Children's Home run by Ubuntu Group Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: 2735317 1 Registered provider: Ubuntu Group 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

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to 3 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

3 children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2026 and is suitably qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/05/2025 Full Good 12/11/2024 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2735317 3

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Summary of findings

There have been significant changes in management and staffing since the last inspection. Despite this, children have experienced some stability. Children are making some progress, but this is not consistent for all children in line with their plans. Staff do not always effectively manage the high levels of incidents in the home, which have frequently required police intervention. Leaders and managers oversight of incidents does not always support learning to improve the quality of care children receive. While children have experienced positive moves in and out the home, leaders’ decisions to have children move in are not well informed and presenting risks alongside other children are not well considered.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection one child has moved out as part of a planned more and one child has moved in. Children living in the home experience stability on the whole and overall children make progress. However, this is not consistent in all areas.

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improvement to be good

Transitions into the home are not well considered. Information to support planning and the decisions about whether staff can safely meet a child’s needs were not actively sought from all relevant stakeholders. In addition, known risks are not fully considered in the context of the children already living in the home so that mitigating action could be taken. The lack of planning and mitigation has at times adversely impacted the experiences of children.

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improvement to be good

Children are not well supported to develop independence skills. One child is due to move on from the home in the summer. However, there has been little progress in helping them develop the skills needed to prepare them for this and it is not clear they have the knowledge to manage the challenges of living independently.

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard so that when children move in and out of the home their experiences are positive. For example, one child was in hospital before moving in. Staff took the time to visit the child and share information about the home with them. This allowed the child to get to know staff and understand what to expect before moving in. Staff also ensured that the child’s birthday was celebrated to emphasise how welcome the child was in the home. This helped the child to quickly settle into their new environment.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to build and maintain positive relationships with people that are important to them. One child’s relationship has flourished, and there are plans for them to attend a family holiday abroad. The child’s relative told the inspector, ‘the home accommodates visits with me outside routines, they get 10 out of 10 from me.’ Inspection report children's home: 2735317 4 Children are encouraged to engage in education, and they all have education placements in line with their specific needs. Staff encourage children’s attendance, and one child has successfully returned to school after an absence of several months. However, staff have struggled to support another child with their attendance which could impact on their future outcomes.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious, well maintained and provides children with a home they can be proud of. Necessary repairs are completed in a timely way. Children can personalise their rooms according to their individual interests and hobbies. However, the storage of rubble in an area used by children prevents them from using the space and was a sharp contrast to the other areas of the home which are welcoming and warm.

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improvement to be good

Overall children are settled in the home and mostly get on well with staff and each other. However, there are high levels of incidents which staff are often not able to manage. This has resulted in children being harmed by each other and frequent police call outs to support staff during incidents.

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improvement to be good

Staffing changes and the introduction of a new child have changed the dynamics in the home and the nature of incidents. After a period of significant incidents, it had begun to become more settled. However, following the admission of another child, the dynamics between children and between children and staff were again unsettled and the number of incidents has increased. Staff’s ability to manage these incidents has been hindered by a lack of clear planning and mitigation of risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not able to prevent children from harming each other. On several occasions children have been repeatedly harmed during incidents. While children have shown maturity in not retaliating at these times, staff have not had sufficient focus on their wellbeing. This has led to children saying they feel unsafe in the home.

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improvement to be good

Safe recruitment processes are not consistently followed. While recruitment checks are undertaken there is a lack of follow up and exploration of gaps in information. For example, overseas police checks and information provided through references that requires further scrutiny is not explored. Leaders and managers have not put risk assessments in place to mitigate any potential risks which could place children at risk from unsuitable staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff use physical interventions appropriately and proportionately as a last resort. Staff work closely with other professionals to adapt their approach in line with children’s health needs. This reduces the risk of children coming to harm when restraint is used.

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improvement to be good

Staff know what action they must take when children go missing from the home. They have clear protocols to rely on. In addition, staff work alongside other professionals to develop co-ordinated responses to support children’s safe return. Children are routinely Inspection report children's home: 2735317 5 offered return home interviews to try and understand the reasons why they go missing and help inform strategies to reduce the risk of further incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been significant changes in the management and staff team since the last inspection. There have been challenges in bringing the new team together. The manager is aware that the staff team needs to be more accountable for their actions and effectively meet the needs of children in their care. Staff have found the changes and turnover of staff unsettling. However, they feel the new manager is providing clearer direction about practice, but they continue to need increased support and guidance in delivering safe and consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Manager’s oversight of the home and the care children receive is weak in too many areas. For example, there is a lack professional curiosity in the oversight of incidents. This is a missed opportunity for staff to learn and reflect on how they have managed situations and improve their practice. In addition, when children are harmed during incidents their views and feelings are not proactively sought so that action can be taken to support their continued wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff and leaders’ management and mitigation of risks relating to the care and safety of children is inconsistent. For example, risks relating to children moving into the home, ligature risks within the home, and staff recruitment, are not sufficiently considered or addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children’s records are not complete. There are gaps and discrepancies in information that mean staff do not have sufficient guidance for their work. These gaps in children’s records and staff guidance are particularly worrying given the newness of the staff team and regular use of agency staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Feedback from other professionals is variable. Some have questioned the availability of the manager, and one professional questioned the level of progress a child in the home was making. In contrast another professional told the inspector, ‘when [child’s name] moved into the home we came to see him, everyone commented on how well he looked, he was clean and well dressed. He said he was happy’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision and training opportunities. This includes a comprehensive induction programme and training specific to children’s individual needs. Staff are also supported to undertake relevant qualifications. One member of staff has not completed the required qualification within the mandatory timescales. Inspection report children's home: 2735317 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, 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure staff are suitably skilled and equipped and are supported by robust risk assessments to help keep children safe from harming each other and reduce the reliance on police intervention to help manage incidents. 14 June 2026

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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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 14 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2735317 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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.

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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)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure effective oversight of the home in order to mitigate risks to children and improve the quality of care. Specifically, in relation to the oversight of incidents and staff practice, the quality of children's care records, and recruitment information. In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff have the required experience, skills and knowledge to care for the children that move into, or may move into, the home.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a suitable assessment is undertaken regarding how staff will meet children’s needs before they move in. This assessment, where 14 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2735317 8 possible, should be informed by relevant key stakeholders. In addition, presenting risks and mitigating action must be considered alongside the risks of other children already living in the home to determine whether is appropriate for them to live together.

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Requirement Due date

Further, the registered person must ensure children are effectively supported to develop the skills needed for independence in preparation for moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

The children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child's views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home's care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must actively seek children's views and feelings when they have been subject to harm from others while living in the home. The outcome of any decisions or actions taken must be shared with the child, unless this would be inappropriate. 14 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or 14 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2735317 9 a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any gaps in recruitment information or information of concern arising during the recruitment process is appropriately explored to inform appointment decisions, and risk assessed as needed, prior to staff working with children. 14 June 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should consider and address potential ligature risks in the home and the storage of rubble in areas used by children. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 children's home: 2735317 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Ubuntu Group Limited

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Children's home details

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

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Inspector

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2735317 11 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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