Children's home run by Coventry City Council in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033056 1 SC033056

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Coventry City Council

Monitoring visit 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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This monitoring visit

At a full inspection on 10 and 11 February 2020, the home was judged inadequate. As a result of the visit, Ofsted made four requirements and two recommendations. This monitoring inspection took place to review the progress made in meeting the requirements and recommendations.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ofsted did not physically visit the home. The inspector gathered evidence in several different ways, including talking to the registered manager, staff and children’s social workers. The registered manager also provided electronic documents for the inspector to review.

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This monitoring visit

The overnight aspect of the service ceased operation on the 20 March 2020 to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Consequently, there were no children or young people accessing overnight short-break care at the time of this inspection. Staff are providing some daytime outreach support for some children and young people.

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This monitoring visit

This inspection found that two requirements and one recommendation have not been met. The remaining two requirements and one recommendation are met. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033056 2 The quality of practice in relation to safeguarding continues to be of concern. The registered manager has taken action to improve the safeguarding arrangements for some children. However, this has not extended to all children. For example, managers have not ensured that information about irritation to a child’s skin has been communicated to the child’s social worker. Furthermore, the child’s plans lack essential information for staff about when marks might be considered usual for the child and why. This is a missed opportunity for staff to understand what is normal for the child and when they need to be more curious. This means that indicators of abuse may be missed. Managers have developed systems to support the monitoring and review of

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This monitoring visit

safeguarding concerns. However, these systems are not yet fully established or embedded. Consequently, the impact of the systems in supporting managers to identify and evaluate concerning patterns and trends is not yet known.

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This monitoring visit

There have been some improvements since the full inspection. For example, the registered manager has reviewed the bedtime routine for one child, in consultation with the child’s social worker and parent. This means that the child is no longer having the lightbulb removed from her bedroom during night-time hours and staff are helping the child to understand how to use the bedroom light appropriately.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff have improved systems for capturing children’s wishes and feelings about their stays. This has included trialling the use of an electronic application to help children who do not communicate verbally to share their views.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has ensured that when it is unsafe for a child to have access to a room or area within the home, the reason for this is documented in the child’s plans.

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This monitoring visit

One new issue was identified in that managers do not ensure that children’s short- break plans are routinely shared with social workers when they are reviewed. This limits the opportunities for social workers to understand and give their view on the arrangements for a child’s care.

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This monitoring visit

Work continues on improving the quality of records.

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This monitoring visit

One compliance notice has been issued as a result of this inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/02/2020 Full Inadequate 22/01/2019 Full Good 12/02/2018 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033056 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 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—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(f)(h)) 18/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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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 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033056 4 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)  Regulation 5 sets out overarching requirements that run across all of the Quality Standards. To meet the aspirations embodied in the Quality Standards, children’s homes need to connect with and be part of the wider support system for each child in their care. No children’s home will be able to meet, on its own, all of a child’s needs. It is crucial that the home works in

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Recommendations

close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting and caring for the child, but particularly the child’s local authority and statutory social worker. The registered person and the staff of the home cannot force a relevant person to engage or work productively with them and the regulation does not require this. The registered person should evidence what they have done to achieve engagement, including any actions taken to escalate concerns. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3’)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033056 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Coventry City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Adult Education, Southfields Old School, South Street, Coventry CV1 5EJ

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033056 6 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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