Children's Home run by Liberty Trail Children’s Homes Unus Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2825432 1 Registered provider: Liberty Trail Children’s Homes Unus Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2025 and is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified. They were present during the inspection.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2825432 2

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Summary of findings

The registered manager and staff provide good-quality care. The home is welcoming and spacious. Staff prioritise the child’s safety and are building a positive relationship with them. The registered manager supports a team of staff with a range of experience. Some aspects of recording and management oversight require strengthening; however, these issues have not affected the overall delivery of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are building a trusting and open relationship with the child. A detailed care plan is in place, supporting staff to understand the child’s needs. The child told the inspector they are happy in the home and described the staff as ‘great’. They have personalised their bedroom and enjoy spending time in the home’s ‘cinema room’. Staff are positive about the child and celebrate their successes and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported by staff to access education and healthcare services. Staff promote and encourage the child’s engagement in education, and the child has recently completed exams in mathematics and English. Where required, specialist healthcare services are in place. The child engages with healthcare professionals and feels comfortable sharing their worries and needs with staff. Feedback from a range of professionals indicates that this is the most settled the child has been in a long time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child moved into the home in a planned way. The registered manager met with the child’s social worker to carry out relevant assessments, and the child was able to visit the home before moving in. Staff had a good understanding of the child’s needs and risks before their arrival. When the child moved in, staff had already collected their belongings, which helped them to feel welcome.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to maintain contact with their family and friends, ensuring that they sustain important relationships. Staff work proactively with children to ensure that these arrangements are safe and appropriate. As a result, the child is beginning to spend more time with peers who influence them positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has access to an independent advocate. They will talk to staff about their likes and dislikes; however, such discussions are not always captured effectively. It is unclear how the registered manager and staff respond to the child’s views or how any resulting actions are communicated.

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

The child’s risk management plan is reviewed and updated regularly. It includes key risks to the child and outlines how staff should respond to minimise risk. Staff speak Inspection report for children’s home: 2825432 3 confidently about the actions they take to keep children safe. Regular multi-agency meetings are held with professionals.

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

Staff are working to reduce the risk of the child going missing. When this occurs, staff follow appropriate procedures and take steps to locate them. Relevant professionals are informed, and staff speak with the child on their return to understand where they have been and who they were with. The frequency of missing-from-home incidents is decreasing, and the child is beginning to maintain contact with staff during these incidents.

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

The child said they feel safe in the home. Staff work therapeutically, in line with the ethos set out in the statement of purpose. There has been one incident involving the use of physical intervention since the last inspection, which was proportionate. The child was spoken with afterwards so they could share their views. However, the record of the physical intervention does not demonstrate oversight from the registered manager.

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

Staff respond proportionately to incidents that occur in the home. Professionals work with the child to address specific areas of concern, and staff carry out key-work sessions to support this and promote the child’s emotional wellbeing. Some of these sessions lack detail and oversight from the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child focused and suitably qualified. Staff are positive about working in the home. One staff member said that the registered manager ‘makes you feel comfortable straight away’. Professionals speak highly of the registered manager and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff receive a good-quality induction that provides a solid foundation for their practice. Staff benefit from comprehensive training, including training specific to the individual needs of the child living in the home. The registered manager is creative in how they help staff to develop. This includes using documentaries and films to support their learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive monthly supervision, which includes conversations about the child and any practice issues arising. The supervision captures reflections and supports staff in developing their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager engages with the local community, which has helped the child and staff to feel welcome and settled in the area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are shortfalls in the registered manager’s oversight of key records. These occurred during a particularly challenging period in the home and have not affected the quality of care provided to the child. The registered manager identified these shortfalls and has plans in place to improve these areas of practice. This includes moving to an online recording system. Inspection report for children’s home: 2825432 4

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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 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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that regular consultations take place with children, their views are clearly recorded, and any outcomes or actions taken are appropriately evidenced. 30 September 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— 30 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2825432 5 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that key documents are subject to timely review and oversight and that any management oversight is clearly recorded.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to enable them to help children understand, and, where necessary, work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and wellbeing. These include the use of legal highs, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, with particular emphasis on having key conversations relating to vaping and cannabis use. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements, based on children’s individual needs and developmental stages, about when to allow them to take specific risks or follow a particular course of action. If a child makes a choice that would place them or another person at significant risk of harm, staff should support them to understand the risks and manage their risk-taking behaviour to keep themselves and others safe. This is

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Recommendations

particularly important when discussing risks relating to online safety and when carrying out mobile phone checks. The rationale regarding any measures taken should be clearly recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7)

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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: 2825432 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Liberty Trail Children’s Homes Unus

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ransom Wood Business Park, Southwell Road West, Rainworth, Mansfield NG21 0HJ

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Inspector

John McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2825432 7 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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