Children's Home run by Cove Care – Residential Limited in Worcestershire

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 From the point at which young people enter the home, they are supported to take the right steps forward that will help them in the future.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people benefit from detailed, individualised care planning and practices that ensure their needs are being clearly identified and met.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people enjoy living at the home and benefit from the caring and supportive relationships they have with the staff team.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff are sensitive and understanding and help young people make the best of the opportunities that are available to them while living in the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people feel safe and say that they are looked after properly.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are listened to and this helps the staff team organise themselves around the daily care and support needs of each individual.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff because consistent boundaries are promoted that help to shape improving behaviour.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Where young people behave in ways that are risky to themselves or others, staff always work in ways that help individuals to become safer.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff receive good day-to-day support and practical help from managers.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or mental disorders. The home is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/03/2015 CH - Interim Declined in effectiveness

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people living in the home are

Young people are supported and helped to make good progress in their lives. Staff are knowledgeable and aware of young people’s backgrounds and family histories. This helps them learn about the progress that each individual needs to make in order to improve their life chances and future opportunities. Key areas of need are prioritised that relate to personal safety, education, behaviour and relationships. Helping young people improve their self-esteem and confidence are part of the home’s integrated approach to therapy, care and support.

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people living in the home are

Young people experience positive and constructive relationships with managers and staff. They provide a home environment where stable and safe placements are expected for all young people irrespective of their backgrounds, circumstances or length of stay. Young people experience a positive and inclusive approach to care and support that helps engage and involve them in their plans of care and future arrangements. Staff place the well-being and care of each young person at the centre of their daily practice. They demonstrate this clearly too young people through the time they spend with them and the individual attention given to supporting them in their daily lives.

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people living in the home are

Young people’s education and learning is prioritised and support provided is on the basis of individual needs and circumstances. Staff are well aware of young people’s school experiences, such as poor attendance and difficult relationships. Educational programmes are devised and agreed with teachers that match individual situations. Where young people have been excluded, staff work in partnership with teachers and the placing authority in support of interim arrangements. Staff provide lots of one-to-one help so progress can be sustained. Managers advocate strongly on behalf of young people to promote the right arrangements that are realistic and sustainable.

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people living in the home are

Young people are regularly consulted about their care, daily routines and how the home is managed. The staff team know how young people are feeling because of the frequent but informal discussions that take place daily. This helps staff adapt and respond quickly to young people’s presenting needs, which demonstrates the team’s flexibility to changing circumstances and priorities. This is in addition to more formal key worker sessions and meetings where staff and young people share their views and information. Young people are confident about the home’s ability to deal with any complaints that they may have although these circumstances are very low in number. Young people are clear about who they can go to outside of the home if they are not happy about something. Young people’s rights are promoted and supported well through the use of advocacy and independent visitor services.

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people living in the home are

Young people are provided with a healthy environment where they are able to access the services and support they require to meet their physical, emotional and psychological needs. Staff are knowledgeable and aware of individual needs and listen to what young people have to say about their own health and well-being. Staff have effective partnerships with a range of community services and can call on professional help quickly if needed. For example, the home’s staff work with local child and adolescent mental health services in support of assessments and reviews of prescribed medication.

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people living in the home are

Each young person benefits from opportunities to develop age appropriate life skills and knowledge. This supports their overall development and safely and encourages greater self-reliance and responsibility. Such skills include self-care, preparing meals and managing relationships more responsibly. Practical help, tailored to individual needs and circumstances encourages the growth of new skills, which effectively contributes positively to each young person’s personal development. Young people arriving and departing from the home are also given the right help and support that meets their particular needs and individual circumstances.

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people are helped and protected

Young people feel safe and comfortable in the home. Staff have a secure understanding of child protection procedures and practices, they know how to keep young people safe. They receive regular training in safeguarding and this is discussed frequently in handover and team meetings. Staff are fully aware of young people’s backgrounds and histories and are well informed about the potential risks some young people face.

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people are helped and protected

Young people’s safety is the first priority of the staff team; they are clear about their responsibilities and what to do if they have a concern. This is because staff are provided with good support and guidance from their managers. Partnerships with key statutory agencies such as the police and children’s services are good and contribute positively to the home’s approach to child protection and safeguarding.

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people are helped and protected

Some young people have significant histories of being missing from care and being vulnerable to exploitation. Some of this behaviour has continued but incidents of leaving the home without permission or being missing from care are minimal. This is because the staff are working successfully to reduce these events from occurring in the first place. Staff use their developing relationships with young people to influence safer behaviour as well as maintaining close supervision and keeping them engaged.

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people are helped and protected

Staff are working in a way that consistently supports and encourages good behaviour. Any unacceptable behaviour is quickly challenged. Staff are always around and everyone in the home knows what is expected in terms of behaving towards each other. Young people are praised and congratulated on a regular basis and receive rewards and privileges for behaving well. Formal sanctions are sometimes used to link poor behaviour to a formal consequence. The use of physical restraint is minimal and only applied in exceptional circumstances where the risks to young people or others are significant. Young people say staff are fair when they are being helped with their behaviour. Managers closely monitor the measures used to ensure their appropriateness and to counter any patterns or trends.

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people are helped and protected

Further positive steps are taken to ensure young people are safe. For instance, the registered manager ensures that all newly-recruited staff are safe to be with young people before they start work in the home. This is achieved through effective recruitment, selection and vetting processes. Young people’s living environment is safe and well looked after. The staff have well-organised processes to monitor the health and safety of everyone in the home, including fire prevention arrangements and systems.

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leaders and managers

Young people benefit from living in a well-managed home that is organised to help them make positive progress in their lives. Managers and staff are clear about the aims and objectives of the service. This is communicated effectively to placing social workers, young people and others who need to know about the service. The home’s operation is accurately reflected in the statement of purpose and young person's guide. Information in the guide is age appropriate, accessible and explored with young people at the earliest opportunity. Every effort is made to ensure all young people have a full understanding of how the home operates and what they can and should expect. This approach helps young people make a very positive start to their stay, as they know from day one how they will be looked after and supported.

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leaders and managers

The experienced and qualified registered manager has been in post for a number of years and provides effective leadership and guidance to the team. The registered manager is ably supported by a deputy who in turn helps to ensure residential staff are well supported, supervised and managed. Staff know who they are accountable to and what tasks and responsibilities are delegated to them. Managers are actively involved in the day-to-day operation of the home and they are regularly available and approachable to staff and young people. Open discussions about care practice is encouraged which helps the partially qualified team to reflect on the quality of their work. This approach is also captured through formal one-to-one supervision discussions and annual appraisals.

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leaders and managers

The staff team have access to a wide range of training and development opportunities and are very positive about what is available to them. Staff training is closely monitored to ensure all mandatory training and refresher training is completed within defined timescales. In addition, the staff team have access to a further range of training that relates directly to young people’s needs and circumstances.

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leaders and managers

The home's monitoring systems are robust and includes a range of management activities that draw together information about how well the home is operating. Managers have responded to the requirements and one recommendation made at the last inspection, which are now met. Professionals, young people and staff are encouraged to express their views about the service and what is being achieved. Staff are continually encouraged to review their practice and provide feedback during team meetings. This practice in embedded into the routines of the home to help determine the best ways of supporting each young person to sustain the progress they make.

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leaders and managers

Young people are consistently and frequently involved in the planning and review of their care. Written information is comprehensive, reflecting the diversity and histories of each young person. Plans positively address daily living arrangements and the aims of their placement. Young people are helped to prepare for meetings in a way that suits their own wishes and preferences. Staff play a pivotal role in promoting and prioritising young people’s involvement in planning and reviewing their care. Staff openly encourage and support young people to talk with their social workers, independent reviewing officers and advocates to ensure their voice is heard.

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leaders and managers

The home fosters a beneficial multi-disciplinary approach to improve outcomes for young people. The team actively work with a wide range of internal and external professionals to ensure young people receive the right help when they need it. Young people’s case records are detailed, clear and concise. The records provide both staff and young people with strong evidence of their experiences and progress during their stay at the home.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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