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

Inspection report children’s home: SC403789 1 SC403789 Registered provider: Cove Care Residential Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers care for up to four young people who may have a combination of mental health, psychological, emotional or complex care needs. The home is part of a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has responded positively to the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection. This has resulted in the improved effectiveness of the service. Young people are now more involved in decisions that affect them, staff receive supervision, and regular team meetings enable the staff to reflect on day-to-day matters, their practice and young people’s progress. Furthermore, managers and staff challenge other professionals when they are not meeting the needs of young people. The registered manager has initiated improvements in record-keeping, and young people’s case files are now in good order.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staffing has not increased since the last inspection, but with only one young person in their care, there are sufficient staff to meet the young person’s needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC403789 2 The young person in placement is settled and has warm and trusting relationships with staff. He feels that staff care about him and listen to his views, wishes and feelings. His social worker said that the young person has ‘a fantastic relationship with the staff team’.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person lives in a comfortable and well-maintained home. The young person particularly likes his bedroom, which is personalised. However, the home is not as welcoming as it should be, as there are several fire exit signs around the home and two large fire extinguisher boxes in the dining room. These give the home an institutional feel.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person participates in a range of leisure activities. He likes going to the gym and has fun playing table tennis in the home with staff. The young person enjoyed a trip with staff to watch the International Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race. The staff and the young person are already planning a holiday abroad this year. The young person benefits from new experiences and opportunities.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Good-quality care enables the young person to make progress in different aspects of his life, for example in education and in the relationships he has with his family. He is engaging with therapy and in key-work sessions with staff. This is helping him to develop emotional resilience. Furthermore, the young person is now responding to boundaries and guidance, which is helping him make more positive choices about his behaviour.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person feels safe, and staff keep him safe. When he went missing from the home in December, staff responded appropriately and worked with the police to find and return him safely. Staff have addressed the risks with him in key-work sessions. He is also now included in reviewing his own risk assessments, enabling him to identify strategies to keep himself safe. The locality risk assessment is up to date and relevant and the registered manager has completed an in-depth health and safety assessment of the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff work well with other professionals. Since the last inspection, they have been engaged more with the local police to protect the young person. Staff prepare for and attend professionals’ meetings and young people’s reviews. Feedback from professionals is positive. A social worker said that his experience of working with the staff is ‘very positive’. He also said, ‘They are motivated and passionate about working with the young person.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

An area identified for improvement is that the registered manager needs to ensure that lone working risk assessments are in keeping with the provider’s lone working policy. As only one staff member is on duty with the young person, any risks and strategies to protect the young person and staff member need to be clearly identified and recorded. The registered manager also needs to ensure that staff have read young people’s risk assessments and understand the information contained in them. Furthermore, before another young person is admitted, staffing will need to increase in order to meet the Inspection report children’s home: SC403789 3 needs of two young people and keep them safe.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/10/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 29/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure that— staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; and the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that lone working risk assessments are completed in keeping with the lone working policy. Also, monitor that staff read and sign that they have read all updated risk assessments on young people’s files. 23/02/2018

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a Inspection report children’s home: SC403789 4 domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

In particular, the fire exit signs above doors and the fire extinguishers stored in large boxes in the dining room give the home an institutional feel.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cove Care Residential Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton WV1 4BL

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Inspector

Louise Whittle, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC403789 5 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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