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 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a large private provider and offers care for up to six children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and one has moved in.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by an experienced manager who is registered with Ofsted.

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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: 2503306 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2025 Full Good 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

The children living at the home contributed to the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff care about the children and want the best for them. Children are encouraged to take part in activities they enjoy, including holidays and sleepovers with friends. Staff help children build friendships in the local area and create positive memories. Staff use creative and therapeutic approaches to work with children, helping them express themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff provide strong support for children’s education. One child who had been out of education settled quickly into school after moving into the home. The manager works closely with professionals and finds creative ways to help children maintain their engagement in learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children's emotional well-being and meet their health needs effectively. Staff are mindful of the importance of relationships between children in the home. They carry out positive work with children to develop these relationships. Staff gently challenge and support children when issues arise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are well planned. The manager and staff show a strong commitment to children. They work closely with other professionals to ensure that each child’s needs are understood and met. Children who already live at the home are consulted regarding the arrival of new children, which supports the development of relationships early on. Staff support children in preparing for moving on from the home, and celebrations of children’s time living at the home are prioritised. This helps them feel valued and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported in having positive relationships with their families and the people who are important to them. Staff are proactive in developing these relationships and ensuring that they are in the children’s best interests. They work closely with children’s parents and family members, and this supports a positive relationship between them. One parent said, ‘I am really happy with the care [name of child] is given.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carry out both planned and unplanned high-quality key-work sessions with children. Records of these sessions are written as letters for children to take with them when they move on, assisting them in their life story. Children’s meetings are held regularly. When children are hesitant to take part, the manager finds alternative ways to involve them and hear their views. The manager and staff listen and respond to children’s feedback.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large and welcoming. Children have lots of space to relax and take part in activities. Children can have pets in the home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised according to their tastes; however, they are not always kept clean and tidy. The manager has plans in place to promptly address this matter. It is important that regular room Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 4 checks are carried out by staff to ensure that children’s bedrooms remain safe and well maintained.

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

The manager and staff maintain effective working relationships with external agencies, which supports the overall care of children in the home. As a result, professionals speak highly of the care children receive. A social worker said, ‘The manager and staff care. They are supportive of my child’s strengths, recognising their progress while keeping them safe at the same time.’

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

Children know how to raise complaints, and they feel listened to. When allegations are made, staff respond appropriately and safeguard children. Investigations include external agencies, and learning continues to support staff practice.

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

When children go missing from home, staff respond quickly and understand the protocols to follow. Staff work closely with all agencies to try to quickly locate children and take action to ensure their safe return. When children come home, they are welcomed back and receive good care. However, key documents that support agencies when children go missing are not consistently kept up to date.

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

Staff consistently promote positive behaviour and respond to incidents with a focus on calm approaches and understanding children’s needs. As a result, physical intervention is used infrequently. When there have been challenging times in the home, debriefs have not been consistently carried out as expected.

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

Staff understand the risks of substance misuse for children. Staff liaise regularly with social workers and other key professionals to address these issues. Key-work sessions are used to help children understand the risks associated with substance misuse. However, the language used in children’s plans is not always child centred, and expectations around the use of e-cigarettes are not clearly defined. Some children do not have up-to-date care plans from their local authorities. The manager did not have oversight of this. Although children have support plans in place, they need to be aligned with the care plan of the local authority to ensure that they receive care agreed by the network.

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

Staff provide good support to children who self-harm. Children can identify trusted staff members they feel able to talk to, and children inform staff when they have hurt themselves. Staff know how to respond appropriately and offer first aid. Staff have built relationships with children, which allows them to be open about their needs. Leaders seek support from specialists to help care for children who self-harm, ensuring a balanced approach. However, risk assessments related to self-harm are not consistently updated following incidents. In addition, some specific practices carried out by staff are not clearly recorded in children’s plans, meaning important knowledge held by staff is not always written down or shared formally. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced, committed and caring manager. He has high aspirations for the home and his team and is focused on using coaching strategies to support staff development. The manager recognises the strengths in the team and uses them effectively to help improve the home. Feedback from professionals and a parent is positive about the quality of leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings take place, which staff say are helpful opportunities to reflect and focus on the needs of children and staff. The manager identifies areas of practice that require development and seeks to use creative ways of approaching such matters during team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to review the care children receive and track their progress. The manager uses auditing systems to look closely at how children respond, allowing them to better understand their needs and ensure that they receive appropriate support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager assures himself of the safe recruitment of staff and agency workers in the home. However, there have been some challenges related to staffing, which has resulted in increased use of agency staff. Key handover documents related to children have not been consistently updated. This has meant that agency staff have not had up-to-date documents in respect of the children they care for. The manager has a plan to reduce the use of agency workers, acknowledging that staff changes can be unsettling for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and enjoy working at the home. The manager and staff receive regular supervision that supports their development and offers them a space to reflect on their work. New staff receive a good induction and feel supported in their role. Staff receive specific training related to children’s needs. Training that has been identified following shortfalls in practice is not always completed in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children’s bedrooms must be safe and clean. Expectations for staff related to room checks should be clearly recorded. Risk assessments must be kept up to date, and expected practice must be clear. Philomena protocols for children must be updated regularly. 1 October 2025

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that support plans are updated using non-stigmatising language. There must be consistent recording of debriefs and clear expectations set out for the use of e-cigarettes. Furthermore, there must be up- to-date local authority plans for children. 18 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 7

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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 8

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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

Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2503306 9 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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Inspector

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