Children's Home run by Union House (NW) Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2538285 1 Registered provider: Union House NW Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

It 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

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 26 November 2019.

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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: 2538285 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2024 Full Good 23/08/2023 Full Good 06/09/2022 Full Good 24/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2538285 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the needs of each child. Progression from each child’s starting point is clear across all developmental areas. Staff appreciate that every child’s journey is unique and celebrate children’s progress and continued development through rewarding children with certificates, verbal praise and encouragement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consistent boundaries promote positive routines for children. This helps children to feel settled and promotes positive relationships among children, both within and outside the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. Staff have worked in the home for a long time, creating familiarity and stability for children. Children feel valued and say that they know staff care. One child said: ‘I know it can feel like staff are lecturing me, but I know they just care about me and want what is best for me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy the time they spend with staff, as evidenced by the positive experiences reported of movie nights. Additionally, children can select activities to meet their individual interests, thereby promoting active participation and enabling them to shape the support they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their independence skills through effective planning. This has led to children moving on from the home confidently and successfully. One child who moved on to semi-independent accommodation still visits the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see family and friends. This means children maintain links to those who mean the most to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has undergone recent renovations and is nicely decorated. Children are encouraged to personalise their individual rooms to reflect their unique styles.

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

Children feel safe and cared for. Staff understand risk and have effective strategies to manage risk. Staff are skilled in managing complex situations, encouraging children to learn from incidents, which enables children to remain safe.

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

Children do not have any complaints about the home, but they understand how to make a complaint if needed. Children believe they would be heard and supported.

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

Staff use natural consequences with children rather than imposing consequences on them. Children are helped to understand their behaviours and the risks involved in incidents. This has led to a reduction in safeguarding incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2538285 4 There have been no incidents of holding children to keep them or others safe since the last inspection. This is a testament to the positive relationships children have with staff with staff and staff’s ability to de-escalate potentially difficult situations.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. Staff understand risk management plans for children if they were missing from the home. This means that children are returned quickly and safely and risks are reduced.

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

Staff use direct work with children to educate them on individual risks, along with those emerging in their age group. Children said that this helps them understand risk but also reinforces that staff care about their safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and has managed the home for a long time. Staff have confidence in the manager’s leadership of the home. They say that the support provided contributes significantly to their personal and professional development, enhancing the overall quality of care delivered to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains strong oversight of the home, ensuring that development plans are focused on delivering quality care to the children. Staff are continuously updated through relevant training and receive targeted guidance and support where it is most needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A well-organised staff rota provides clarity about individual personal responsibilities and ensures quality care for children. This balanced scheduling not only meets operational needs but also sees a happy and stable workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff members receive a comprehensive induction that includes shadowing, training and performance reviews. This structured process results in a highly capable and experienced workforce who feel supported and confident in meeting the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works effectively with professionals, ensuring that communication and support are consistently available for children. Additionally, by regularly attending meetings focused on the child, the manager actively advocates for children’s needs and works to secure the most appropriate care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that children who are new to the home are compatible with the children already living there. This assessment process also enables the manager to understand if the staff team has the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of each child. This approach ensures a settled group of children, which supports continuous progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff communicate effectively through regular, purposeful team meetings, consistent supervision, and scheduled opportunities for collaborative reflection and Inspection report for children’s home: 2538285 5 improvement. The manager holds timely appraisals that establish clear actions for the upcoming period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were made as a result of 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: 2538285 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Union House NW Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Williams & Co Accountants, 119C Eastbank Street, Southport PR8 1DQ

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Inspector

Paul McKay-Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2538285 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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