Children's home run by Utopia Children’s Services Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1256639 1 Registered provider: Utopia Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since March 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspection on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 23 November 2020 to carry out a monitoring 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1256639 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/01/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/06/2019 Full Good 18/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1256639 3

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improvement to be good

Overall, the three children living in the home have made progress from their starting points. Regular attendance at school by all the children has meant that they have progressed their learning and enjoy having time with their friends. One child now cycles to school, which is a significant achievement for them.

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improvement to be good

Children have opportunities on a day-to-day basis to attend clubs, get involved in activities and visit their families. As a result, the children have developed their confidence, formed positive relationships with their peers, including having ‘sleepovers’, and spend time in the community safely.

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improvement to be good

One child is being supported to achieve a healthier weight. However, more work is needed to ensure that all staff follow this child’s healthy eating plan consistently.

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improvement to be good

The staff know the children well and show them genuine warmth and care. The inspector observed staff engaging with children in a supportive, caring and sensitive manner, and the children interacted well with the staff.

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improvement to be good

Nevertheless, while it is recognised that most of the staff have the necessary skills and experience to care for the children, good practice is not consistently applied. This has meant that the children are not always appropriately supported. Leaders and managers have not always been effective in ensuring that all the staff consistently respond to the behaviours of the children in line with their plans. This failure has had a detrimental impact on one child’s behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have failed to take swift enough action to address staff conduct issues. They did not apply sufficient professional curiosity and rigour when investigating the conduct issues. Additional information of concern relating to staff practice was shared with Ofsted during the inspection. Proactive action was taken by the manager during the inspection to ensure that the concerns did not negatively affect children.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s response to the children’s behaviours is not always consistent. This is despite there being clear, individual risk assessments in place that provide details of what action to take to protect children.

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improvement to be good

On the occasions that staff are required to physically intervene and hold a child, it is done so safely and proportionately. Staff use key-work sessions effectively to help the children to understand why the staff have physically intervened. This leads to Inspection report children’s home: 1256639 4 compassionate, proportionate and warm responses from staff, which results in children learning from their experiences.

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improvement to be good

Staff undertake a range of training in safeguarding matters. Staff undertake online courses while waiting for facilitated courses. This ensures that they have some basic knowledge of safeguarding practice.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from the home. If this does happen, staff are proactive in their responses. They follow each child’s missing-from-home protocol and report to all relevant agencies in a timely manner.

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improvement to be good

The staff team has remained relatively stable since the last inspection. The recruitment of staff is sufficiently robust.

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good

The registered manager has worked hard to ensure that the children and staff have been supported during what has been a challenging period that has included the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. One social worker spoke positively about how the regular communication with the manager during this period has enabled them to keep up to date with the progress their child has made.

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good

In the main, the registered manager communicates well with external professionals. In particular, the manager has collaborated well with a school to address bullying issues and made sure that school transport does not have a stigmatising effect on one child. That said, in one case that was identified during this inspection, a lack of professional curiosity and good oversight prevented the wider sharing of information to the local authority designated officer and Ofsted.

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good

The views of the staff who contributed to the inspection were mixed. Some spoke negatively about their experience. They commented on the impact of not always having sufficient staff and said that practice is not always consistent. Other staff said that they feel supported by the registered manager. Staff receive regular supervision and good training opportunities.

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good

The registered manager has, for the most part, ensured that there has been enough staff to support the children in line with their risk assessments. However, it was noted that, on three occasions during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has not been sufficient staffing in the home overnight. On these occasions, the registered manager mitigated the risk by ensuring that there is an on-call system and support staff next door to the home. Inspection report children’s home: 1256639 5

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to all staff adhering to the care plans and risk assessments of each child. When concerns are raised, staff must ensure that they are reported immediately to the necessary safeguarding professionals. 8 April 2022

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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

promotes their welfare. 8 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1256639 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered manager ensuring that all staff’s practice is consistent and safe.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must apply rigour, challenge and scrutiny when safeguarding concerns and poor practice are identified.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there are sufficient staff in line with each child’s care plan across a 24-hour period.

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Requirement Due date

When the number of staff is insufficient, clear and explicit plans must be in place for how the children will be supported safely.

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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.

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed. 8 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1256639 7 (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff follow the care plans and risk assessments of each child. In particular, all staff must adhere to all of the children’s health and dietary plans.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 8 April 2022

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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: 1256639 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Utopia Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 9, Wheatstone Court, Waterwells Business Park, Davy Way, Gloucester GL2 2AQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Louis Stuart-Kelso

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Inspector

Linda Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1256639 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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