Coniston House

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 1 SC379123

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Registered provider: Cove Care Residential Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home offers care for up to five children with mental health, psychological and/or emotional difficulties and associated complex care needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted. She is working towards a qualification in leadership and management at level 5.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 6 September 2022

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 There has been ineffective monitoring and reviewing of the service, which has impacted on the quality of care that children have received.  Staff do not effectively help children to attend school and engage in learning activities when not attending school.  Managers and staff do not know the children’s education and training targets as they do not have up-to-date records of their educational plans.  Staff and managers are not consistently delivering care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.  Staff and managers are not helping children to lead healthy lifestyles.  Staff and managers do not know if the children have unmet health needs as they do not have copies of their health assessments.  Staff and managers do not consistently consult with children about their day- to-day care.  The home environment is poor and does not show children that they are cared about and valued.

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Findings from the inspection

 Most staff do not receive regular supervision and appraisals.  Managers do not act on recommendations made by the fire service.  Managers do not notify the regulator when serious incidents occur.  Children’s records are not kept up to date.  Managers do not complete a review of the quality of care as required by regulation.

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The care of children

Four children live in the home. One child has left the home and moved into supported accommodation. One child has moved into the home since the last inspection.

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The care of children

Staff and managers do not provide the children with consistent daily routines. For example, children do not have clear mealtimes, and often they do not know what is on the menu for their dinner. One child told the inspector that planned activities are regularly cancelled at short notice without a reasonable explanation, which makes them sad. This does not help children to feel that staff care about them.

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The care of children

Most children are not making measurable academic progress with their education, and their school attendance is not improving. Shortfalls in staff practice do not support children’s learning. For example, staff do not know what the children’s Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 3 learning targets are because they do not have copies of the children’s educational reviews and plans. Managers do not have systems in place to track children’s progress and understand any barriers to learning that the children might have. As a result, they don’t understand children’s experiences in education or any additional support needs the children may have. Not supporting children’s education may impact on children’s ability to attain qualifications and their future aspirations and careers.

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The care of children

Staff and managers do not promote or model what leading a healthy lifestyle looks like for the children. For example, children are not offered support and education around vaping and the impact of this on their health. Some children told the inspector that staff vape in their presence.

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The care of children

Staff and managers do not have records of children’s health reviews. As a result, they do not know whether children have any unmet health needs. This poor practice does not promote the children’s emotional and physical health.

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The care of children

The home environment does not provide the children with a warm and welcoming family home where they can relax and unwind. Staff have not provided a child with adequate storage in their bedroom. Clothes were falling out of the wardrobe, and more clothes were piled next to their bed. Some children’s bedrooms are bare, and areas of the home require decoration. The car park was littered with refuse that had fallen out of the bin. This was visible from outside the home.

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The care of children

Children recognise that the home needs refurbishing and redecorating and have raised their views through children’s meetings. However, staff and managers have failed to act on these requests. This can leave the children feeling unvalued or not listened to.

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The safety of children

A significant incident occurred involving an agency staff member, which left some of the children feeling unsafe. Although managers took appropriate steps to address concerns, they failed to notify Ofsted of this incident. Not notifying Ofsted of serious incidents was raised as a shortfall at the last inspection and has not been addressed.

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The safety of children

A fire risk assessment has been completed. However, managers have failed to act on the recommendations raised in this review by the fire service. Not taking fire safety issues seriously leaves children and staff at risk of harm. Ofsted made a referral to the fire service following this inspection.

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The safety of children

When staff restrain children to help keep them safe, managers do not consistently ensure that children and staff are given opportunities to speak about the incident and give their views on what happened. Furthermore, managers do not review the incident record. These are missed opportunities to reflect on the incident and identify and address any concerns. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 4 Staff and managers do not consistently use rewards and consequences to help children to learn what appropriate and inappropriate behaviours are. This shortfall was raised repeatedly by the independent visitor in their monthly reports. However, managers and staff have failed to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leadership and management of the home are poor. The monitoring and reviewing of the home by managers is ineffective. It does not help to maintain good standards of care for children and limits the progress that they make. Managers do not act on recommendations made by the independent visitor or Ofsted promptly and effectively to bring about positive change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

All requirements raised at the last inspection have been repeated as managers failed to address the shortfalls identified. Two compliance notices have been raised following this inspection. These are linked to the welfare and care of the children and the leadership and management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Managers have failed to monitor staff development, and so some staff have not attained their level 3 qualification or equivalent within the timescales set out in regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Managers do not complete a review of the quality of care provided to children or a workforce development plan to inform the development of the home. They have failed to submit their updated statement of purpose to the regulator within the recommended timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff and the manager do not receive supervision regularly or an annual appraisal. This is a missed opportunity to provide staff and the manager with guidance and an opportunity to reflect on their own development and practice. These shortfalls contribute to the lack of progress and good-quality care being provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

During the inspection, managers did not have access to an agency staff member’s safer recruitment information. Not keeping recruitment information accessible to inspectors highlights a shortfall in the management and storage of important information. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 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 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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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

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 28 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 7 Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(vii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 28 May 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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 28 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 28 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 8 keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 28 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b)) 28 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or 28 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 9 a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that all staff obtain the relevant training within the required time frames.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)(c)) 28 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 28 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 10 the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 28 May 2023

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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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(C)) 28 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 11 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete and submit a review of the quality of care within the required time frames. 28 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff evidence how positive behaviour of children is promoted. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cove Care Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 4BL

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Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC379123 13 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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Inspector

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