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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 1 Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates this home. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the organisation in May 2025. A new manager was recruited and has been in post since 2 June 2025. However, she has not yet submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children lived at the home. All four children were provided with an opportunity to speak to the inspector. Two of the children took up this opportunity and spoke with the inspector.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children are poor, and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Date of last inspection: 28 October 2024

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/10/2024 Full Good 20/03/2024 Full Good 02/11/2022 Full Good 23/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 3

p.2

inadequate

There are shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home and in the protection and safety of children. This has impacted on the quality of care for children.

p.3

inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. Leaders and managers did not fully consider the child’s needs or how these might affect the existing children living in the home. As a result, the child went missing alongside other children. Poor decision-making when considering if children can live together safely has contributed to harmful peer relationships and placed children at risk.

p.3

inadequate

Children’s health needs are not consistently met by the staff. Not all children have up-to-date health appointments, and referrals to external professionals to support their emotional well-being have not been made in a timely manner. These delays negatively affect children’s well-being. The lack of timely and coordinated support has left children feeling unsupported and, at times, distressed, hindering their progress and compromising their overall safety and development.

p.3

inadequate

Children are not supported with their education effectively. All children are enrolled in education; however, they do not receive sufficient support to attend or make progress to increase their attendance. Education providers shared that staff are not offering the level of support the children require. As a result, the children have made very little progress. One social worker noted that a child’s engagement has significantly deteriorated. Furthermore, managers have not ensured that children have clear, up-to-date education plans or challenged when education reviews are overdue.

p.3

inadequate

Daily routines, structure and boundaries are not in place. This negatively impacts on children’s experiences and the progress they are able to make. This lack of consistent support has had a serious impact on the children’s educational progress, development and future opportunities.

p.3

inadequate

Children are supported to spend time with their families and other important individuals in their lives. Staff support children in contributing to decisions about these arrangements and actively seek their views. This helps children stay connected with those who are significant in their lives.

p.3

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

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. One social worker commented on how children have no rules and no boundaries, which does not help Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 4 them. Leaders and staff have failed to safeguard the child, which has hindered their ability to make meaningful progress.

p.3

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

Children experience inconsistent and inadequate responses from staff in relation to risk. This is because staff do not always receive clear guidance from children’s plans. For example, missing-from-home plans do not accurately reflect children’s current levels of concern and vulnerability. Additionally, children are not consistently educated about the dangers and risks associated with going missing, which undermines their safety and well-being. Managers and staff do not demonstrate professional curiosity when analysing patterns and trends in missing-from-home incidents, and they have failed to implement effective preventive measures.

p.4

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

Overall, staff adopt a nurturing approach when children hurt themselves. They seek medical advice when necessary and administer first aid appropriately. However, staff do not consistently check the environment to remove potentially harmful items. This failure does not promote children’s safety and well-being. This shortfall was identified at the last inspection and remains a concern.

p.4

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

Staff do not provide children with the guidance or support they need to stay safe in the community, leaving them at increased risk of potential harm. For example, leaders fail to put robust safety measures in place, despite the known risks to children. A number of professionals said, ‘Leaders’ lack of action has left children exposed to harm and demonstrates a clear failure to safeguard the child effectively.’

p.4

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

Children are not adequately supported to understand how their behaviours may affect others. While staff talk to children about their current and past behaviours, these conversations are often of poor quality. This limits the progress children can make to help them develop insight into their actions and learn how to keep themselves and others safe. Additionally, not all the children have access to advocacy support. Leaders in the home have not ensured that children are offered access to, or support from, an advocacy service.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment practices are followed, which helps to reduce the risk of unsuitable adults working in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, the home has had two managers. The previous registered manager left in May 2025. Staff reported being unclear about expectations. A new manager has since been appointed and has begun to make improvements. These improvements have not yet been embedded.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers fail to identify shortfalls in staff practice or take appropriate action to safeguard children and promote their well-being. Monitoring and review systems are ineffective. Leaders and managers do not demonstrate sufficient professional curiosity when reviewing staff practice. These weaknesses have resulted in failings in Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 5 the quality of care and the protection of children. This shortfall was identified at the last inspection and remains a concern.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders are unaware of the home’s quality of care action plan. This lack of awareness hinders them in driving improvements in the quality of care provided to the children and limits their capacity to guide staff in delivering consistent and effective practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not always have the most up-to-date information when providing care to the children, including information around presenting risks. There are inaccuracies in recorded information, and some staff do not have access to all required statutory documents. This undermines effective planning, accountability and proactive care and has placed children at risk of harm.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervision. This means that staff are not being provided with the essential opportunity to reflect on the children’s care, their practice or any professional development needs. The absence of supervision has undermined staff’s ability to improve the care of children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have not guided staff with the approach and ethos described in the statement of purpose. This led to a breakdown in healthy working relationships between leaders and staff. The recently appointed registered manager has identified and has taken steps to address this; however, this unstructured and poor working environment has impacted the standards of care provided to the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children are not consistently supported in line with the required staffing ratios to meet their needs. For example, during the inspection, one child was unable to attend their planned work placement due to insufficient staffing. As a result, the child became frustrated and left the home without permission. These situations compromise the quality of care and undermine the children’s trust in their caregivers.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

External professionals provided mixed feedback regarding the quality of communication from managers and staff. While some reported positive experiences, others highlighted poor communication and insufficient information-sharing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

p.6

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)(b)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h)) 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 7 This specifically relates to the need for the manager’s monitoring systems to be effective and robust. While leaders are supporting children and staff in line with the home’s statement of purpose, the lack of effective monitoring undermines the ability to evaluate and improve the quality of care.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated

p.7

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.7

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the home environment, including children’s bedrooms, is safe. The registered person must ensure that staff are provided with up-to-date, relevant and role-specific guidance to enable them to recognise risks effectively and take appropriate action to keep children safe. 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 8 Children must be spoken to and educated about risks and how to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.8

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.8

Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

p.8

Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

p.8

Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

p.8

Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)(d)(e)(i))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that when decisions are made about children moving into the home, leaders consider how they can meet the child’s needs, taking into account the home’s location and the needs of the children already living there. 28 July 2025

p.8

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 9 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.9

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

p.9

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

p.9

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

p.9

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

p.9

Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

p.9

Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

p.9

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)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(x))

p.9

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s education needs are met and that staff encourage children to attend education.

p.9

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.9

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 10 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.9

Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

p.10

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

p.10

Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

p.10

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

p.10

Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

p.10

Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix))

p.10

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are spoken to in a manner that encourages them to express their feelings.

p.10

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.10

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.10

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 11

p.10

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support and 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)

p.11

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: 2562531 12

p.11

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unity Residential Care Services Limited

p.12

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke-on- Trent ST4 6NW

p.12

Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2562531 13 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.12

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.13

Inspector

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

p.13

Inspector

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

p.13