Children's Home run by Unique Care Homes Support Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC431228 1 SC431228 Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated and provides support and care for up to 6 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 5 children were living at the home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC431228 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/08/2025 Full Good 09/07/2024 Full Good 18/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC431228 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children experience highly positive trusting relationships with dedicated staff. Staff show curiosity and a strong commitment to children’s individualised needs. Staff go above and beyond to ensure that children experience life-enhancing opportunities. Staff promote hobbies and the importance of family and friendships. Leaders and managers understand and know the children exceptionally well and have high aspirations for them. Risks are very well understood, and children are supported to build resilience and independence. Children are flourishing due to the high-quality care they receive. This has resulted in an overall judgement of ‘outstanding’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved in, and one child has moved out of the home with planned support. The inspector saw all the children living at the home and spoke with 3 of the children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children experience exceptionally well-planned and thoughtfully undertaken transitions in and out of the home. Staff take time to understand the children’s interests and needs. This professional curiosity shapes a transition that is child focused and helps children feel safe and valued. This results in a smooth transition that promotes trust and stability. Staff are committed to positive, well-supported endings. Memory boxes and personalised letters help children reflect on their journey. One child chose to return for an unplanned Christmas visit to spend time with the staff, reflecting the strong trusting relationship they hold with the staff at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff strive to enable children to develop and maintain relationships with their family and friends. Children have sleepovers at friends’ homes and are supported with activities and hobbies, even taking part in competitions. Regardless of distance and location, staff ensure that children are able to have wonderful opportunities to experience important connections with their friends and families.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making clear progress in meeting their health needs. Staff are committed in ensuring that children attend all appointments. Children who have previously avoided health services now attend consistently and show increased confidence in understanding and managing their own health needs. Children are experiencing highly effective support in managing their own health needs and creating healthy, lifelong habits.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children attend education that is tailored to their individual learning needs. Children who have previously experienced poor school attendance now attend school or alternative education provisions regularly, with support and encouragement from staff. Leaders and managers have advocated strongly and challenged appropriately when children’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC431228 4 education has been disrupted. The staff and management have the children’s best interests at the forefront and look for creative solutions when faced with challenge.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is warm and welcoming and well maintained throughout. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. Staff demonstrate pride in the home, and children are involved in the decoration with wall pictures that reflect their hobbies and interests.

p.4

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

Children form excellent relationships with staff. These extremely strong relationships enable the commitment that staff have to ensure that children are safe, cared for and feel loved. The children are open and honest with staff. This reflects the depth of these relationships and contributes to a significant reduction in risk. Staff confidently support the children in taking appropriate developmental risks, helping them build resilience and enjoy ordinary childhood experiences. A well-embedded therapeutic model of care underpins practice, and staff apply this with skill and confidence in their daily work.

p.4

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

Staff know the children’s vulnerabilities and the risks they face exceptionally well. Staff are extremely inquisitive and curious about the challenges children face. Children make excellent progress in improving their emotional and mental health. Managers and staff have access to therapeutic advice, which helps them to support children consistently. Reflective conversations are held that encourage children to develop healthier coping skills. This has helped to improve children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

p.4

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

Behaviour management is excellent. Staff use natural and restorative consequences that are clearly linked to children’s behaviour. The implementation of a highly effective rewards token system gives children the opportunity to use tokens for rewards chosen by themselves such as items, holidays and outings.

p.4

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

The culture of respect in the home means that emphasis is placed on restoring and repairing relationships if there are any areas of conflict. Children are supported to reflect and talk about their behaviours. This approach has helped children to live in a harmonious setting.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a permanent, inspirational and confident manager who knows the children well and has high aspirations for them. The manager is supported by equally efficient deputies. The quality of the management team and the effectiveness of its approach means that children are able to thrive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children benefit from a stable and consistent team of staff, who communicate with each other effectively. Staff morale is exceptionally high, helping children to receive continuity of care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC431228 5 Staff feel well supported in their roles and speak very highly of the managers. Managers lead the staff by example and ensure that the staff have a clear sense of purpose and direction. The inclusive relationships across the home are clear to see and allow children to feel comfortable in expressing themselves.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager values staff and invests in their professional development. She uses audit tools to evaluate skills and expertise to provide staff with tailored team meetings and workshops that offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities. A clinical psychologist brings further expertise to these meetings and provides additional support. As a result, therapeutic practice is fully embedded, understood and delivered by staff. These approaches are making an exceptional difference to children’s lives.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses internal and external monitoring systems to monitor and record children’s behaviour, progress and overall experiences. The clear tracking and recording systems in place make for easy triangulation of data and help staff and managers to recognise patterns and trends. This contributes to leaders and managers having an excellent understanding of the progress that children make.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers work effectively with external professionals. They take a thoughtful approach to partnership working, ensuring that communication is purposeful and that agencies are kept well informed. Professionals speak very highly of the collaboration between the home and say that children have made significant progress since living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC431228 6

p.5

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: SC431228 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

p.7

Inspector

Sallie Bloomfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC431228 8 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.

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