Children's Home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 1 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

A private provider operates this home. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023 and is suitably qualified.

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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: 2562531 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2024 Full Good 02/11/2022 Full Good 23/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved in, and three children have moved out of the home. At the time of this inspection, three children lived in the home, and all three children spoke to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The three children who moved into the home moved in earlier than planned. The manager and staff provide thoughtful support to help children settle in by explaining the unexpected moves in a clear and reassuring way. Staff address children’s questions, creating a welcoming environment that eases children’s transition into the home and minimises any negative impact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children move out of the home in a planned way. When children leave, they receive photos of their time in the home, along with goodbye cards and gifts from staff. When children leave the home earlier than planned, these decisions are made in the children’s best interests. Managers and staff help children to understand the reasons for their early move. Staff work in partnership with professionals to ensure that children’s moves to their new homes are smooth and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is promoted. All three children are in education. The manager works in partnership with education providers to secure a school placement that meets each child’s individual needs and styles of learning. An education professional said, ‘The manager was brilliant and advocated for [name of child] consistently.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a variety of activities that enhance their social experiences. These include playing football and cycling. Children enjoy caravan holidays to the beach, and at times, they travel abroad. These experiences help children to learn new skills, contributing to their personal growth and creating lasting memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support children in developing their independence. Staff encourage children to carry out daily tasks, such as cleaning their bedrooms and cooking simple meals. One child who cares for their pet snake proudly spoke about feeding it and cleaning the vivarium. These skills and experiences not only build essential life skills but also foster a sense of responsibility and care in the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to spend time with those people who are important to them, such as family. Staff ensure that safe and meaningful visits take place when appropriate. One child’s family member said, ‘Family time is absolutely brilliant. Staff get [name of child] to me; they are always on time.’ This approach helps children maintain connections with people who are significant in their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 4

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

Children form strong relationships with staff, built on trust and affection. One child said, ‘Living here keeps me safe.’ Another child said, ‘The home is nice; it’s good. I like the staff; the food is good and staff help me.’ Children feel safe at this home and trust the staff.

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

Safeguarding incidents are dealt with effectively. When incidents occur, staff manage them appropriately and follow the correct safeguarding procedures to ensure that children are kept safe.

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

Allegations and complaints are managed well. The manager takes prompt action, ensuring information is shared quickly with external professionals to avoid delay and ensure that children are protected from harm. Managers inform children of any outcomes. These actions support children to feel confident to raise concerns and help children to feel safe.

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

Staff respond quickly when children go missing from the home. They follow missing- from-home protocols, actively look for the children and work with the local police until children are found. When children return home, staff spend time with them, giving them the opportunity to share any worries or anxieties they have and to discuss their reasons for going missing. In addition to this, staff support children to know about the risks of going missing and how to keep themselves safe.

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

Restraint has not been used since the last inspection. This is because staff find alternative ways to help children regulate their emotions. Restorative conversations encourage children to communicate their feelings. Staff have developed their skills and understanding of how to make things better for children when they experience difficult emotions. They help children to understand behaviours that may present a risk to them. This work has supported children to be safe.

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

Staff use a nurturing approach when children hurt themselves. They seek medical advice as needed and provide first aid. Through supportive conversations, staff help children to understand their thoughts and emotions. Additionally, when necessary, children are referred to specialist health professionals, and strategies are implemented to reduce the chance of further incidents. However, staff do not consistently check the environment to remove any potentially harmful items. While this oversight has not impacted the children, it does not fully promote their safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced, suitably qualified and leads the home effectively. She advocates well for the children and ensures children are supported to make progress in their lives. The manager works hard to build trusting relationships with the children, which provides them with a sense of security and belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 5 The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. These sessions are reflective and help staff to identify opportunities to develop their practice. For example, after one staff member’s appraisal, they were assigned additional management duties to support their progression to a senior role. This staff member expressed excitement and welcomed the new challenges to her role. This helps staff to feel valued and motivated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports staff to carry out their roles effectively. Staff receive a variety of relevant training to meet children’s needs, including their individual needs. Consequently, staff have the knowledge and skills to provide good-quality care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they like working in the home. They were complimentary about the support they receive from the manager. However, some staff told the inspector they have not seen the home’s responsible individual and did not know when the responsible individual last visited the home. This lack of leaders’ visibility does not foster positive relationships between the staff and the senior leadership team, contradicting the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers’ monitoring and review systems are ineffective. For instance, several gaps were identified in recordings practices. Incident forms and key-work sessions for children were not documented clearly or accurately. The manager has not submitted the home’s statement of purpose to Ofsted after making changes to the document, limiting the regulator’s ability to maintain oversight of the home. Shortfalls in monitoring have the potential to impact on the quality of care received by children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In addition to the above, the home’s independent visitor has not consistently spoken to the children during their visits. This had not been identified or addressed by the manager. The absence of this feedback hinders the opportunities for enhancing the home’s care and services and prevents children from having the opportunity to share their views about their care with an independent person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have developed strong relationships with all relevant professionals, including social workers and education staff. One professional said, ‘The contact and communication from this home has been outstanding.’ This good communication promotes the children’s welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 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, 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.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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;

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders supporting staff in fostering positive relationships in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, monitoring systems must be effective in quickly identifying any shortcomings. This also relates to the manager sending Ofsted the home’s updated statement of purpose after any changes are made. 9 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person— 9 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 7 if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the independent visitor speaks with all the children during their visits.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of clear recording. This specifically relates to staff accurately and factually recording all incidents and discussions with children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff create a safe home environment for children by removing any items that they could potentially use to hurt themselves. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 43, paragraph 9.10)

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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: 2562531 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: 2 Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke-on- Trent ST4 6NW

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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 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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