Children's home run by Coventry City Council in Coventry

Inspection report children’s home: SC033056 1 SC033056 Registered provider: Coventry City Council 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 owned and operated by a local authority. It provides a residential short-break service for up to four children or young people who have learning and/or physical disabilities. It currently provides this service for 29 children and young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2014 and holds a level 5 diploma in leadership for health, social care and children and young people’s services.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 22 January 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC033056 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2019 Full Good 12/02/2018 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC033056 3

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inadequate

Significant shortfalls in leadership and management and failings in the help, protection and care provided to children have resulted in a judgement of inadequate for this home. Managers and staff failed to identify and act on a potentially serious safeguarding concern and this has compromised children’s safety and welfare.

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inadequate

The progress and experience of children since the previous full inspection have been negatively affected by inappropriate staff responses to children’s behaviour. For example, it was found that on at least two occasions light bulbs have been removed from children’s bedrooms at night to prevent them staying awake. Removing children’s access to light could cause upset and is not helping them to learn to manage their behaviour and improve their bedtime routines.

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inadequate

Managers ensure that children’s care plans contain necessary information about their health and behavioural needs. However, children’s wishes and feelings about their stays and any worries they may have are not captured in these records. Staff do not demonstrate what creative methods they use to communicate with children to improve the quality of care provided.

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inadequate

The home is very clean and well cared for. Since the previous inspection, new carpets and furniture have been purchased to create a modern and relaxing environment. Access to some rooms, including the kitchen, laundry room and staff working area, is via an electronic keypad. This means that the home is not as homely as it could be.

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inadequate

Children enjoy a variety of opportunities when staying at this home, including playing games, arts and crafts, swimming, visiting the zoo and enjoying trips on a canal boat. Consequently, children have fun and spend time with other children developing their social skills and confidence.

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

Children are not safeguarded effectively. Staff receive training in safeguarding and about how to safeguard disabled children, but have failed to protect a child at potential risk of harm. Consequently, this child and other children may be at risk because staff do not understand safeguarding processes and do not implement them as required.

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

Managers and staff have failed to report eight incidents of unexplained and significant bruising to a child, in line with their safeguarding procedures. In addition, managers have had oversight of some of these incidents and have failed to take effective action. Inspection report children’s home: SC033056 4 Staff and managers do not ensure that safeguarding records and other records relating to children are completed to a good standard. Records sampled during this inspection were not clear and do not include outcomes or actions for follow-up. Some paperwork is not child centred and needs review, including daily recordings and forms for reporting safeguarding concerns.

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

Safeguarding policies and procedures require evaluation. During this inspection, three different processes were shared with the inspector for staff to follow in response to protecting children. Some of the actions listed require review to ensure that staff follow statutory safeguarding procedures and take responsibility for protecting children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of this home are weak. Effective action has not been taken to ensure that staff prioritise children’s safety and do not use restrictive practices to manage children’s behaviour. The lack of management oversight has had a significant impact on the safety and welfare of children at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to review and monitor safeguarding concerns for a child in the home to highlight shortfalls. They have not identified patterns and trends that cause concern or help staff to learn from situations. Managers and staff have not shown professional curiosity in their care of a child. On several occasions, the registered manager has failed to identify serious concerns for the welfare of a child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has met all the requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection, including ensuring that staff receive training about safeguarding disabled children. However, evidence of what this training included and areas for future development were not shared by the registered manager. Given the findings on this inspection, staff require further support and help in understanding their role in safeguarding children .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff and social work professionals and team managers did not raise any concerns about the quality of care provided at this home. Staff feel that the manager is very dedicated and approachable. Inspection report children’s home: SC033056 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(vii)) 03/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— regularly consult children, and seek their feedback about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(a)(iv)) 03/04/2020

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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 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; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 03/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC033056 6 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child

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Requirement Due date

effectively from harm; that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(f)(h)) 03/04/2020

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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 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, review the use of keypad locks to internal doors.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC033056 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC033056 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Coventry City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Council House, Earl Street, Coventry CV1 5RR

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Inspector

Anna Gravelle, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033056 9 to 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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