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Inspection report for children’s home: SC488943 1 SC488943 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 four children whose adverse childhood experiences and trauma can lead to them exhibiting complex behaviours. A private provider operates this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary 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 inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: 11 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC488943 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2020 Full Good 19/02/2019 Full Outstanding 22/01/2018 Full Outstanding 15/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC488943 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living at the home at the time of inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have well-planned moves into and out of the home. The manager arranges for children to visit the home before moving in. When children move out, staff support them to visit the places they are moving to. This practice provides children with the opportunity to be involved in changes to their living arrangements and helps them to settle in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed good relationships with children which are characterised by warmth and genuine care. Children told the inspector that staff care about them and as a result they trust them. This also enables children to be open about their experiences and feelings, which in turn allows staff to support them. Children know that staff have their well-being at heart. One child continues to maintain contact with the home after living there for a significant amount of time. This demonstrates the strong relationships the staff develop with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to prepare for their futures. They help children to develop their independence skills. Staff have high aspirations for children and encourage them to think about future goals. They also praise children for their successes and progress, which has a positive impact on children’s self-esteem. Through this encouraging approach, children develop their life skills in preparation for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is homely and staff encourage children to personalise their rooms. There are photos of the children around the home, which gives children a sense of belonging. The home environment is warm, relaxed and friendly and children told the inspector how they like living there. This positive environment is a continual reminder to children that they deserve a nice place to live and to grow up in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that whenever possible, children stay in touch with people who are important to them. Children are clear about when they are seeing family and friends and staff understand these arrangements. This means that children remain connected to these important people, which is important for their sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education experiences are mixed. Two children are in education and are making progress. One child does not have an educational provision, which may have a negative impact on their life chances. The manager has proactively advocated for the child and made a formal complaint about the ongoing situation. This demonstrates the manager’s and staff’s commitment to ensuring that children have the right support and educational opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: SC488943 4

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

The registered manager ensures that there are clear risk assessments in place that provide guidance for staff on how to keep children safe. As a result, staff understand the individual approaches they must implement to protect children. This means that when children experience difficulties, staff take effective action to increase children’s safety.

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

When children go missing, staff take appropriate action. For example, on one occasion when a child was absent from the home, staff and managers followed the missing procedures in place and were proactive in encouraging them to return home. This response helps children understand that they are at the heart of staff practice .

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

The manager takes appropriate action when allegations are made. She listens to the child’s voice, and shares information with appropriate agencies so that children are safeguarded.

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

Staff help children to stay safe online and have effective systems to monitor online activity. When children do put themselves at risk, staff respond and use the opportunity to educate children about e-safety. This enables children to continue to develop their understanding and enjoy their online world safely. When needed, staff restrict children’s online activity. Children understand why staff do this when they are not safe. As a result, children are included in their online safety and are learning how to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff complete regular direct work sessions to support children to understand and work towards reducing risks. Through this work, children are also supported to work towards their goals. These are specific to the children’s needs and provide an opportunity for them to develop their understanding of themselves.

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

Staff support children to develop their understanding of relationships with others. Staff and managers are aware of the dynamics between children and implement strategies to reduce risks. This means that the home is increasingly settled.

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

Staff understand the health needs of children. They safely administer medication to children. However, there are occasions when the recordings are not fully completed. As a result, this does not comply with the recording expectations of the home.

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

The manager has systems in place to support staff recruitment. There has been a single occasion when the manager has not verified all required information regarding recruitment checks. As a result, not all staff who care for children have undergone the required checks to ensure that they are safe to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC488943 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child-centred and deeply cares about the children at the home. She prioritises their safety and well-being. Staff and managers work together to support children. This joined-up approach means that children receive consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has extensive monitoring tools to oversee the home effectively. The manager monitors the progress of children, and her curiosity informs her analysis of this. This approach enables the manager to know the children well and develop staff practice. Staff are happy to do this as they strive to provide the best for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive frequent, thorough and child-centred supervision. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on practice and their development. Staff view the manager as extremely supportive. Consequently, children are cared for by well- supported, responsive staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads regular team meetings. Staff use these times to talk about children and learn from each other. Staff appreciate this support and leaders encourage reflection to aid learning. As a result, all staff have high aspirations for children and their managers support them to meet these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is proactive in developing staff and responding to training needs. As a result of the manager’s forward-thinking approach, staff continually develop skills to provide high-quality care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the home well. She knows the areas of strengths and has plans in place to support the continual development of the home. The manager continually reviews whether the activity in the home is meeting the needs of the children and makes changes if needed. As a result, children receive responsive care that supports them to progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC488943 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 recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that when a reference cannot be verified, action is taken to mitigate any risks. 11 April 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: SC488943 7

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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 for children’s home: SC488943 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: 2, Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke- on-Trent ST4 6NW

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Inspector

Melanie Griffin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC488943 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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