Coniston House

Unique reference number SC379123 Inspector Julian Mason Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Cove Residential Care Services Limited Registered person address Cove Care Residential 16 Waterloo Road WOLVERHAMPTON WV1 4BL Responsible individual Lee Thomas Smith Registered manager Moira Fiona Macdonald Kennedy Date of last inspection 28/03/2014 2 of 8 Inspection date 04/06/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people adequate Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of three within this private organisation that offers placements for up to five young people who may have a combination of mental health, psychological, emotional or complex care needs that present challenging behaviour. The service is designed to offer medium- to long-term care placements.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 19/12/2013 Full adequate 27/03/2013 Interim good progress 20/12/2012 Full good 4 of 8

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people benefit from the services they need to positively promote their health, emotional and psychological well-being. They have frequent access to therapeutic support; they are registered with and access a range of community services to ensure their ongoing needs are met. Young people learn about healthy life-styles and are encouraged to take greater responsibility for their own health and well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people are supported to make a positive contribution to the home and they learn to access and use the facilities in their local community. They benefit from a broad range of activities to help develop their interests, friendships and social networks. Young people have regular contact with their friends and families. As a result, they sustain positive attachments with the people who are important to them.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people are achieving mixed outcomes in their learning and education. Some young people are making progress while others are yet to establish consistent levels of progression. Some young people who have completed their secondary education are undertaking vocational training at a local college. They experience solid support and encouragement from a staff team who consistently promote the value of education. Other young people who are not in education or training have yet to overcome their difficulties, which are based on longstanding problems with engaging in education. Because of some young people’s circumstances, attendance at a suitable school has yet to be achieved. Currently, for some young people their attendance and attainment in education has not progressed.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people benefit from effective support when learning and developing the skills they need as they move to young adulthood and greater independence. They benefit from structured learning and skills’ training that is externally accredited and verified. This ensures young people are fully supported and prepared for moving on to more independent living arrangements.

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Quality of care good

Young people receive personalised care and support that matches their assessed and continuing needs. Staff know young people well, relationships are supportive and trusting. Young people and staff frequently talk about aspirations and future plans and this helps the team focus on where young people want to be in the future. The home's written information provides staff with key information about young people's identity, culture and other specific needs. This information is communicated successfully because staff treat young people with understanding and consideration. 5 of 8 Risks are assessed regularly and reflected in written information that staff use to guide the way they work with each young person. As a consequence, staff are able to adapt and change the way they work quickly to ensure risks are managed effectively. The staff team are good at tailoring the service to ensure they carefully meet individual needs. They complete daily and weekly records which are then used

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Quality of care good

to produce review reports to reflect the progress and developments of each young person. Young people are fully supported and encouraged to be involved in their formal review meetings to ensure they can express their views. External professionals involved in the care of young people are very positive about the quality of care provided.

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Quality of care good

Young people are fully consulted about their day-to-day arrangements and the running of the home. The Registered Manager and staff have effective systems in place to ensure young people can communicate their views and opinions about the care and support they receive. The Registered Manager meets with young people frequently to listen to what they have to say. The home is organised in a way that responds to young people positively and they receive regular feedback about their views and suggestions. Young people know how to complain if they are unhappy about something. They feel listened to and are able to quickly resolve any concerns satisfactorily.

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Quality of care good

Young people are provided with food they like to eat, they enjoy a varied diet and are able to choose from a mixed menu that is regularly reviewed. These arrangements are supported by staff who demonstrate a clear understanding of the principles of healthy eating and areas relating to cooking and food safety. Staff work hard to create a positive atmosphere at meal times so that young people have an enjoyable and sociable experience.

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Quality of care good

Young people are provided with living accommodation that is comfortable, clean and tidy. The home is decorated and maintained in a contemporary style and furnished to a reasonable standard. Staff monitor the home’s environment to ensure it is safe for everyone. They also ensure that there are good routines in place that enable young people to access local leisure and recreational facilities, promoting their involvement in the local community.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people benefit from positive support to promote their safety and well-being. Young people are kept safe and report they feel safe living in the home and with the staff who look after them. Risks associated with young people's behaviours are clearly identified and known. For example, staff adhere to safe care practices to help reduce the risks from accidents or self-harming behaviours. Young people rarely go missing but when they do, positive steps are taken to promote their safe return. Staff understand and follow agreed protocols and procedures that help to manage the risks associated with this form of behaviour. 6 of 8 Staff understand their roles and responsibilities for safeguarding arrangements. There are very clear procedures in place for responding to any safety concerns or child protection matters and these arrangements are reinforced by training for all staff in a number of important practice areas. For instance, staff learn about child

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Keeping children and young people safe good

protection procedures and who and how to report a concern; they learn about the necessary skills and approaches needed to manage challenging behaviour positively and safely.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff promote positive relationships within the home. They support young people to overcome their relationship difficulties and to help them maintain positive relationships. Young people receive advice and support to resolve any conflicts positively. Staff understand young people's vulnerabilities and they take action to eliminate any issues to do with bullying. Staff are trained in the use of methods of control to enable them to manage young people's behaviour safely when needed. There is minimal use of formal sanctions or physical intervention as a deterrent to unacceptable behaviour. The home actively promotes young people's positive behaviour. The use of behaviour management strategies, incentives and rewards are effective. A restorative approach is used wherever possible to encourage young people to reflect on their behaviour. As a result, young people learn to take a greater responsibility for themselves.

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Leadership and management good

The manager and staff team work well together to ensure the appropriate management of the service and to consider how the home will develop further for the benefit of young people. There is a plan in place that details proposed actions over the coming year that reflect areas for development and agreed actions for the future. Young people have access to a range of information about how the home operates which helps them become familiar with what to expect from the service. In addition, the home’s operation, philosophy and ethos are set out in a Statement of Purpose, which is available to placing authorities and families. The document has been recently updated and is now accessible from the provider’s website.

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Leadership and management good

Monitoring visits are routinely carried out and written feedback is provided about the home’s operation, which includes areas for improvement and development. The manager also evaluates how well the home is meeting young people’s needs and keeping them safe. Records are kept up to date, stored securely and fully reflect the events, circumstances and progress of each young person. Established procedures are also in place to share information about significant events with the appropriate agencies including Ofsted when they occur.

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Leadership and management good

Staff are provided with good practical support and guidance, which helps them structure the daily routines and activities for young people. Staffing levels are sufficient and flexible, providing young people with at least one-to-one support 7 of 8 throughout the day, evenings and weekends. They are supervised and supported by very experienced managers and staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Staff feel well supported and meet with their supervisors regularly to discuss their work and the contribution they are making to young people’s progress and development.

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Leadership and management good

The staff group is diverse, which means that young people have access to a range of carers from both genders who have different ages, backgrounds and experiences. They receive a good range of core and supplementary training that helps them strengthen and develop their role as professional carers. Staff view young people positively and this is reflected in the relationships that young people have with them. Although staff work in small shift teams this does not prevent them from having a clear understanding of what each other does and how their work fits into the overall service being provided. This is because they meet as a team on a regular basis and receive good day-to-day support from managers and each other. These arrangements positively benefit young people because their individual needs are effectively and consistently promoted and met.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager is a newly registered manager to this home but had undertaken this role in other children’s homes previously. She is suitably qualified and experienced. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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