Children's Home run by Coventry City Council in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 1 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 local authority home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. There is a suitably qualified registered manager in post.

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Good 12/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 3

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improvement to be good

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. They have all lived in the home for over two years. No children have moved in to the home. One child has moved out of the home, into semi-supported accommodation, as the home felt that they were no longer able to meet the child’s needs. The registered manager and deputy manager were absent for this inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in this home are mixed. Staff are supporting some children to make progress and become safer. However, two of the children have not made progress since the last inspection. Their behaviours and risks have increased. There have been physical assaults to staff. This has resulted in one child having to move out of the home without notice. An alternative home is also being sought for another child, as staff feel that they are no able to meet their needs. This means that children do not have a positive experience of moving out of the home. They are not prepared for leaving both physically and emotionally.

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improvement to be good

The quality of relationships between children and staff varies. The inspector observed positive relationships between staff and children. However, one child told the inspector that they do not feel that staff are consistent in their approaches.

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improvement to be good

Children can, at times, have a negative influence on each other. There have been occasions when they have conspired together to go missing from the home or to behave negatively. Children have also encouraged each other to be aggressive towards staff. This causes other children that witness this to become anxious and feel unsafe. It also causes fractions in children’s relationships with each other. Staff have not completed any restorative work to repair relationships between children. This is a missed opportunity to teach children how to manage conflict and build positive relationships with others.

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improvement to be good

The communal areas of the home are nicely decorated and well furnished. However, there is damage to one of the children’s bedrooms. This has occurred during incidents when the child’s behaviour has been destructive. Staff have been unable to prevent them from pulling off a radiator and causing damage to the decoration on their bedroom walls. In addition, the children’s main bathroom window did not have any blind or covering. This does not promote children’s privacy and dignity, or provide children with a suitable, homely environment. The overseeing manager did ensure that a blind was in place before the end of the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend education. Two of the children are in full-time education and both children told the inspector that they are enjoying their learning. Staff work well with education professionals to support children who are not in education. Children’s life chances are improved because of their engagement in Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 4 education.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the children to maintain good physical and emotional health and well- being. Children access specialist services and receive support from medical professionals when required. This means that the children’s health and well-being are promoted.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to develop hobbies and interests and to enjoy a wide range of activities. These include going to church, music lessons and going on a summer holiday. Staff also support children to learn life skills, such as cooking, budgeting and independent travel. This enables children to have positive childhood experiences that will help them to live independently as adults.

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improvement to be good

Children’s written plans are regularly reviewed. There are child-friendly plans in place, which staff review with children. Staff encourage children to attend and be involved in meetings about them. Children’s views are frequently sought by staff and managers about their feelings and day-to-day experiences. This means that children can positively influence their day-to-day care.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with their families and friends, when it is safe to do so. This ensures that children continue to build relationships and positive attachments with those people who are significant to them.

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improvement to be good

Social workers spoken to as part of this inspection gave positive feedback. They said that good progress had been made in some areas and that children had positive relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff are familiar with children’s risks and understand what they should do to manage and mitigate those risks. When children go missing, staff follow their missing-from-home protocols. The risk of self-harm has reduced for one child. However, when children have displayed new behaviours, staff have not always taken appropriate action to keep children safe. For example, staff did not challenge a child who was using a lighter unsafely. Staff contacted the on-call manager before requesting that the child handover the lighter. This also does not provide assurances that staff always have the skills and confidence to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Allegations of harm are not consistently well managed and overseen. On one occasion, managers did not effectively investigate comments that a child made about staff. They did not share these concerns with the local authority designated officer or Ofsted, and records do not clearly show her decision-making. This is not in line with the organisation’s safeguarding policies. Without these detailed records, it is not clear whether decisions and investigations are adequate.

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improvement to be good

Managers regularly review the use of physical intervention to ensure that it is used only as a last resort. The manager ensures that staff and children are always spoken Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 5 to following each physical intervention. This supports learning for the children and staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s use of consequences is, at times, not in line with the organisation’s ethos towards behaviour management. For example, on one occasion, staff gave a child a consequence of £100 for damage to property. Managers have not effectively reviewed this. They have failed to consider if the consequence is proportionate and effective.

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improvement to be good

Medication is generally managed well. Medication is safely stored, and records are maintained on the administration of medication. However, there has been one medication error. The manager did investigate the incident and made some changes to the administration process. However, there is no record of any reflection with staff to challenge their practice. This is a missed learning opportunity to develop staff’s practice and improve the quality of care.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practices are not consistently followed. While there are organisational checks in place, the manager does not provide effective oversight on these. Managers have, on one instance, failed to show professional curiosity, when there are discrepancies in one staff member’s recruitment file.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete focused work with children to enable them to understand their risks and make more-informed choices to keep themselves safe. When this takes place, it supports children’s welfare and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide a safe environment for children to live in. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks to ensure that the home is safe. Staff and children take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to evacuate the home in the case of an emergency.

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good

Monitoring systems are not effective. The systems in place have not identified the shortfalls in this inspection . This impedes managers’ ability to improve children’s experiences as their understanding of the day-to-day care that children receive is limited.

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good

Managers ensure that the home is appropriately staffed with a stable staff team. This provides children with consistent care from staff who know them well. All staff have had the training required for their role.

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good

Most staff feel supported by the management team. Staff receive regular practice- related supervision and annual appraisal. Team meetings are regular and reflective. This makes staff feel valued and supports their development.

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good

The registered manager has not been present in the home since 3 October 2022. The deputy manager has been responsible for managing the home. At the time of Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 6 the inspection, she was also not available. Management cover has been provided by managers from other homes. The operational lead for children’s services supported this inspection. He is knowledgeable on the progress that children have made. He and the responsible individual have a good understanding of the strengths of the home and where improvements are required. Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 7

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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 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the managers ensuring that the environment is improved and meets the needs of the children living in the home. 6 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 staff— 6 January 2023 Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 8 help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the managers ensuring that staff complete restorative work with the children to repair their relationships.

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that staff have the skills to identify and keep children safe. The registered manager must also ensure that staff follow this guidance. In addition, the registered manager must adhere to the allegations policy of the organisation, investigate allegations fully and maintain clear records. 6 January 2023

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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; 6 January 2023 Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 9 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that monitoring systems are effective in identifying shortfalls in practice. Managers must take action when there are shortfalls identified to develop staff’s practice and improve the quality of care. In addition, managers should also regularly review the use of locks in the home to ensure that they are necessary.

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically relates to managers ensuring that the use of any consequences are reasonable and proportionate. 6 January 2023

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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: 1278806 10

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1278806 11 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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