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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 may lead to them exhibiting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since 18 August 2022. She is not currently registered but has submitted her application.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2022

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2022 Full Good 11/02/2020 Full Good 19/02/2019 Full Outstanding 22/01/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC488943 3

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outstanding

Since the last inspection, three children have left the home and four children have moved in. At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home. One child has lived at the home for four years and is making remarkable progress. This sustained period of time living in the home has provided the child with a sense of belonging and permanency.

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outstanding

Children live in a beautifully presented and well-maintained house, which they proudly consider their home. Staff create an exceptionally nurturing environment. Children feel safe living at the home and make significant progress from their starting points. In particular, children’s diets, health, school attendance and safety have all improved while living at this home.

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outstanding

Children make exceptional, sustained progress in key areas of their lives. This is a result of the positive and close relationships they have formed with the staff and the consistent, individualised support that they receive from them. Staff help children to catch up on milestones that they have missed in their early years. For example, two children moved into the home who could not swim. Staff organised swimming lessons for both children. As a result, when one child applied to join the armed forces, she had met this entry requirement and was accepted.

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outstanding

Children trust staff, feel valued and are treated with dignity and respect. Children benefit from receiving affection and warmth from the staff who look after them. For example, the inspector observed one child seeking out a hug from the staff and another being cared for empathetically when they were unwell. These positive relationships ensure that the children flourish.

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outstanding

Children speak enthusiastically about the care they receive. One child said they love the home and feel part of a family. Another child said that they would recommend the home for any child. Children and staff spend time together, participating in enjoyable activities and celebrating the children’s achievements.

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outstanding

Partnership agencies spoke about the excellent relationships between the staff and children. A social worker stated, ‘The relationship between my child and their key worker is extremely positive and supportive, which is amazing and gives my child a person who they can confide in.’

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outstanding

Staff work remarkably well as a team. The dynamic support offered by staff ensures that children thrive. Staff practice is informed by the home’s therapeutic model and attachment theory. This is at the heart of a child-focused approach to meeting the individual needs of children. Inspection report for children's home: SC488943 4 Staff also use research-informed models of care to provide consistency for children. This includes strategies to help children understand how to achieve safer attachments when forming relationships both in person and online.

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outstanding

Staff use the knowledge learned from the therapeutic model in their relationships with the children. This allows staff to understand the reasons behind children’s behaviours and be sensitive in their responses.

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outstanding

Staff work exceptionally hard to form positive relationships with children’s family and friends. They understand children’s family dynamics and support children’s relationships in accordance with their wishes and feelings. Children are able to safely visit family and friends, who are also welcomed at the home. This emphasises the commitment that staff have to children and their long-term relationships.

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outstanding

Children are referred to local and specialist services for support with their mental health and emotional well-being. When children require specialist assessments, such as for an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis, the manager advocates for their completion. This ensures that children have access to the support they may need.

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outstanding

One child’s hygiene was poor, and their weight was exceptionally low when they came to live at the home. This impacted on their mobility, for which they used a walking aid and had requested the use of a wheelchair. Collaboration with specialist services resulted in an improved diet and weight gain. Additionally, staff brought in their dogs to go on walks with the child, which improved their fitness and helped them to socialise. This approach helped to increase the child’s mobility and social inclusion.

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outstanding

Children are supported to learn skills to become more independent. Children are encouraged and supported to prepare meals for each other and to participate in daily chores. One child has a pet hamster, which he takes responsibility for caring. Staff help prepare the children for their futures and the transition to adulthood.

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outstanding

The manager and staff have high aspirations and are ambitious for the children. They work in partnership with educational provisions and escalate concerns that may cause a delay or barrier to children’s learning. All children have 100% school or college attendance and are making great progress. Before living in this home, one child had poor school attendance. Staff worked creatively and persistently with the child to meet their educational needs through realistic expectations and timescales. The school’s special educational needs coordinator stated, ‘[Name of child] now attends full-time lessons and is making fantastic progress.’ Additionally, a child has been chosen to participate in a Dutch student exchange. This is an excellent opportunity for the child to travel abroad, experience cultural differences and adapt to a different environment. Inspection report for children's home: SC488943 5

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outstanding

The positive and proactive approach of staff results in sustained improvements in children’s behaviour and therefore reduces their levels of risk. Clear risk management plans include each child’s understanding of the risks that staff have a good understanding of. Consequently, children are well supported and protected.

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outstanding

Incidents of children going missing have significantly been reduced. On one occasion, a child went missing from school. The staff followed the missing-from-care protocol effectively. They used a range of methods to contact the child and searched all known areas where the child could have gone. The child was found quickly, without the need to contact the police. The deputy safeguarding lead for the school stated, ‘When we had a brief missing episode, carers came straight away and immediately began to search for the child; there was a real collaborative approach.’

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outstanding

Before living in this home, one child frequently went missing. Staff acted quickly to sever all ties with the area where the child went missing, which included a change of school. Because of the already established positive relationships between the local school and the staff, the child was able to access a placement immediately. As a result, the level of risk for this child has significantly been reduced.

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outstanding

Children are safe and say they feel safe. Due to the close relationships that children have with staff, they feel able to share their worries and concerns. For example, one child told staff that she struggles to sleep at night. The staff implemented a nigh- time settling routine that includes the use of the sensory room, mindfulness and yoga. A referral was also made to a professional therapeutic agency for additional support.

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outstanding

Staff work in a planned and coordinated way. They are vigilant and highly skilled in understanding the risks that children face online. They effectively manage risks to ensure that children are not only safe but also have positive experiences and opportunities to learn. For example, one child enjoys dancing and making videos. She is able to do so safely on social media with the implemented safety measures that have been downloaded on her phone, which the staff check daily.

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outstanding

The quality of direct work undertaken with children to address their individual needs and issues of concern is a key strength of the home. Children readily participate in these individual discussions, which cover a range of topics. For example, one child often made derogatory and offensive comments. Regular key-work sessions were completed that have improved the children’s behaviour and understanding of people’s differences.

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outstanding

Staff have access to specialist clinical trainers who enable them to reflect on situations that have arisen and consider alternative approaches. This helps to ensure that the staff have a fully informed understanding of the reasons why children may exhibit certain behaviours. As a result, staff are nurturing and empathetic in their responses when children have a setback, enabling children to move on positively. Inspection report for children's home: SC488943 6 Since the last inspection, new staff members have joined the home. The manager ensures that staff are safely recruited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been new to the role since the last inspection. She has prioritised getting to know the children and the staff team, spending time with children and observing routines and practice. The manager was provided with a mentor for six weeks to support her development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a dedicated, child-focused practitioner who is an inspiring leader. The manager gives the staff encouragement and feedback on their practice, which instils staff confidence in their abilities to effectively work with the children. Staff say that the manager is a constant support to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made improvements to practice since the last inspection and has met the two recommendations raised at that time. The records relating to the administration of medication are clear, fully completed and comply with the recording expectations of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has exceptional knowledge of the children’s starting points and what they have accomplished since living at the home. Management oversight and processes are highly effective, and the manager has excellent insight into the home’s strengths and areas for development. Therefore, the manager is able to drive improvement in the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is proactive in delivering training to the staff team, much of which is research-informed and specific to the needs of the children. This provides the staff with the knowledge base to understand the children’s backgrounds and how to support them effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and are positive about the support they receive from the manager. Supervision sessions are regular and of high quality. They help staff to promote new ideas and to reflect on their practice. New staff are supported through a clear, effective induction process. This ensures that children receive high- quality care from skilled and well-informed staff. However, the workforce development plan does not reflect the plans for staff training and achieving the required qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are central to the home, and there is regular consultation. This enables children to express their wishes and feelings in all aspects of their care, and it supports them to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives. Children feel listened to. This ensures that children feel that their views are valued and provides them with a degree of empowerment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager writes individual letters to the children with feedback about any requests they have made. Additionally, she has created systems to enable the children to readily inform staff of how they are feeling with the use of emojis. This Inspection report for children's home: SC488943 7 child-friendly system helps to ensure that staff can check in on children and respond to low moods without delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication is a key strength of the home, and the manager has excellent relationships with partner agencies to ensure that children’s needs are met effectively. An educational professional stated, ‘This home is by far the most supportive and communicative service we work with.’ Additionally, the manager consulted with the local coordinator of the police missing persons team when a child began to demonstrate early signs that they might go missing from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager also attends quarterly multi-agency meetings chaired by the missing person coordinator. Information is disseminated to the staff team to develop practice and understanding of emerging risks within the community. Children and staff benefit from having a manager who strives to improve the lives of those she works with. Inspection report for children's home: SC488943 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan is updated to reflect how the staff are supported to progress their professional development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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 9

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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

Glenis Staiger-Grant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC488943 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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