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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home uses a therapeutic model of care and staff work alongside a therapist.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is dual registered with another children’s home in the same organisation.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Date of last inspection: 30 November 2022

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

inadequate

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

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2022 Full Good 13/07/2021 Full Good 10/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC469761 3

p.2

inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and then moved out again after a short period of time. Two children are currently living in the home.

p.3

inadequate

Children do not always have a positive experience at the home. Before a child is admitted, the registered manager does not fully assess their needs, risks, vulnerabilities and behaviours and how these may impact the children already living in the home. This resulted in a child new to the home exposing the other children to harmful behaviour.

p.3

inadequate

Care planning arrangements for children are weak. This is because care plans do not accurately reflect children’s behavioural, identity, religious, educational and health needs. All children’s care plans contain similar information and do not reflect their individual needs. This generic approach to care planning does not help staff to meet the children’s individual needs and does not promote children’s overall progress.

p.3

inadequate

Staff do not use consequences that promote positive behaviour. For example, a child was told by staff that when they are being harmed by other children, this is a result of their own behaviour. In another example, one child was told that if they improved their mental health, they would be able to go on holiday abroad. This does not make children feel safe, valued and respected.

p.3

inadequate

Various therapeutic models of care are not in line with the organisation’s internal behaviour management policy and the home’s statement of purpose. This approach to therapeutic care does not help children get the support they need in a timely manner or promote their overall development.

p.3

inadequate

One child said that, in the main, they like living at the home, and spoke fondly of the staff. However, there was a period when they wanted to leave. This was because the behaviour of another child living at the home was having a detrimental impact on them, and they did not feel staff were giving them the attention they needed.

p.3

inadequate

All external professionals spoke warmly of the registered manager and staff. One social worker said that the registered manager and staff work well with the placing authority.

p.3

inadequate

Children enjoy regular contact with their families. All parents spoke positively about the registered manager and staff.

p.3

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

Managers and staff lack professional curiosity when children tell them that they are in unsafe relationships. They failed to use their professional curiosity when a child Inspection report for children's home: SC469761 4 shared concerns relating to a new relationship. Managers and staff failed to explore these concerns with the child, and this exposed the child to a greater risk of harm.

p.3

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

Leaders and managers did not take any learning from this to inform their risk management strategies to protect the child from harm. This resulted in the child disclosing that they had come to serious harm in January and October 2023.

p.4

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

Risk management plans and strategies are inadequate. Risk assessments are not individualised to the child’s new, emerging and known risks that are identified by staff and managers. In addition, risk assessments do not include information shared by the child’s placing authority. This means staff do not receive accurate and up-to- date guidance to protect children from harm.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment and vetting checks are inadequate. Leaders and managers have failed to explore conflicting information in employment references, and one member of staff started work without a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The registered manager has failed to ensure that the recruitment agency has obtained adequate information about agency staff before they start working in the home. This means that the manager has not assured herself that staff are suitable to work with vulnerable children.

p.4

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

The recording of physical intervention is poor. The records do not accurately reflect the details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure. As a result, records do not show that staff have used de-escalation techniques and physical intervention in line with the children’s behaviour management plans and therapeutic support plans. The manager is aware of these shortfalls and has organised training for staff. The effectiveness of the training is yet to be tested.

p.4

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

Children are not always provided with an opportunity to discuss incidents involving a physical intervention. This does not make children feel valued and listened to.

p.4

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

Children have not been given medication in line with their prescriptions. They have been given an incorrect dose of medication without sufficient reason. Medication records do not accurately reflect the medication that has been administered. Managers were not aware of the medication errors identified during this inspection. As a result, the administration, recording and reporting of medication is not safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Serious and widespread failures were identified in the leadership and management of this home. The registered manager does not monitor, review and evaluate the care records and has failed to identify the shortfalls in staff practice. This means there is a potential for further errors made by staff to go unnoticed and unchallenged. This does not promote a culture of safeguarding in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A few days before this inspection, senior managers carried out an audit visit and identified 80 shortfalls. At the time of the inspection, managers presented a positive Inspection report for children's home: SC469761 5 outlook about the quality of the care provided for children, despite knowledge of the shortfalls identified. Managers did not share the findings of their audit visit until the end of the inspection. This demonstrates that managers do not have a realistic outlook about the quality of care provided for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager became dual registered for another children’s home in May 2023. This places additional demands on her time and limits her effectiveness in carrying out her day-to-day management tasks. During the inspection, managers said that they do not have the capacity to ensure that records are up to date and accurately reflect children’s individual needs, risks and vulnerabilities. As a result, the management oversight of the quality of care is weak.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive supervision in accordance with the organisation’s internal policy. This means staff do not receive supervision that encourages learning and reflection and provides them with support to carry out their roles and responsibilities adequately. As a result, leaders and managers do not ensure that staff are competent in safeguarding practice. Despite this, all staff speak positively of the management team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of this inspection, a notice restricting accommodation at the home has been served and one compliance notice has been raised, under regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Inspection report for children's home: SC469761 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The 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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s risk assessments accurately reflect their risks and provide guidance to staff to help them protect children. 10 December Inspection report for children's home: SC469761 7 *The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.7

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)(a)(c)(f)(h)) 10 December

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that care planning records accurately reflect children’s individual needs and provide guidance to staff to meet the children’s needs. 10 December

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that— 10 December Inspection report for children's home: SC469761 8 medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

p.7

Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation (23) (2)(a)(c))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff administer and record medication in line with the organisation’s internal policy.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.8

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) (3)(d))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that safer recruitment and vetting checks are completed for all staff, including agency staff. 10 December

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff receive supervision in line with the organisation’s internal policy. 10 December

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

p.8

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.8

Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.8

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 10 December Inspection report for children's home: SC469761 9 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (2) (3)(a)(ii)(v)(vii)(c))

p.9

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all physical intervention records accurately reflect the incident.

p.9

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

p.9

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.9

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 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke- on-Trent ST4 6NW

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Emily Wallis Mandache

p.10

Inspectors

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC469761 11 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.

p.10

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11