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

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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 with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and is registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s views were obtained during this inspection.

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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 outstanding

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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: 14 February 2024

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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: 2503306 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2024 Full Good 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

Since the last full inspection, three children have moved into the home and are making good progress. One child left in an unplanned way as the leaders and managers felt they were no longer able to keep the child safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak fondly about their relationships with the children. The managers have created a calm and welcoming environment, with staff using a therapeutic approach to caring for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making positive steps in education. One child managed to sit their exams by having an invigilator visit the home. The child now has work experience planned at a children’s nursery. One child is said to be thriving in an alternative provision and enjoys their time there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child who has been out of education for two years is now attending a placement where education is based around music, where they are being supported to take their functional skills qualifications. The managers have challenged the virtual school and placing authorities to ensure the children are receiving a good-quality education that meets their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to push themselves and realise their potential. For example, one child climbed Mount Snowden with staff and says this is their proudest moment. Staff also encourage children to join local clubs. Children attend cadets and local gyms and enjoy activities with staff, such as skating and going to theme parks and local fairs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain good health. One child had ankle surgery and was helped by staff to make sure they received good-quality after-care by taking them to post-surgery check-ups.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not always make good choices with their health and at times they have misused substances. Staff respond to this by having in-depth conversations with children about the dangers of substance misuse and provide guidance on external support that is available to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have cats and staff support them to make sure they are well cared for. Staff also support children with their independence, providing them with individually tailored programmes to guide them. They arrange for the children to join societies and clubs to support them further with preparation for living independently.

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

Children do go missing from the home. Staff provide safe and nurturing relationships which means children return to the home with them and talk about their feelings. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 4 support the children to find alternative ways of managing their emotions. This has led to a reduction in episodes of children going missing.

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

Risk assessments are clear and detailed, helping staff to understand when there are elevated risks and vulnerabilities and how to respond to them appropriately.

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

When two children went missing from the home, staff were able to bring them home. The children were listened to and reassured and spoke to the police about what happened while they were missing. Police were involved due to a recent change in a child’s support plans that meant they were at greater risk of harm.

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

When children demonstrate harmful behaviour, such as solvent misuse, managers and staff speak to the children, reach out to specialists for support and notify others who need to be made aware of emerging risks. For children who use cannabis, staff educate them through well-delivered sessions, provide scientific evidence of the dangers and offer referrals to outside agencies.

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

Managers respond without delay to ensure concerns are shared with the wider network around children. They work closely with the local police and in-house specialists to deal with emerging concerns and attend meetings to discuss strategies to keep children safer.

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

Children know how to raise concerns. One child spoke with confidence about how they would report a concern about a member of staff and who they would prefer to report this to.

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

Staff build trusting relationships with the children. Children feel safe and comfortable with sharing past traumas. Managers and staff monitor who children are speaking to online and educate them on safe relationships to keep them safer online and in the community.

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

One social worker said, ‘I have been very impressed. They are good with communicating with everyone and always thinking about the children’s safety.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023 and is suitably experienced and holds the level 5 diploma. The deputy manager is also experienced and is working towards the level 4 diploma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers are strong advocates for the children. They challenge local authorities and call for meetings to provide a multi-agency response when concerns are raised about matters such as the lack of education for children or a delay in processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have worked hard at creating an environment where staff feel welcomed, upskilled and listened to. Supervisions are regular and help staff to reflect. Staff are given honest feedback, which helps them to see how their own behaviours and attitudes impact on the experiences of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 5 The manager is innovative and always looking for ways to make things more child friendly. For example, he has implemented a key-work book, where sessions are written up as letters to the children. This is something children can read when they leave the home, with attachments of resources for them to access if they need support in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works extremely well with families and external agencies, such as social workers and education professionals. This has significantly contributed to children’s progress and helped to strengthen children’s relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager promotes an extremely positive environment, which is supported by senior managers, to provide well-delivered care. The manager has enjoyed experiences with children away from the home, including climbing Mount Snowden.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings challenge staff to think about and learn from experiences. The managers give staff a platform to analyse incidents and speak openly about their feelings on certain behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

One social worker said, ‘I have been really impressed with the manager. He’s professional, really cares about the children, and his safety planning is excellent.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Another social worker said, ‘The manager is fantastic, comes to all meetings, well prepared, knows the children well and very proactive.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A virtual school head said, ‘He is a top manager, attends all meetings and fights for the children to make sure they get what they deserve.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are no requirements or recommendations from this inspection.

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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 6

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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: Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 7 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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