Children's Home run by Cove Care – Residential Limited in Telford and Wrekin

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:

 Vulnerable young people are supported by staff who follow clear risk assessments that are regularly reviewed.  Young people in the home are engaged in education and making good progress.  Young people report that they feel safe in this home. Staff make effective use of comprehensive risk assessments to make informed decisions about the risks and needs of each young person.  Young people are consulted on a regular basis through formal meetings and during informal conversations. Their views are listened to and acted upon.  Young people are able to manage their behaviours well and physical interventions have not been required.  Staff support young people to maintain contact with their families and carers.  Effective communication and working relationships between the staff, social workers, parents and other professionals supports the development of young people.  The home provides staff with appropriate training.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There are few areas of practice that require some improvement. These include, ensuring the home’s statement of purpose stays up to date. Young people need access to a children’s guide and staff need to be more familiar with the whistle blowing process.

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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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Requirement Due date

7. The children's views, wishes and feelings standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the children's views, wishes and feelings standard the registered person must ensure that children receive care from staff who – 2(b) ensure that each child (ii) has access to the home’s children’s guide, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; 30 May 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate revise it;

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Requirement Due date

Notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3) (a)(b)) 30 May 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The registered person must ensure that staff should be made familiar with the homes internal whistleblowing procedures. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 53, paragraph 10.9).

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is privately owned and offers placements for two 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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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

26/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people make good progress in a home that provides a stable and supportive environment. Staff are enthusiastic about young people’s progress and this is evident in the ambitions and aspirations they hold for them. Young people are very involved in their care planning arrangements. They have a real say in matters such as activities, daily routines and planning for their future. The home ensures that the healthcare needs of young people are met. They are encouraged and supported to attend routine appointments with dentists, doctors and opticians. Specialist support is readily available to meet the emotional and psychological needs of young people through individual therapeutic sessions. A good medication management system ensures the safe administration of medication. Clear records are maintained by the home and medication is securely stored. Suitable education arrangements are now in place for young people. These are

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Good

tailored to their needs and take into account both their attainment and their progress in relation to their individual starting points. Staff listen to young people and are keen to involve them in day to day decisions about the running of the home. More formalised young people’s meetings also take place, giving them the opportunity to express their views. Young people also have access to independent advocates as a further strand to capturing their views and wishes.

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Good

Young people are encouraged to maintain contact with their families and carers in accordance with their care plans. For young people who have been placed far from home, the home facilitates regular phone calls and when appropriate, contact can be facilitated at the home. Young people are well supported to develop basic life skills. They are provided with opportunities to develop new skills, with support and encouragement from staff. This helps young people develop practical skills and enables them to complete daily tasks safely and independently. Judgement grade

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Good

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safe working practice. They have a positive understanding of young people's needs and particular vulnerabilities and they take appropriate action to address them. There have been no instances of young people being missing from care or at risk of exploitation since the last inspection. Staff are aware of the home’s procedures to respond to any episodes of missing from care or exploitation. Staff encourage young people to behave appropriately. Individual behaviour management plans identify triggers for negative behaviour and the strategies for managing these behaviours. Positive behaviour is promoted through applying clear and consistent boundaries. Individual care planning sessions, incentives and rewards are all used to good effect to help young people to develop socially acceptable behaviour. As a result of this, the use of sanctions is infrequent and there has been no use of physical restraint since the last inspection.

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Good

Young people live in a home that provides a safe and secure environment. Staff complete regular health and safety checks and follow a range of safety procedures to protect young people from potential hazards. These includes fire drills, to ensure that young people know what to do in case of an emergency. Young people are protected by the organisation's robust recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of the young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them. The homes policies have been reviewed and updated. However, there is no whistleblowing policy in place. This means that staff do not have the full range of opportunities to raise any concerns about the workplace. The home is decorated, maintained and furnished to a good standard. Young people live in a healthy environment that actively supports their physical and

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Good

emotional health. The home is located in a quiet residential area, in a semi-rural location where there are good public transport links and access to local facilities. Judgement grade

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Good

The home has an appropriately qualified registered manager in place who is also the responsible individual for the organisation. The manager has been in post since March 2014 and holds a level 4 national vocational qualification in leadership health and social care. Staffing levels are appropriate to meet young people's needs. Staff are well supported through regular supervision and annual appraisals and benefit from a range of appropriate training to develop their knowledge skills and professional practice. New staff undergo an indepth induction programme and all staff either have or are working towards the required level 3 diploma qualification within recommended timescales. As a result, staff are well trained and qualified to meet the needs of young people. The statement of purpose has been updated but it does not meet regulatory requirements. The document does not reflect the home’s current staffing

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Good

compliment, so does not provide parents and professionals with an accurate record of who is working in the home. There is no children’s guide in place. This means that young people do not know what to expect and what to do if they are unhappy about an aspect of their care. Monthly independent monitoring reports review the home’s performance and young people’s progress and identifies areas for improvement. Regular consultations with young people and staff influence the progress of the home. There is a development plan in place, which is subject to regular update. This indicates that the manager has a commitment to continuous improvement of the home. The manager has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies, including child and adolescent mental health services, social workers and the missing from home co-ordinator. This supports the promotion of young people’s safety and welfare. The homes location risk assessment is up to date and this contributes to keeping

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Good

young people safe at the home. There were no requirements or recommendations raised at the last inspection.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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