Children's home run by Courtyard Care Limited in Tameside

Inspection report children’s home: SC062309 1 SC062309 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

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children who may have physical and learning disabilities, including one place provided for short-break services. The manager has been registered to manage the home since 2013.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 16 October 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC062309 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2018 Full Outstanding 29/11/2017 Full Outstanding 01/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/06/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC062309 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children at this home have complex health needs and are fully dependent upon staff. Children receive individual care that is nurturing and fully encouraging of their potential. Staff work hard at achieving a balance of meeting the children’s healthcare needs alongside developing children’s social and communication abilities. A particular strength of this home is the holistic care that is given to children. Staff are ambitious for children to reach new milestones, experience new and fun activities and expand their means of expressing their personalities, preferences and wishes. The care that children receive is focused upon offering opportunities to enrich their lives, and all personal developments are fully valued and celebrated. From their starting points, children make significant and sustained progress. This progress is highly individual to each child and influenced by their medical conditions. For

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

example, through the encouragement of staff, one child now rolls ‘with purpose’ and can sit unaided for a short period of time. Due to improvements in her health since being at the home, this child is now being assessed for a speaking valve. Another child is making choices using pictures and another child is maintaining greater levels of eye contact. Since the last inspection, one child has successfully moved on to foster care. Children who have life-limiting conditions are provided with sensitive and thoughtful future planning. Staff work well with medical professionals and families in developing these plans and ensuring that children continue to receive the best possible care. Staff are extremely sensitive to children’s means of communicating. Through the positive responses that children receive, they are further encouraged to expand and develop their interactions with others. Plans for children to join and leave the home are thorough and child-focused. Managers

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

and staff provide appropriate and successful challenge when they consider that the overall timescales for children to move in or on are not reflective of the child’s needs. Professionals and parents spoken to describe the children as being happy and safe at the home. In particular, they commented that staff knew and understood the children very well. One independent reviewing officer commented: ‘I only have praise for them really. He has made so much progress and he thrives through being there. He is so happy and animated, far more than previously.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC062309 4

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

Since the last inspection, there have not been any incidents of a safeguarding nature. For example, there have been no allegations or complaints, and no medication errors. The high ratio of staff ensures that children are kept safe and protected from accidents. There are suitable recruitment processes in place to ensure that children are not exposed to adults who may pose a risk to them. Due to the type of care that is offered, secondary interviews are carried out whereby candidates visit the home, meeting both staff and children. This offers an opportunity for both candidates and managers to further assess a candidate’s suitability for the role. Induction of new staff is thorough and ensures that staff feel confident in being able to offer safe and responsive care to the highest standards. This induction covers extensive training, shadowing and supervision. A comprehensive competency framework is used by

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

managers to good effect, to evaluate the abilities of new and experienced staff. Ongoing training, via nursing staff, ensures that staff remain knowledgeable, skilled and confident in their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is extremely knowledgeable about every child at the home. She offers strong and confident leadership to a dedicated staff team. Supervision is both formal and informal and the induction of staff is child-centred. The managers continuously seek new avenues of communication with children, and work well with other professionals in sharing ideas and skill-sets. For example, ‘body-signing’ is being explored as an alternative to sight-based sign language and training is being arranged with experienced teaching staff. Team meetings further enhance staff’s knowledge base. For example, nursing staff introduce techniques of enhancing or maintaining children’s health, such as the use of ‘passive movement’ and ‘percussion chest physio’. The manager has high expectations of staff and the care that is offered to children. She is determined that children make progress while they live at the home and that the care

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

they receive has a significant and positive impact upon their lives. Staff receive regular supervision from managers, and staff who are assigned as key workers also meet regularly to review the progress that children are making. However, opportunities for staff to reflect on their roles are missed.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC062309 5 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: SC062309 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Siskin Drive, Middlemarch Business Park, Coventry CV3 4FJ

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Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC062309 7 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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