Children's Home run by United Children's Services Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC488961 1 SC488961 Registered provider: United Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to five children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a manager who is not yet registered.

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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: 16 November 2021

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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: SC488961 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/11/2021 Full Good 11/11/2019 Full Good 10/05/2018 Full Good 29/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC488961 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is maintained to a high standard and is homely. The home has recently been redecorated. The children’s bedrooms have been updated and personalised. For example, they have had a chalk paint wall added so children and staff can communicate positive messages to each other. Children like their bedrooms and were involved in planning how they would like them to look.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are engaged in education. One child has recently been given a reduced timetable. The manager has advocated for a full-time return to education for this child as soon as possible, recognising the child has the potential to do well. The manager and staff have remained proactive in ensuring that educational activities are structured for the child when they are not attending school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff prioritise children’s emotional well-being. Children talk openly with staff and are supported to explore how they are feeling through regular key-work sessions. Children are also offered more structured opportunities to reflect with a counsellor several times a week. Children have positive relationships with staff and can identify people whom they can turn to and confide in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s health needs are well understood by staff. The children access local health professionals when needed. The manager and staff consult with local children’s mental health services effectively. The staff are aspirational for the children and their well-being. Staff have supported one child very well to develop their own personal care skills, and this has had a positive impact on their self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff ensure that children spend time with their families and those close to them. For one child, this progressed to them moving back home to their family. The manager and staff recognise the importance of family relationships for the children. Staff welcome families into the home to celebrate special occasions, such as birthdays and Christmas. All the children spend time with people that are important to them. This helps them with developing their identity and family history.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have care plans that are individual to them. External professionals involved with the children contribute to the development and review of these key documents. These plans enable staff to easily understand the needs of the children. Consequently, children are cared for by staff who understand the children’s needs and can respond to these needs effectively.

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

Staff keep children safe. Children do not go missing from care, and physical intervention is very rare. Staff use de-escalation techniques effectively, so they manage children’s behaviours well. This also prevents incidents from escalating and Inspection report for children’s home: SC488961 4 becoming unmanageable. Staff implement age-appropriate behavioural boundaries, and children respond well to these boundaries. As a result, incidents are rare, and discussion, agreement and compromise are used instead of more punitive approaches to behaviour management.

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

Children have individual risk assessments that are sufficiently detailed. They identify both known and potential risks to children and are reviewed and updated regularly by managers and staff. Staff understand known triggers that escalate children’s behaviour, and they implement strategies to reduce risk. The staff actively engage the children, fill their time and spend good-quality time with them. This has been fundamental to managing the children’s behaviour. As a result, children are safer, happier and making progress.

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

When incidents take place, staff manage them well and in line with protocols. Incidents are documented with the required detail, and reports set out what actually took place. Staff and children are given opportunities to reflect on events and think about how they may act differently in the future. The home takes effective action to safeguard children when this is necessary. Consequently, children feel their concerns are listened to and that staff respond.

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

The home environment is secure and protects children from harm. The home’s risk assessment covers its proximity to a main road and is reviewed regularly. The children are encouraged to keep their toys in shared areas of the house, which ensures they do not spend long periods in their bedrooms. And this guards against children becoming isolated. As a result, children enjoy socialising with staff and each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably experienced manager leads the home. She is planning to complete the necessary leadership qualification in due course. The manager has also applied to become registered. This demonstrates her commitment to the home. The manager feels well supported by the responsible individual. The manager has recently recruited a deputy manager to strengthen the leadership team. The manager is not thoroughly verifying references for new employees. This is important to ensure that safer recruitment protocols are adhered to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and speaks highly of them. She has introduced ways that staff can celebrate children’s successes and acts of kindness. Children can access their ‘I appreciate you’ books and read positive comments made by the staff about them. Children enjoy receiving notes written by the manager and staff. They feel valued by those caring for them. The manager has set out to create a caring and respectful culture where staff and children value each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and feel well supported. Staff receive a thorough induction and have access to ongoing training. The staff team includes suitably experienced members who are supportive of each other’s development. The staff are ambitious for the children and work towards individualised targets for them to Inspection report for children’s home: SC488961 5 achieve. The children’s achievements are celebrated and recorded. Children are making positive progress while they live at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has introduced several ways that the progress of children can be understood. There are monthly reviews about the children on file that consider their successes, as well as any more difficult periods. This also helps to track communications with external agencies and professionals. This allows the manager and staff to see the impact of their care on the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC488961 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

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the registered manager ensuring that written references are verified once received, especially where previous employment is related to working with children or vulnerable adults. 2 January 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15) Inspection report for children’s home: SC488961 7 This specifically refers to structuring a child’s morning to include more educational content.

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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: SC488961 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: United Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Coach House, Drinsey Nook, Lincoln, Nottinghamshire LN1 2JJ

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Inspector

Louise Copping, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC488961 9 regulates and inspects 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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