain, the manager ensures that they are listened to and that their complaint is dealt with promptly. This gives children confidence that they can raise issues and they will be taken seriously. Children have many opportunities in day-to-day discussions and regular meetings to express their views and contribute to decisions about their care. This means that children feel invested in the home and in decisions about their future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the manager has good oversight of practice within in the home. She uses her findings from her monitoring to drive continuous improvement in the quality-of- care children receive. The home’s development plan is a ‘living document’ which the manager reviews with the staff team at team meetings. The independent person Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 7 reports are submitted regularly and are very positive. The manager ensures that any actions are quickly dealt with. However, some monitoring systems require further development such as ensuring that records reflect all the work that staff have been undertaking with children to meet their goals, that the most up-to-date risk assessment is on children’s files and a reliable system to track the additional training staff have undertaken is in place. Although these shortfalls risk compromising children’s considerable progress, this has not been the case due to the exceptional,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

individualised care that children receive from staff. Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 8

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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 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))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the oversight of internal care planning, and ensuring that the most up-to-date risk assessment is on children’s files and a reliable system to track staff training is in place. 31 October 2021

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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: 2508456 9

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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: 2, Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke- on-Trent ST4 6NW

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Inspectors

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2508456 10 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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