Children's home run by Utopia Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2733147 1 Registered provider: Utopia Childcare 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 run by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024 and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2025

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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: 2733147 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2025 Full Good 06/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2733147 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. The inspector spent time with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home has provided stability for three children, who have lived together for almost two years. They have made continued progress through the individualised care afforded to them. As such, all the children are developing their own sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and the children are nurturing. Staff naturally refer to the children as ‘amazing’ when talking to them. The home is full of fun and laughter. For instance, during the inspection, the children received new sound speakers that they used to sing and dance along to with the managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff invest time with the children to create positive memories for them. They ensure that the children participate in community sports clubs and activities regularly. For instance, the children have organised community fundraising events with staff and one child attends golf regularly. Additionally, the children have enjoyed their first holiday abroad. Staff creatively made areas of the home into an airport and aeroplane to help the children to prepare for their holiday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff implement positive routines for the children that promote their health and well- being. These routines are changed for the children as they grow and develop. Staff spend time talking to the children about a range of topics, including personal hygiene and puberty to help them to understand their physical changes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education provisions and have good attendance. Their progress and experiences at school are mixed. The manager has raised their concern about one child’s school experiences. In the home, activities are used to promote the children’s learning and to develop their life skills. For instance, one child was supported to weigh ingredients and to work out timings to bake cookies, which they did extremely well.

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

No children have been missing from the home.

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

Staff implement boundaries to keep children safe, including online. The children are informed about the rules and time limits in place for their electronic device use. This helps them to maintain healthy routines, including good sleep routines. Additionally, one child told the inspector some strategies that staff had taught them to help to keep them safe online.

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

In response to self-harming behaviour, staff use consistent approaches to prevent harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2733147 4 Until recently, the children have been settled and there have been no significant incidents reported for 12 months. Life events have unsettled one child and there has been a sudden increase in incidents. While staff provide reassurance to the child, there are not well-established strategies in place to help the child to calm quickly when they are distressed. Managers and staff have identified this as a gap in practice. They have taken action to revise strategies used to support the child.

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

The home’s therapist meets with the children to help them to talk about their experiences and emotions. This informs the emotional care and support offered to them by staff. Additionally, managers have acted on the children’s views to create a separate space with soft toys that the children said may best support them when they are upset.

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

During incidents, allegations made against staff members are taken seriously. The manager has forged links with partner agencies to respond to allegations effectively. Investigations are comprehensive and the child’s voice is prominent throughout. Children are informed about the outcome and, if appropriate, they are sensitively supported to repair their relationship with staff members.

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

One incident record showed that a staff member used their professional judgement to prevent harm to the child through the use of restraint. However, there is not sufficient management oversight of the measure used. Additionally, the child’s plans do not provide clear direction to staff about restraint measures that may be used in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are committed to providing good care to children and to ensure that they have access to opportunities that enhance their life experiences. A parent’s feedback was complimentary about the care provided. They said that ‘they look after [child’s name] very well’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff retention is strong. Staff are positive about working in the home. One staff member said that ‘it is the best job that I have ever had’. External professional feedback described the managers and staff team as ‘professional, committed and knowledgeable’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Over this period, only one staff member has returned to work in the home. Recruitment procedures ensure that all relevant checks are completed to reduce the risk of unsuitable persons working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers use different frameworks to monitor the children’s progress. While this helps to identify patterns and trends, actions for development are not linked to understand how this monitoring directly contributes to improved outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision sessions from managers regularly. However, this is not recorded effectively, including reflection about practice. This limits opportunities to upskill staff to respond to behaviours that challenge them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2733147 5 Staff training is up to date, including training to learn how to de-escalate incidents. Staff said that they are given the time to complete training, including courses relevant to the children’s specific needs. However, training activities are not evaluated to ensure that they lead to effective practice, nor was the impact of training evident in supervision sessions or team discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is spacious, well-maintained and arranged for children in mind. For instance, there were Halloween decorations in the home, children played pool, they built Lego at the dining table, and staff have created a movie room for children. Managers have taken action to respond to the requirement made at the previous inspection to remove the motion door sensors, assessed as no longer necessary. Additionally, they said that they plan to reduce the office area space in the home, to ensure that the family home environment that has been created is maintained. Inspection report for children’s home: 2733147 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

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that their oversight of restraint use is recorded in line with regulation 35. Additionally, the children’s plans should provide clear direction to staff about the restraint measures approved. 31 October 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that training activities are evaluated with staff so that they lead to effective practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff receive individualised supervision of their practice which is recorded and allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2733147 7 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: 2733147 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Utopia Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Bedford Grove, Alsager, Stoke-on-trent ST7 2SR

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Inspector

Louise Bacon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2733147 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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