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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2561970 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

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in 2020. There is a new manager in post who started work at the home in October 2024. She has applied to register 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 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2561970 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2023 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2561970 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of this home and moved into independent accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress and benefit from good-quality support from staff. They are supported with well-planned, personalised care that meets their needs effectively. Children enjoy good-quality relationships with staff. This approach promotes continuity of care, which supports the development of positive attachments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have clear health plans and are registered with the relevant primary healthcare services. Children understand the importance of good health and are supported by staff to attend physical and psychological health appointments. Medication is stored safely, and arrangements for the administration and recording of medication ensure that children receive their prescribed medication safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a range of school placements available to meet their individual needs. However, despite the staff’s best efforts, some children find it very difficult to maintain a positive routine that enables them to attend school regularly. This limited attendance means that some children are left without any meaningful activities during the day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is decorated and maintained to a good standard. However, children are not able to have an input into how they would like their bedrooms to be decorated. This does not promote a homely environment for children to live in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their family and friends where it is safe and in their best interests. Staff are thoughtful about how children may feel seeing their family members and ensure that they respond sensitively when children are going to have family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to the views of children and act on their reasonable requests. They provide children with positive activities and encourage their individual hobbies and interests, such as cycling and visits to places of specific interest.

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

The quality of relationships between children and staff is a strength of the home. This enables children to address previously concerning behaviours and to work towards more positive outcomes. Open and honest communication is promoted so that children feel able to discuss any worries or concerns.

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

Children’s known and potential risks are understood well by staff. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are effective. They clearly identify risks to the children and include clear actions to help staff support them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2561970 4 Incidents in the home are managed well. Physical intervention is only used when necessary to prevent children from harming themselves or others. The manager seeks children’s and staff’s views afterwards. This response ensures that children’s behaviours are managed safely, and any practice issues are identified and addressed promptly.

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

Staff apply consistent boundaries and structure for each child. Children respond well to the care and support that they receive, and for some children, there has been a significant reduction of incidents of children going missing from the home. Frequent and relevant key-work sessions are held, which help to educate children on the risks of going missing and other risky behaviours.

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

Children are protected by the organisation’s robust recruitment practice. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is made. This procedure promotes the safety of the children by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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

Regular health and safety checks, along with routine servicing of equipment, ensure that the home is kept safe for children, staff and visitors. Staff are trained in fire safety procedures, and they ensure that children take part in fire evacuation drills so that they understand how to leave the home safely in the event of an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager is beginning to develop a greater understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She is supported by an enthusiastic deputy and a committed team of staff who share her vision for supporting children to achieve positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a range of training courses to help them develop their knowledge, skills and professional practice. New staff receive an induction programme, and they are subsequently enrolled on a qualification in residential childcare. As a result, staff are trained to meet the needs of the children in their care and gain the required qualification within timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers support staff through regular supervision and appraisal. This enables staff to talk about the children, reflect on their working practice and discuss their own development needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When the manager feels that agencies are not acting in a timely manner, she uses professional challenge to advocate for children and bring about positive change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built strong relationships with other professionals involved in the children’s care. There is evidence of strong partnership working with other agencies to ensure that children are receiving the right support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2561970 5

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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 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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to supporting children to personalise their bedrooms to promote a homely environment for children to live in. 18 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of 18 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2561970 6 exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are supported in a routine that promotes school attendance.

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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: 2561970 7

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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

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2561970 8 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 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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