Children's home run by Unity Residential Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 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 provides care for up to three children who may experience childhood instability resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours. The home is privately owned and forms part of a large social care organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified. She registered with Ofsted in April 2024

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 26 February 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2024 Full Outstanding 14/12/2022 Full Good 01/02/2022 Full Good 21/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved into or out of the home. At the time of this inspection, two children lived in the home. Both children were present and spoke to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff develop good relationships. Staff understand and meet children’s individual needs and invest in their progress. One child said, ‘The staff here are amazing.’ Another child said, ‘I like the staff; they care.’ Interactions between staff and children are natural and warm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to make good progress in developing their independence skills. For example, children independently clean their pet’s vivarium, without any prompts or support from the staff. Additionally, children can make simple meals and are able to manage some of their finances with little staff support. This effective support develops children’s life skills and prepares them well for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children achieve noteworthy educational progress from their starting points. Both children attend education and have excellent attendance. The managers and staff advocate relentlessly for children and challenge education professionals, ensuring children are engaging positively with the curriculum and making progress. One child’s education provider said, ‘Managers and staff have worked really hard to meet [Name of child]’s education needs; lots of collaborative working with me and others’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Children are registered with local health services and attend their routine appointments. Additionally, staff refer children to specialist services to address their emotional needs. One child who benefits from this support said about their mentor, ‘We are like two peas in a pod. He is a great mentor; he never fails to make me happy.’ Children’s physical and emotional needs are met, which also promotes their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are child-focused and encourage children to participate in activities inside and outside of the home. Activities offer children new opportunities and enhance their social experiences. Children enjoy swimming, music lessons and caravan holidays to the beach. Staff have recently purchased a piano for the children, which is used by both children. As a result, children are learning new skills, having fun and making long-lasting memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s home is welcoming, homely and beautifully decorated. Children’s photos and records of their celebrations and achievements are displayed in the home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and comfortably furnished. Both children have pets, which adds to the nurturing atmosphere of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 4

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

Managers and staff understand children’s risks. There are clear and effective systems in place to keep children safe.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home since the last inspection. Staff’s warm and nurturing approach and the comfortable environment children live in reduce the likelihood of children going missing. One child said about the staff, ‘I know they care about me.’ There are risk assessments in place, which give the staff clear direction on how to respond in the event of children going missing from home.

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

Restraint has not been used since the home’s last inspection. This is because staff find alternative ways to help children cope and emotionally regulate. 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. Staff work with children to help them understand behaviour that may present a risk to them. This work has supported children to become increasingly safe.

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

Staff ensure that children use the internet safely. For example, parental controls are implemented to ensure that children only access age-appropriate materials online. Staff conduct checks on children’s devices as necessary and in line with their plans. In addition to this, staff take proactive measures to equip children with the essential knowledge and skills to navigate the online world responsibly. Children learn about potential online risks and the importance of privacy and responsible behaviour online. This represents exceptional progress for one child, who previously required staff supervision to access the internet; they are now able to navigate the internet independently and responsibly.

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

Overall, safeguarding incidents and complaints are handled well. However, managers have not informed professionals of incidents promptly, nor have they communicated investigation outcomes within the established time frames. Timely communication is essential for coordinating support and ensuring that all professionals can respond effectively to children’s needs. Although this delay has not impacted the children, it could potentially place their well-being and progress at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is frequently absent from the home, spending most of her time at another home where she is also registered. The assistant manager has managed the home. Staff rely on the assistant manager for support. This lack of presence from the registered manager can impact the quality of care for children and the effective running of the home. This has led to gaps in leadership and has limited the registered manager’s oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 5 Leaders and managers’ monitoring systems are ineffective. For instance, gaps were found in team meeting minutes where important discussions about learning were not recorded. Additionally, senior leaders rarely sign in and out of the visitors’ book when visiting the home. These records are not accurate and may impact on fire evacuation processes. These shortcomings limit the managers’ ability to track who has been present

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

in the home, reducing their oversight and hindering opportunities for staff learning and accountability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

In addition to the above, the home’s independent visitor does not consistently speak to the children during their visits. This has not been identified and addressed by the managers. The absence of this feedback limits the children’s opportunities to share their experiences, concerns and feelings with a trusted and impartial adult. Without these conversations, the independent person may not get a full picture of the home’s atmosphere, potentially leading to a lack of accountability and missed opportunities to address the children’s needs or make positive changes in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

One child has not seen their advocate for several months. This may negatively impact their sense of support and well-being and may cause them to lose trust in the advocacy system. Without regular contact with their advocate, the child lacks a vital channel for expressing their needs, depriving them of essential guidance and reassurance. Additionally, this lack of support limits the child’s understanding of their rights and their access to entitlements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff report that they enjoy working in the home. Staff describe themselves as a solid, strong and supportive team. However, they unanimously state that they rarely see the registered manager and almost never see the home’s responsible individual. They feel unsupported by the senior leadership team. This does not promote a healthy staff culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Not all staff receive regular supervision or annual appraisals. This limits their opportunities to build skills and knowledge and prevents effective planning for their ongoing development. This oversight weakens the overall effectiveness of the home in providing high-quality, safe care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and staff maintain effective partnerships with all professionals to ensure that children benefit from joined-up help and support. One social worker said, ‘Staff are superb, amazing and communication is excellent.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have the required training to meet the children’s current and individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 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

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.

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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)(f)(g))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must be present in the home and oversee the home in accordance with the home’s registration certificate and statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that all leaders, including the responsible individual, offer welfare support to all the staff in alignment with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders must ensure the registered manager and staff work collaboratively as a team, fostering a healthy and supportive workplace culture within the home. 30 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 7 Monitoring systems must be effective in quickly identifying any shortcomings.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision and annual appraisal. 30 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should inform all relevant professionals and Ofsted, of any serious concerns or events without delay. 30 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support. Children should have an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should ensure the independent visitor seeks the views of children living in the home during every visit. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  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 team meeting minutes and the home’s visitors book having clear and accurate recordings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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: 2543081 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

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2543081 10 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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