Children's Home run by Unique Care Homes Support Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 1 Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a large private provider and is registered to provide care for up to six children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced and is registered with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 27 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home closed for a period for refurbishment. Ofsted imposed a three-month condition. Senior managers applied for this to be lifted in February 2023, and the home reopened in April 2023. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/01/2020 Full Good 22/10/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first inspection of this home since it reopened. Three children have moved in to the home during this time, and one has left. The child who left the home experienced an unexpected ending to their placement after leaders and managers made the decision that they could no longer provide care that would keep the child safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are beginning to make progress and are starting to become more settled. The children are provided with nurturing care and have begun to build positive relationships with staff. Children are kept at the centre of the care provided and have an active voice in the care they receive. Children have made some complaints relating to staff and the care they have received. These complaints have all been thoroughly investigated and, where necessary, relevant action has been taken in response.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have highly individualised education timetables to support them to re- engage with education. The manager has worked closely with school in providing adapted and alternative education, and children have made some progress. There are a range of activities available in the community and children are encouraged to join clubs and develop hobbies and interests. One child has recently joined army cadets. This helps children to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to maintain contact with people who are important to them, and staff supervise and facilitate family visits. Children are supported to develop friendships away from the home, and this has helped in developing their social skills and increasing their friendship groups. Any concerns with social time away from the home are quickly responded to and steps have been taken to ensure children’s safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with local health professionals, and additional support is available through a team of psychologists working in the organisation, if this is required. However, children’s health needs have not been consistently recognised, and medical advice has not always been sought to help children to manage these needs. Not all the children engage in healthy lifestyles and have, on occasions, had a poor diet through skipping meals and using vapes. Substance misuse has been an issue at times, although this has started to reduce. The manager sought additional support through the specialist team to make the required improvements in this area. One child’s sleep pattern has improved, and this has been a positive step forward for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are individualised, clear, and contain sufficient detail to provide staff with information on how best to support children to achieve and make progress. There are clear targets and goals identified in care plans, and children are provided with opportunities to progress and develop. All staff have received training Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 4 in the preferred model of care in the home and this provides children with consistency, routines, and behavioural boundaries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in a beautifully decorated, homely, and safe environment. Children’s bedrooms have been personalised to reflect their individual tastes, and both children have pets, which they are supported to take responsibility for.

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improvement to be good

There are significant concerns with one child’s missing-from-care episodes. The manager is working with a multi-agency team to try to minimise the risks to the child. There is a court order to try to manage these incidents, but this has not been effective in reducing missing episodes. Staff are proactive in looking for the child when they are missing. However, there has not been sufficient consideration by leaders and managers on how to prevent these incidents from occurring. There have been missed opportunities in implementing new strategies, and staff are not consistently applying the restrictions or ensuring robust oversight and supervision. For example, the child was observed to leave the home without staff supervision. One staff member was unaware that the child had left the home. This does not provide assurance that staff are proactively following the agreed plans in place to prevent missing-from-care incidents.

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improvement to be good

Children have made several allegations against staff. Leaders and managers have worked with external safeguarding professionals and the allegations have been investigated. Appropriate action has been taken, including reflection and lessons learned to prevent any further occurrences.

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improvement to be good

There have been occasions when physical intervention has been needed to prevent harm from occurring. Following these incidents, staff and children do not always have the opportunity to debrief and share their views. This limits opportunities for staff to learn from practice and for children to voice any concerns they may have. The manager does not always provide effective oversight and evaluation following incidents. This restricts learning and reflection on implementing different strategies of support that may reduce further incidents.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and support plans are detailed and contain a range of strategies to support staff in managing risks and behaviour that may be challenging. Not all known risks are included in support plans, and this means that staff may not be given the necessary guidance on how to manage specific incidents where harm may occur.

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improvement to be good

Children’s rooms have had to be searched at times, and these searches are carried out appropriately and sensitively to ensure that children are kept safe. Items of concern have been removed, and children have been given the opportunity to be present for these searches. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 5 There have been no incidents of bullying and children have positive relationships with each other. Children are helped and supported to understand risks affecting them, and these are discussed in regular one-to-one discussions with staff.

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improvement to be good

Individuals who are employed to work at the home have had all relevant safe recruitment checks completed prior to commencing employment. This means that staff working at the home are deemed to be safe and appropriate adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed and has high aspirations for the home and its development. The manager knows and understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home, and have implemented a detailed development plan and workforce plan to support improvement. They have good oversight of the home and are well supported by senior leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some staffing challenges and high staff turnover, which has impacted on the stability of the home. The manager has reflected, adapted, and provided additional training and support to the team to help to develop their skills. New staff, who are more experienced and qualified, have been recruited. This means that the home is starting to become more stable, and there is improved consistency in the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through regular and reflective supervision. The staff have annual appraisal of their work and are given targets aimed to support them to develop and progress. Staff receive positive and thorough inductions and feel well supported through this process. Staff hold the manager in high regard and are positive about his leadership and management in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a wide range of training and have all completed their mandatory training in areas such as safeguarding and health and safety. Staff also receive additional training to develop their skills and knowledge around the specific needs of the children and the preferred model of care that is used by the home. This helps staff to better understand how to support the children and in understanding their developmental needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has positive relationships with external agencies, such as the police and schools. They play an active role within multi-disciplinary meetings and have advocated for the children. Professionals spoken to gave positive feedback about the manager and the care provided. The manager responds well to information provided in meetings and has updated the location risk assessment in response. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should help a child to access medical advice for a health condition that may require specialist support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards April 2015, page 34, paragraph 7.10’)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should support staff to actively assess the risks to each child and implement a plan, including steps that the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards April 2015, page 42, paragraph 9.5’)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review the records of restraint and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide opportunity for amending practice to ensure that it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards April 2015, page 49, paragraph 9.59’)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity to have a debrief, ideally within 24 hours, but no later than five days after the incident of restraint. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards April 2015, page 50, paragraph 9.60’)

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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: 2503306 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 8 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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