Children's Home run by Coventry City Council in Coventry

Unique reference number SC414347 Inspector Matthew Hedges Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Coventry City Council Registered person address Coventry City Council, Council House Earl Street COVENTRY CV1 5RR Responsible individual Yolanda Corden Registered manager Donna Michele Wale Date of last inspection 26/11/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 03/03/2015

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Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged adequate at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

Since the last inspection, a number of young people have moved into the home. Due to challenging circumstances, some of these moves have happened quickly. This has not allowed time for detailed planning. Despite this, staff use their skills to build relationships with young people swiftly. This helps young people to feel safe. A number of young people have also left the home since the last inspection. For some young people, their moves were well planned and supported. Others left quickly following concerns regarding their behaviour, including incidents of aggression, substance misuse and going missing. The home has significantly improved their admissions process since then. Impact assessments are now in place and the Registered Manager assesses all referrals. Consequently, the group dynamics have improved. Young people are more settled and staff feel more confident.

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This inspection

Young people are making good progress. Their attendance in education is good. This supports improved attainment. Young people also engage in a range of positive activities. Some young people enjoy sport, others are musical, another young person was particularly proud of being selected for a main role in a play. Young people grow in confidence because of this. These interests are well supported by staff. Young people generally talk positively about staff and the support they receive. Risk taking behaviours and significant incidents are rare.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager monitors the effectiveness of the home and the quality of care provided to young people. Monitoring reports have improved and now include the views of young people. A clear development plan is in place to improve the service offered by the home. Staff also talk passionately about the home and note a number of improvements made. For example, the Registered Manager has developed a number of workshops to support staff development. This has a positive impact on young people and the support they receive. 3 of 5 Partnership working with other agencies is strong. The home works closely with social care, police, education, and health professionals. A social worker confirmed this stating, ‘the home have been really supportive.’ A health professional also felt that, ‘the home support young people really well…issues are highlighted and sensitively addressed…staff liaise well with me’.

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This inspection

Six requirements were made at the last inspection. The Registered Manager has taken appropriate actions to address the majority of these shortfalls. As a result, there have been significant improvements to some of the home’s processes including referrals and fire safety. In addition, young people receive improved support in relation to basic care tasks. Finally, improvements have been made to young people’s ‘safeguarding plans’. Specifically these plans now provide detailed guidance to staff should young people go missing from the home. This ensures that staff are more confident and that young people are better protected. Police also talk positively about the home and their support to young people. One officer commented, ‘since the last inspection there has been an increase in emails, contact and multi-agency meetings… the home is very well run’.

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This inspection

One requirement has been reissued at this inspection. Some improvements have been made to the process for notifying Ofsted of incidents. These notifications are not always sent in a timely way. This limits the oversight that Ofsted has between inspections. Incidents are well handled; consequently, there has been minimal impact on young people. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides short-term placements to a maximum of 12-weeks for up to five children or young people. The service is operated by the local authority.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2014 Full adequate 24/03/2014 Interim good progress 15/01/2014 Full good 26/03/2013 Interim good progress

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure if, in relation to a children's home, any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. (Regulation 30(1)) 01/05/2015 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Reg. Requirement Due date

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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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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