Children's Home run by C & C Unique Care Solution Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 1 Registered provider: C & C Unique Care Solution Ltd 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. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager started in April 2026. She applied to register with Ofsted. However, she has since withdrawn her application. The manager was not present during the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with both children.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 10 February 2026

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/02/2026 Full Good 04/02/2025 Full Good 31/01/2024 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 3

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Summary of findings

Significant failings in safeguarding practice, alongside ineffective leadership and management, have had a detrimental impact on children's safety, experiences and progress.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding arrangements are inadequate, with concerns not responded to in a timely manner, poor decision-making and failures to report serious incidents contributing to a weak and ineffective safeguarding culture.

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Summary of findings

Leaders have not ensured that staff possess the knowledge, skills or experience required to meet children's individual needs safely. Furthermore, ineffective oversight and monitoring have failed to identify, evaluate or address risks promptly, resulting in continued weaknesses in the quality of care and leaving children without the consistent protection and support they require.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There are serious shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home and in the protection and safety of children. This has impacted significantly on the quality of care children living at this home receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. Leaders and managers did not fully consider the child's needs or how these might impact the child already living in the home. Managers also did not consider whether staff had the skills and experience to be able to care for both children safely together. This poor decision-making and planning have contributed to harmful peer relationships and placed children at risk.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home environment is not maintained to an acceptable standard, which compromises children's safety and wellbeing. For example, one child's bedroom contained stale food and parts of a dismantled scooter, creating hygiene concerns and hazards. The child's bedroom door was also damaged, with broken pieces of wood left on the carpet, presenting a risk of injury.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Daily routines, structure and boundaries are not in place. Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Social workers shared that children do not receive consistent messages from staff about rules and boundaries. Staff apply expectations inconsistently and give mixed messages about what children can and cannot do. As a result, children experience unclear and changing boundaries, which undermines the consistency and stability they need to feel safe and secure. This negatively impacts children's experiences and the progress they can make. Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 4 Staff and managers lack aspiration for children. Both children are enrolled in education. However, they do not receive sufficient support to attend consistently or to increase their attendance. Despite this, education professionals report that children are making some

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff recognise the importance of children maintaining relationships with family members. This promotes children's sense of identity and belonging.

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

Staff and managers do not take effective action to safeguard children and do not have the skills or understanding on how to help children calm down when they are distressed or angry. During one serious incident, due to ineffective staff responses, risks escalated, and the incident continued for several hours. Staff failed to regain control of the situation or reduce the risks effectively. Police attended the home on 3 separate occasions before the incident ended.

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

Children have experienced significant instability because a high number of staff have been absent from work. To maintain staffing levels, managers have relied on a large number of different agency staff to cover shifts. The frequent changes in staff have further disrupted the continuity of care that children receive. As a result, children have felt unsettled and uncertain about what is happening in the home and who will be caring for them. In addition, some staff do not have sufficient understanding of children's individual vulnerabilities, risks and needs. This has increased children's risks, leaving them unsafe and cared for by people who do not know or understand them well.

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

Staff do not follow children's missing-from-home plans or implement the agreed actions to keep children safe. They fail to notify the police promptly when children are missing, delaying essential safeguarding responses and opportunities to locate children sooner. These unsafe practices increase children's vulnerability and have the potential to expose them to further harm while they are missing. In addition, children are not spoken to by staff about the dangers and risks associated with going missing, which further undermines their safety and wellbeing. Managers and staff do not demonstrate professional curiosity when analysing patterns and trends in missing-from-home incidents, and they have failed to implement effective preventive measures. This means the risks of children going missing have increased. One professional said, '[Name of child's] missing incidents have increased in recent weeks.'

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

When safeguarding concerns and complaints are raised, leaders and staff do not act promptly. They fail to conduct timely and thorough investigations to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively and protected from harm. Leaders do not keep children informed about the outcomes of their complaints. This does not instil confidence in children that they have been listened to and that their concerns have been taken seriously. Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, the leadership of the home has changed. The previous registered manager and responsible individual left their roles in April 2026. A new manager and responsible individual took up their posts immediately afterwards. Several staff said leaders have not maintained a visible presence in the home and that they do not feel supported. This lack of leadership oversight, guidance and support has contributed to inconsistent safeguarding practice and has left staff without the direction they need to respond effectively to risks, placing children at increased risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Monitoring and review systems are ineffective. Leaders and managers do not demonstrate sufficient professional curiosity when reviewing staff practice. As a result, practice concerns are not identified or addressed promptly. These weaknesses have resulted in failings in the quality of care and the protection of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not always have the most up-to-date information when providing care to the children, including information around presenting risks. There are inaccuracies in recorded information, and some staff do not have access to all required statutory documents. This undermines effective planning, accountability and proactive care and has placed children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not consistently follow safer recruitment policies and procedures. For example, they did not explore several gaps in one staff member's employment history. This oversight increases the risk of recruiting unsuitable individuals and may compromise children's safety by allowing them to be cared for by adults whose suitability has not fully been assessed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervision. This means that staff are not being provided with the essential opportunity to reflect on the children's care, their practice or any professional development needs. The absence of supervision has undermined staff's ability to improve the care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

External professionals provided mixed feedback about the communication from leaders and staff. While some reported effective communication, others said the information they received did not always accurately reflect what was happening in the home. This reduced professionals' ability to maintain an informed understanding of children's experiences and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers acknowledge the concerns identified at this inspection, and they have recently commissioned an external auditor to support the development of an action plan and address identified shortfalls. However, many of these failings are serious and ongoing. Leaders have not acted quickly enough to address these concerns or to protect children from harm. As a result, children have not been safeguarded effectively, and these failings have had a significant impact on children's experiences, safety and progress. Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(d)) 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 7 The registered manager must ensure that staff take immediate action to safeguard children during incidents.

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Requirement Due date

Staff and leaders must manage complaints and allegations thoroughly and effectively, ensuring that children are kept appropriately informed of the outcomes.

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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

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;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 8 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that all staff are trained to meet each child's needs and that their monitoring systems are robust and effective to ensure that children receive a good quality of care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that learning is identified, and this is shared with staff and embedded in their practice.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child's welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 9 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1) (a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that the home is a safe environment to meet each child's needs and that immediate action is taken to address any safety concerns in the home environment, including children's bedrooms.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child's behaviour, in accordance with the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child's behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child's age and understanding; 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 10 help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child's respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation (11) (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that staff support and educate children to understand their risks and how to stay safe and manage their behaviours.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

that each child's relevant plans are followed; 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 11 that the child's placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child's relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that before any children moving into the home, a thorough assessment is completed to determine their needs and that these can be appropriately met, and that the matching of any children already living in the home promotes the safety, wellbeing and positive outcomes for all children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that information relating to the care, protection or safety of children is recorded, including details of any incidents and the actions taken by staff to safeguard children. 14 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 12 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure they notify all professionals of serious incidents within the required timeframes.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2675339 13

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Children's home details

Registered provider: C & C Unique Care Solution Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: The Old Coach House, Horse Fair, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 2EL

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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2675339 14 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspector

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