Children's Home run by Ubuntu Group Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2735317 1 Registered provider: Ubuntu Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this children’s home. The home was registered with Ofsted in May 2024 to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home does not currently have a registered manager. A manager has been appointed, and they are in the process of registering with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 12 November 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2735317 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2735317 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home have good experiences and have made progress from their varied starting points. Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection, and two children shared their views about the home with the inspector.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they are happy living in the home and have good relationships with staff. One child said that this was the most normal home that they had lived in. They felt listened to and well supported.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in education. Staff have helped children to find and attend school provisions that meet their individual needs. Two children regularly attend school. One child, who is not currently in education, is being encouraged to find a college place as part of their planned transition into semi-independence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to maintain good routines and participate in meaningful activities. However, there has been limited success in implementing this for one child. Although the child said that this was not the fault of the staff, it does not help them to develop healthy routines and prepare them for their future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work tirelessly in trying to support children’s physical and mental well-being needs. Two children struggle to attend healthcare appointments. However, staff discuss the importance of attending appointments with them and have persisted in making repeated appointments, including home visits. They have also worked creatively in using incentives to encourage one child to attend the opticians, and they purchased numbing cream for another child to use before having a blood test.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Equality, diversity and inclusion are actively promoted. For example, staff have taken the time to help one child celebrate religious events that are important to them. Leaders actively challenge discriminatory behaviour through learning and education. This helps ensure that children and staff feel safe in the home and are assured that any discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home’s environment is decorated and furnished to a good standard. There is space for the children to engage in activities. Children’s rooms are personalised and contain items that are important to them. This helps to give the children a sense of belonging and a home they can be proud of. However, on occasions, there have been some delays in taking action to address identified maintenance issues.

p.3

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

Children are supported by clear boundaries in the home. There have been very few incidents. When incidents do occur, staff take the time to speak with children to help them reflect on their behaviour and ensure that children are safe. Work is undertaken to Inspection report for children's home: 2735317 4 restore relationships with peers and staff when needed. This helps children to understand the impact of their behaviour so that they can learn from it and move on.

p.3

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

Staff work well with professionals to support and help children to remain safe. One child is at high risk of going missing from home and potential exploitation. Staff have worked hard to implement a safety plan to reduce the risks for the child. This has been effective in that there have been no further missing-from-home incidents and has allowed staff to complete safety work with the child.

p.4

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

When children go missing, staff take appropriate and immediate action to ensure that children safely return. For example, staff have contacted local taxi firms and transport services to try and find children. On another occasion, staff stayed in contact with one child’s friend to check on the child’s welfare until their safe return. In addition, staff take the time to ensure they keep up-to-date information relating to the child’s known contacts and places they may go. This is shared with the relevant professionals and the police to help locate the child more quickly.

p.4

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

Staff implement effective systems to ensure children can access the internet safely and appropriately. Where there are concerns relating to one child’s phone use, staff conduct regular phone checks. This has helped to identify risky behaviours and enabled staff to take prompt action to help keep the child safe.

p.4

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

Allegations and complaints are taken seriously. Children are confident in raising any concerns they have. When allegations or complaints are raised, appropriate action is taken to ensure children are safeguarded effectively. Children are notified about the outcome of their complaints. This provides children with the assurance that their concerns will be heard and acted on.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the leadership of the home. The previous registered manager is now the responsible individual and has continued to oversee the home with the deputy manager. A new manager is now in place and has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent staff team in place at the home. Staff say they are happy working in the home and have opportunities to develop. There is good uptake of training offered to staff. This includes training that is specific to the needs of the children. This ensures the children are cared for by a consistent team of staff who have received appropriate training to support them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children and professionals speak positively about the staff and care provided. Professionals have commented positively on the nurturing environment created and the trusting relationships that children share with staff. These relationships have led to a reduction in incidents. They were also confident in the staff’s ability to safeguard the children effectively. Inspection report for children's home: 2735317 5 Overall, leaders have a good oversight of children’s care. For example, reviews of incidents have helped to identify learning and reflection for staff. Checks in place have also helped to identify where children may be at risk so that prompt action is taken to safeguard them. However, there are also some shortfalls in the monitoring systems. For example, issues relating to the environment are not always addressed in a timely way. In addition, when children’s views and wishes are obtained, there is a lack of clear oversight

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

to ensure actions are responded to and that children are informed of the outcomes. Inspection report for children's home: 2735317 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that care is provided that meets each child’s needs and promotes their welfare. This specifically relates to supporting children to maintain good routines and engage in meaningful activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should ensure that when children are consulted on their views about the home’s care, there is clear oversight to ensure any actions are taken forward. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. Where a decision is taken not to act, the child should be informed and given a clear rationale as to why. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that maintenance issues identified in the home environment are completed in a timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home

p.6

Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.6

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: 2735317 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ubuntu Group Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 4, Kingsland House, Stafford Park 1, Telford, Shropshire TF3 3BD

p.7

Inspector

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2735317 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8