Children's home run by Courtyard Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 1 Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for four children on a permanent basis and two children for short breaks. These children may have a wide range of learning and physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a suitably qualified and experienced manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 25 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 3

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Statutory requirement

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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children receive their medication in line with their prescription. Further to this, ensure that the skills of each member of staff are checked regularly to ensure that they are competent in administering medication. 30/12/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living at this home have a wide range of learning and physical disabilities, including limitations regarding their mobility, sensory needs, communication difficulties and developmental needs. Some of the children need extra support and require the use of ventilators and breathing equipment. The home has all the necessary equipment, including mechanical hoists in each bedroom and bathroom, for transferring the children safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home was registered for four children. However, a variation was agreed by Ofsted for a fifth bedroom in February 2018. This means that two children now receive short breaks while four children live here permanently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care that is making a positive difference to their lives. Staff’s strong relationships with parents, social workers, teachers and a range of healthcare professionals mean that the children receive well-planned care that promotes improved outcomes across all areas of their lives. Children live in a home that is extremely nurturing and caring. A parent said, ‘They look after him as I would. I am extremely happy with his care and that I am a part of it.’ A professional said, ‘I am always given a warm welcome and made to feel at home. My child generally appears happy and settled. He has a good relationship with staff and they interact lovely with him. They understand his complex needs and ensure that he has exactly what he needs.’ Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 4 Education is promoted well. Children have 100% attendance. Staff work effectively with education professionals to ensure that the children meet their academic potential. Staff

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

work closely with teachers and speech therapists to mirror the child’s preferred communication skills in the home. For example, one child can express her views through eye pointing. This means that she can make choices by being offered several pictorial options, such as different hairstyles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have worked closely with a range of healthcare professionals to ensure that children make progress in independence skills and with their health. For example, one child’s posture is improving due to a planned physiotherapy regime and using a standing frame in the home for small periods of time. Another child has been able to have short periods of supervised time off her ventilator. This means that she can move around independently. She said that she loves the freedom it gives her. Another child was of low weight. Staff worked closely with a dietician and he is trying new foods, such as shellfish. He has gained weight and he is now enjoying a varied diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s complex needs mean that they need a lot of medication and equipment to support their medical conditions. There have been occasional errors in administering medication or in the use of the equipment. The manager has taken suitable action to address these concerns. For example, staff have been retrained and clearer policies have been put in place. However, two further small errors have been made since this time. The company have responded to this by increasing the qualified nurse hours to include an additional day. She is due to take on this extra day soon. In the interim, the manager is looking at several options, such as double signatures for medication given, whether an identified person, such as a team leader, should only give out medication and how she can further improve the competency of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of experiences for the children is exceptional. Staff understand that taking part in social activities can be complicated because of the medication and the portable equipment that children need, but this has not hindered the staff’s ability to make things happen. Some children have been to a musical, a theatre production, trampolining and to a zoo. The children especially like going to the park and using assisted wheelchair bikes. A parent said, ‘It takes a lot of planning, but they [the staff] don’t mind. I know he is having fun and that’s great.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have different arrangements for seeing their families. These are well planned, and staff make sure that things such as transport, handing over medications and additional support are available, if necessary. Parents are welcomed into the home and can take over personal care tasks and interact with their children with support from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a homely environment. Each child has personalised their bedroom with things from home and their interests, such as teddies, photographs and toys. They have all picked wallpaper that expresses these interests or personalities, such as Spiderman, unicorns or sparkly paper. Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 5

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Parents and professionals are very positive about the care that the children receive in this home. They say that the children are safe at this home and that any concern is thoroughly investigated, that prompt action is taken and that they are informed quickly of the outcome. This transparent approach means that relevant people are aware of an incident, should one occur, and the action the staff have taken to safeguard the child effectively.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Effective planning minimises the risks to the children’s safety and well-being. Risks are clearly identified within the child’s care plans. Staff have a good understanding of the child’s specific needs and vulnerabilities and clear strategies guide staff in supporting the children in a safe way.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Since the interim inspection in January 2018, there have been no episodes of children going missing, bullying, physical interventions, sanctions or complaints. The children benefit from consistent boundaries and structure in the day-to-day activities. High staffing ratios mean that children receive the appropriate levels of support that they need to keep themselves safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The recruitment of staff is thorough. This means that all staff are suitable to work with the children. Safeguarding procedures are robust and are fully understood by all staff. Safeguarding training is provided for staff and this is regularly updated to ensure that their knowledge remains up to date with current practice. For example, the staff team has looked at and reflected on the outcomes of several serious case reviews to see whether the findings can improve their practice. Also, the manager is completing a higher-level safeguarding course to extend her knowledge. She will cascade her learning to staff to help to build their knowledge and skills.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children live in a physically safe environment where good health and safety procedures protect them. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks around the home. All medical appliances are checked regularly, including the hoists. The children and staff regularly practise how to leave the home safely in case of a fire. The children all have a snatch backpack that includes all the necessary things that they would need in an emergency. Therefore, staff can help the children to evacuate quickly without having to search for items.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager manages this home. She has recently completed her level 5 management qualification and is well supported by a deputy manager. Between them, they provide strong and effective leadership to a highly motivated staff team. The manager and staff can clearly show the positive impact that living at the home has had on enhancing the lives of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager creates a supportive environment for staff, where they can express their views. Staff confirm that they receive regular supervision. Most of the staff are Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 6 experienced or have had similar experiences of working with children or adults with complex needs. Half of the staff team hold a recognised childcare qualification, and other staff are at different stages of completing a qualification. Staff clearly enjoy their work and they work well together as a team. Comments from staff included, ‘I am settling in well and everyone has been so supportive,’ ‘I look forward to coming to work. It is a great atmosphere,’ and ‘The support and training we receive really helps me to do my job well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access a broad range of training courses to enhance their skills, knowledge and practice. Lots of medical training is given by an identified specialist nurse or other healthcare professionals. For example, epilepsy and recovery training is provided by a specialist epilepsy nurse. This means that staff are clear about how the child’s condition affects them and the support the child needs daily.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She makes effective use of internal and external monitoring, including compliance visits completed by a range of local authorities. Any identified shortfall is addressed quickly, and any positive aspects are celebrated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager actively challenges other services or professionals when necessary. She has put together a procedure that escalates concerns if a response is slow or not forthcoming. For example, if a social worker does not respond to a request, the manager escalates this to senior managers in the local authority. This means that children receive the services that they need or that the home has the necessary documentation to care for the child well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose, which is kept under review, clearly sets out the ethos and aims of the home. The home is centred on the needs of the children. A requirement was made at the last inspection for the manager to let Ofsted know of any serious concerns. The manager now informs Ofsted of such concerns and the notifications show the action the home has taken to address or limit the impact of the concern.

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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

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 Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 7 it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Optima House, 100 Manchester Road, Denton, Manchester M34 3PR

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1231404 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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