Children's Home run by Courtyard Care Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2620865 1 Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited 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 run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to six disabled children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2020.

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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: 14 December 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2620865 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2620865 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live at this home have complex health needs. They receive highly personalised care that is tailored to meet their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by a consistent staff team whose members know the children well. Staff are very responsive to children’s needs. Staff understand children’s unique methods of communication and are skilled at interpreting children’s body language and reading changes in their presentation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are nurtured by staff and as a result they are thriving. One social worker said, ‘[Child’s name] is observed at each visit to be glowing with happiness. His needs are clearly met and the staff are passionate about ensuring he is humoured, comforted and included in all aspects of his support plan.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy spending time with staff and with each other. Staff are creative and playful. They plan lots of activities in the home to engage and stimulate the children. For example, children enjoy lots of opportunities for sensory play, arts and crafts and story times. Staff work hard to generate a fun-filled family atmosphere in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school regularly. Staff accompany some children to school. This provides children with consistency of care while school staff learn how to meet children’s health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans contain lots of details about daily routines that are important to the children. This helps to provide children with the security of consistent and predictable routines. However, children’s records do not clearly demonstrate the progress children are making and the steps staff are taking to support them to achieve. A recommendation is made to improve practice in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are treated with dignity and respect by staff. For example, staff were observed talking to children about what was happening now and explaining what would be happen next. In addition, staff encourage children to make choices about their day-to-day care. This helps to empower children to have more control over their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s transitions to the home are well planned and coordinated. The manager gathers lots of information about the child to ensure that the child’s needs can be met at the home. The manager also ensures that the child has lots of opportunities to meet staff in advance of their move. This helps children to understand what to expect when they move to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2620865 4

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

Careful planning and high levels of supervision and support ensure that disability is not a barrier to children’s participation in community activities. For example, children enjoy trips to the zoo, sea life centres and museums.

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

All children have comprehensive health support plans. These plans give staff detailed and clear instructions on how to meet children’s complex health needs consistently and safely. In addition, staff receive in-depth, bespoke training on each child’s needs. Staff do not complete tasks related to children’s healthcare until they have demonstrated their competency. Staff competency is regularly assessed to ensure their practice remains safe.

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

Staff spoke confidently to the inspectors about how children’s complex needs should be safely managed. One social worker said, ‘Staff always appear to have a wealth of knowledge and in depth understanding of the child’s needs.’

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

All children have detailed risk management plans which clearly identify children’s known risks and vulnerabilities. These plans give clear instructions to staff about how risks to children should be safely managed. This helps to ensure that staff respond consistently and that risks to children are reduced.

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

There have been occasions when there have been errors in the administration of medication to children. The manager has taken action to investigate these incidents and she has taken steps to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. The manager has not obtained confirmation from an appropriate health professional with regards to the way in which one child’s medication is administered. A requirement is made to address this.

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

The manager ensures that robust checks are in place when recruiting new staff. This helps to ensure that only suitable people are recruited. However, one newly recruited member of staff is under the age of 18. This member of staff does not have sole responsibility for the care of children. However, the employment of a child to work in a children’s home could present a safeguarding issue. The manager took appropriate steps during the inspection to address this. A recommendation is made in relation to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a visible presence in the home. She enjoys spending time with the children and ensures that she is accessible to children, staff, family members and professionals. She demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of children’s complex needs and the progress they are making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has successfully embedded a child-centred culture within the home. She is aspirational for children to lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2620865 5 The manager works effectively with other professionals to ensure that children receive well-planned, consistent care. Professionals speak highly of the manager and are confident in the staff team’s ability to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings. These meetings provide the manager with a regular forum to ensure that staff are up to date with the children’s changing needs. In addition, the manager has used team meetings to reinforce the staff team’s understanding of the home’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a good advocate for children. She is confident to challenge placing authorities and professionals in order to ensure that children have access to the support and services they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff understand children’s unique communication methods. They are receiving additional training in signing systems such as Makaton. This will enhance their communication with disabled children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager learns from incidents in the home and takes action to minimise the risk of reoccurrence. For example, children’s risk assessments are updated when accidents happen. However, not all incidents in the home have been notified to Ofsted in timely manner. A requirement is made in relation to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some shortfalls were identified in the manager’s monitoring systems:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

 Some health assessments were not held on children’s records.  Some sections of children’s support plans had not been updated.  Not all new staff have completed their mandatory training. The manager has not identified timescales for staff to complete this training and she does not have sufficient oversight of staff’s progress with their training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was quick to take steps to address some of these issues during the inspection. A requirement is made to secure improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager keeps a copy of the staff roster. However, the roster does not detail the actual hours worked by staff. A requirement is made to ensure that these records are kept.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff retention is high and staff told the inspectors that they enjoy their roles. One member of staff said, ‘I can honestly say supporting the children puts a smile on everybody’s face throughout the day and that’s why I enjoy being there.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2620865 6

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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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h) 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4) (e)) 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)) 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620865 7 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the staff duty roster should detail the actual hours worked.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s records clearly demonstrate the progress children are making and the steps staff should take to secure this good progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5).  The registered person should ensure that children are supported by suitably experienced and qualified adults. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.6).

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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 for children’s home: 2620865 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: 3 Siskin Drive, Middlemarch Business Park, Coventry CV3 4FJ

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Inspectors

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2620865 9 regulates and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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