Children's Home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2565231 1 Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for three children who may have emotional, behavioural or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since March 2022.

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This monitoring visit

On 20 July 2022, an assurance inspection identified serious concerns in relation to the care and protection of children. A compliance notice was issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the progress made in meeting the compliance notice steps. The other requirements raised at the assurance inspection have not been considered as part of this visit and have been restated.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has taken proactive steps to ensure that the compliance notice is met. A new risk assessment proforma has been introduced and is in the process of being rolled out to be used for each child. Although this new proforma is not yet being used for all children, the registered manager has reviewed the risk assessments for each child. Risk assessments reflect children’s vulnerabilities and known risks and give staff clear guidance on the strategies they need to follow to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has implemented systems to monitor staff’s compliance with reading and understanding the risk assessments. The registered manager recognises that these systems are in their infancy and are not yet fully established. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2565231 2 Staff have undertaken a range of training to increase their knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard children. Further training is scheduled to take place, but staff are now adequately trained to meet the needs of those children currently living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home has been relatively settled since the last inspection. However, when safeguarding incidents have occurred, staff have taken appropriate action in response. Furthermore, following such incidents, the registered manager and staff have worked with relevant professionals to review and update the strategies that are in place to safeguard children.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2565231 3

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager liaising effectively with children’s placing authorities to ensure that they are actively involved with children’s care planning. 17 October 2022

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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.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 17 October 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2565231 4 This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that children’s wishes are sought and considered.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff complete relevant training to have the skills to meet the needs of children in their care.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that there are effective monitoring tools in place. 17 October 2022

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. 17 October 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2565231 5 (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b((ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring children’s moves out of the home are planned and sensitively managed and children are supported with this process.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff receive regular supervision. 17 October 2022

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2565231 6

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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

Paul Robinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2565231 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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