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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC473699 1 SC473699 Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 6 children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently resigned and left the home in July 2026. The inspection was supported by a senior manager and the responsible individual. There were 3 children living in the home at the time of 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC473699 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2026 Full Good 14/01/2025 Full Good 09/05/2023 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC473699 3

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Summary of findings

Children living in this home receive good care. They have access to a range of opportunities and are supported to build good relationships. Staff use a therapeutic approach and respond in a way that keeps children safe. The registered manager has recently left and a senior manager in the organisation is overseeing the day-to-day running of the home. Staff say that they feel supported by leaders. External professionals were positive about the care staff provide to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders and managers have created a warm and welcoming home environment. Children are relaxed and talkative in their interactions with staff. Staff know the children well and follow comprehensive support plans which guide them in their care of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and leaders have built good relationships with children. Staff ensure that children have access to a range of activities both inside and outside of the home, including fun evenings in the home and trips abroad. This has given children new experiences and has supported them to build close relationships with one another.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are opportunities for the children to share their views with the staff and managers, including in structured meetings or during relaxed ‘takeaway nights’. The impact of children’s views can be seen, including on how their rooms are decorated and the types of things they like to do.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are appropriately supported to develop skills for their future independence. Staff work with the children in key areas specific to their individual needs, including budgeting, cooking and travel. One child talked about the independent skills they had developed during their time in the home, and that they felt this was a real success.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into and on from the home are well considered. Meetings take place with relevant professionals where information is shared and considered to ensure that staff can meet the needs of the child moving in. Assessments consider the impact on children already living in the home. When one child moved out of the home this was done in a child-focused way and communicated sensitively to the child. Another child successfully moved on to live with their family.

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

Staff and the leaders know how to keep children safe. When children struggle with their emotional wellbeing, they are well supported and medical assistance is requested if needed. Children and staff have access to the organisation’s specialist therapists. This Inspection report for children’s home: SC473699 4 helps to ensure that staff’s practice is current and is able to address the fluctuating needs of the children.

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

There are detailed risk management plans in place for children. Staff use the organisation’s therapeutic approach in their daily practice and understand children’s behaviours. Staff have positive relationships with children and are able to defuse most challenging incidents. Since the last inspection, there have not been any incidents of the children being held.

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

There has been a recent reduction in the number of incidents in the home. Leaders have reviewed rota patterns to ensure that there are staff with the right mix of skills and approaches on each shift. When incidents do occur, some records would benefit from more detail, including what happened and more clear management evaluation.

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

Allegations against staff are appropriately investigated and shared with relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer. There is an empathetic approach to the children. When allegations are unfounded, leaders will try to understand the allegation and the child’s feelings. A complaint from a child was dealt with swiftly and the outcome was shared with the child. This shows children that their views are important.

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

Staff respond appropriately to risks posed to children online. When significant risks were identified for one child, staff ensured a multi-agency response that included input from relevant police and social care professionals. Staff used the organisation’s specialist support and worked closely with the child to understand their views about what had happened and for the child to increase their knowledge and understanding about how to stay safe online. This has meant the child is now able to have access to devices with online capability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has recently left the organisation. There is an experienced senior manager in place to support the staff and oversee the day-to-day running of the home. The leader is supported by the responsible individual. Staff reported it had been a difficult period, however, things are now more settled, and staff say they are supported by the managers. Professionals are positive about the support staff give to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. Supervision sessions cover the staff’s wellbeing and the care of the children living in the home. Sessions also focus on the organisation’s values. There are opportunities for staff to review and comment on work they have seen by colleagues, aiding their own development. The supervision matrix is being updated, which will make it clear when supervision has taken place for each member of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. These include sessions on key practice areas, including how staff apply the organisation’s therapeutic approach in practice. The team meetings give the staff the opportunity to talk about the children and how to care for them, and how they work as a team, in more detail. Inspection report for children’s home: SC473699 5 The managers have clear quality assurance processes in place. Audits are completed monthly and cover a range of areas for the home, such as health and safety and staff training. There are separate audits for reviewing safeguarding incidents. The audits support the manager to look at any themes or patterns which may be emerging for children or staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of training, both in person and online. Training is available in key areas such as safeguarding. There is also training in specific areas such as self- injury. There is an expectation staff will complete the relevant training within a reasonable time frame, to ensure they have the knowledge to best support children. This has not always been achieved, however, has not had any impact on the quality of care given to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC473699 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate resources to support their training needs and understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In particular, they should ensure that staff training is completed in a reasonable time frame and is relevant to the children’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. This relates in particular to management evaluation of incidents and how incidents are captured by staff in records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC473699 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

John McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC473699 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 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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