Children's home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Inspection report for children’s home: SC469761 1 SC469761 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 privately owned home provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is qualified and suitably experienced for the role.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC469761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/07/2021 Full Good 10/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/11/2018 Full Good 28/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC469761 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were two children living at the home during the inspection. A number of children have left the home since the last inspection, including two children who have moved on in recent months.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The relationships between staff and children are strong and meaningful. This is reflected in how well children are advocated for while living at the home and after they have left.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage with their education. The registered manager has tirelessly escalated her concerns about one child’s lack of suitable education provision. Because of these efforts, the child, who had been without a school placement for a significant period, has now been allocated a new school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience individualised care from staff. For example, children’s independence skills are promoted according to each child’s ability, which builds their self-confidence and improves engagement. These skills benefit children’s future life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is well maintained and provides a warm and homely place for children to live. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to a high standard, which allows children to feel valued and relaxed in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships with children’s family members are strong and staff support for time with loved ones plays a part in the building of trusted relationships. Supporting children who live a significant distance away from their birth home has allowed children to settle well at the home, knowing they will still have time with their families. One child’s mother said about the home, ‘We’re like one big happy family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager has worked well with professionals to plan for children moving on from the home. This has meant that children have successfully moved to foster and kinship placements. The ongoing support from staff after children have left has helped to make these transitions a positive experience for children. Two children have left the home in a less planned way. In both cases this was due to influences outside the registered manager’s control but it did impact on the children’s overall experience of living at the home.

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

Children’s risks are well understood by staff and the registered manager. This knowledge is used to inform individual support plans for each child. Staff know how to keep each child safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC469761 4 Children do not generally go missing from this home. When one child did go missing and it was identified that they were at risk of exploitation, the registered manager responded promptly. The registered manager’s partnership working with professionals meant that appropriate action was taken to reduce the risks to the child.

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

Complaints and allegations are well managed in the home. When investigations are needed, communication with children and professionals is good and means that children feel consulted throughout the process and are informed of any outcomes.

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

Medication is safely managed in the home and the internal processes mean that children’s medication is stored, administered and managed safely.

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

Recruitment checks are clear and safe for all new staff members coming to work at the home. The registered manager’s oversight ensures that children are cared for by safe adults.

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

Behavioural incidents have generally been managed well by staff. However, during a significant period in one child’s life, staff did not follow the behaviour plans in place for supporting periods of aggression. This resulted in the police attending the home to manage behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and her trainee registered manager work very well together and are supported well by senior management. The registered manager has high aspirations and a clear vision for the future of the home and holds the children at the centre of these plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good systems are in place for monitoring the progress that children make while living at the home. The registered manager uses this information to inform the review of children’s plans to ensure that they are supported in the best possible way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported in their roles and their work at the home. This open, positive culture allows staff to reflect on their work and learn from difficult situations. This learning has a positive impact on the lives of the children they are caring for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions and appraisals are detailed and carried out regularly. These are used in conjunction with group supervisions to further develop knowledge and practice in the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Formal training and internal workshops are used to upskill the staff team and ensure they have the right skills to care for the children living at the home. The registered manager monitors training records and identifies any gaps in learning to ensure all aspects of care are covered. Inspection report for children’s home: SC469761 5 The registered manager listens to children and this is well documented. This creates an open line of communication for all children and helps support their progress at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has created an approach to supporting children’s behaviour in the home where consequences are kept to a minimum. This has improved staff understanding of restorative practice. However, in doing so, the registered manager has lost oversight of the use of consequences and their effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a workforce development plan in place, but this does not include a description of the home’s process for managing performance issues with staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC469761 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to behaviour support during incidents. 24 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 24 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC469761 7 This relates specifically to the failure to record consequences in the home.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s workforce development plan details the process for managing and improving poor performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC469761 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: Unity Residential Care Services Limited, 2 Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 6NW

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Emily Wallis Mandache

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Inspector

Mark Dickinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC469761 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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