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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC397933 1 SC397933 Registered provider: Cove Care - Residential 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

This children’s home is privately owned. It provides care for two young people who have complex needs. The organisation has a therapy team which provides support and advice to staff. The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 10 to 11 September 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children‟s home: SC397933 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/09/2018 Full Good 06/03/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC397933 3

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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 health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(i)) 15/11/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) 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; help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii) 15/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 15/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 15/11/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC397933 4 that arrangements are in place to— plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(iii)) The registered person must notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement of purpose within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(b)) 15/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home— if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(3)(d)) 15/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 15/11/2019

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improvement to be good

All young people attend education and are making progress with their learning. Since the last full inspection, two young people have attained qualifications and progressed to college. This achievement is creating career pathways and future employment opportunities for them. When young people are struggling with their education, staff work well with partner agencies to identify appropriate support to re-engage them.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to participate in a range of opportunities and have different experiences. Young people enjoy various leisure activities such as going to the cinema, going out for meals, going shopping, going on holiday and attending youth clubs. Young people develop hobbies and interests as well as building their social skills, self-esteem and confidence. Furthermore, young people feel part of the community.

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improvement to be good

Staff undertake regular key-work sessions with young people, and there are further opportunities for young people to express their wishes and feelings at young people’s meetings. As a result, young people contribute to their daily care and the running of the home.

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improvement to be good

Not all young people’s health needs are well met by staff. For example, staff did not promptly follow up information in one young person’s health assessment report. As a Inspection report children‟s home: SC397933 5 result, it is not clear whether the young person has received all the support she needs to promote her health and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not update young people’s health records when they receive input from the in- house clinical team and partner agencies. As a result, managers and staff do not sufficiently track young people’s progress with regards to their emotional well-being. Managers and staff do not keep clear records relating to young people’s attendance at health appointments. In addition, staff are not proactive in ensuring that young people receive sexual health education, despite knowing that young people are in relationships. These shortfalls do not promote young people’s physical health and emotional well- being.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not consistently manage young people’s transitions to and from the home well. On one occasion, senior managers admitted a young person into the home whose needs the staff could not meet. The young person’s behaviour had an impact on another young person’s routine, which left them feeling unsettled. The recently admitted young person moved on within a short period of moving in. As a result, the young person did not experience stability, and other young people’s experiences were affected for a short time.

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improvement to be good

Young people do develop some good independence skills. However, the support they receive does not go far enough. For example, one young person is fast approaching adulthood and the plan is that she will move on to supported accommodation. Staff have not helped the young person learn to manage her own medication in preparation for this impending move. In addition, although her move is imminent her transition plan is not yet clear. This means that this young person is not receiving enough support and information to fully prepare her for her next steps.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s risk assessments do not contain information about all known risks to sufficiently inform and guide staff about how to reduce and manage these risks. Given young people’s complex needs, this has the potential to compromise young people’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always work effectively to prevent young people leaving the home without permission, and on three occasions they did not follow the young people in line with their trigger plans. However, staff did act quickly once young people had left and this mitigated some of the risk and impact on young people. Staff worked with partner agencies, and the young people returned home safe and well after a short period of time.

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improvement to be good

Staff and the manager did not provide one local authority with all relevant information when a safeguarding incident occurred. This meant that the young person’s social worker did not understand the full context of what happened to help them make an informed decision about what actions may be required to fully safeguard the young Inspection report children‟s home: SC397933 6 person. Action was taken to address this during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff and the manager could not evidence that they undertake online safety work with young people. This does not enable young people to learn how to keep themselves safe when they access the internet at home and within the community.

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improvement to be good

Young people told the inspector that they feel safe at the home. They develop trusting relationships with staff and one young person said, ‘If I have a problem staff will sort it out.’

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improvement to be good

For the most part, staff manage young people’s challenging behaviour and complex needs well. Incidents of self-harm have reduced, and there have been no incidents of physical intervention and no complaints.

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improvement to be good

Staff use praise and positive consequences to reinforce and maintain positive behaviour. This is effective and enables young people to understand and accept boundaries. It also helps them to learn appropriate ways of managing their emotions and behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager’s monitoring and reviewing processes do not allow for effective oversight of the quality of care. For example, the manager has not ensured that she has taken action to address all the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection. In addition, she has not ensured that a young person’s risk assessment was updated with all known risks, and there is no clear audit trail of all health appointments attended by young people. The lack of effective monitoring does not fully support the development of the home and help staff to meet all of the young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers do not consistently follow safer recruitment practice. There is a lack of professional curiosity to explore full details of one staff member’s employment history. This does not ensure that only suitable adults care for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager does not submit the home’s statement of purpose to Ofsted when it has been reviewed and updated. This does not keep the regulator appropriately informed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff reported that they feel well supported by the manager. They receive high-quality supervision, which is focused on their well-being, development and practice. Staff meetings are utilised effectively to share training. This supports staff development and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and staff develop positive relationships with partner agencies. Professionals are pleased with the support and care staff provide to young people, which has enabled the young people to make some good progress from their starting points.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children‟s home: SC397933 7 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 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: SC397933 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cove Care - Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC397933 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 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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