Coniston House

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 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 difficulties, psychological and/or emotional difficulties and associated complex care needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since 23 March 2023. A new manager was appointed but did not commence the role. The interim manager is now remaining in post and will submit an application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

On 28 March 2023, Ofsted conducted an assurance inspection. Serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care of children were identified. Two compliance notices were issued for regulation 6, the quality and purpose of care standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

On 31 May 2023 and 1 June 2023, Ofsted conducted a full inspection and serious and widespread failures were identified. Leaders and managers failed to meet both compliance notices issued at the assurance inspection in March 2023. Consequently, regulation 6, the quality and purpose of care standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard compliance notices were reissued, and a restriction of accommodation notice was issued.

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This monitoring visit

On 7 June 2023, Ofsted received concerns regarding a serious incident that occurred on 6 June 2023 in relation to a child living at the home. The child alleged that they had come to harm and continued to be at risk. Subsequently, on 9 June 2023, Ofsted issued a suspension notice to the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring inspection has been completed to assess the progress made by leaders and managers in meeting the compliance notices issued at the full inspection and to assess whether the home is in a position to safely welcome new children. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379123 2 Since the full inspection, two children have moved on. Despite the children moving on quickly due to the home being suspended, managers and staff worked well with social workers in supporting the children to move to their new homes.

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This monitoring visit

The monitoring of the home by leaders and managers continues to be ineffective and is not leading to sustained improvements. Leaders and managers have failed to meet the compliance notice raised in relation to regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not prepared the staff team for new children moving into the home. For example, staff have not been provided with adequate opportunities to reflect on previous shortfalls and set out clear expectations so that good-quality care can be provided moving forward. As a result, it is not clear that staff have a good understanding about their roles and responsibilities in caring for children. Managers said that there would be a training and development day with staff before new children come to live at the home. However, this had not been organised.

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This monitoring visit

Shortfalls remain in safer recruitment practices. For example, monitoring by managers has not identified that some important documentation had expired on a staff member’s file.

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This monitoring visit

A fire safety report set out that a review of the home’s fire safety risk assessment should be undertaken in light of changes made to fire safety arrangements. This has not been completed in preparation for new children moving into the home and shows further weaknesses in the monitoring and review systems at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Shortfalls in the supervision and appraisal of staff indicated a missed opportunity to develop staff’s knowledge, understanding and skills. Although some staff were receiving supervision, the quality of this is lacking. For example, when members of staff have been involved in key events while working in other homes in the organisation, these events had not been discussed as part of supervision. As a result, it was unclear to managers at this home whether there was any learning for the staff member and whether the member of staff had an opportunity to reflect on what happened.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have not received training since the last inspection to help them understand how to complete physical intervention records so that they are compliant with regulation. A physical intervention incident had occurred since the last inspection. However, the record of this incident did not include all the required information. For example, it was not evident that all staff involved had been spoken to about what happened.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have now consulted partner agencies, such as the police, to inform the home’s location risk assessment. However, this still needs updating to include all control measures that mitigate against all known local risks, such as information contained in children’s missing-from-care protocols. The details of where the home is located are potentially misleading and need amending. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379123 3 Managers have worked hard to make the home warm and welcoming for children. Internally, the home has been redecorated and new furniture has been purchased.

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This monitoring visit

A new system to help managers track the progress of staff undertaking the level 3 diploma in residential childcare, or an equivalent qualification, is being implemented. This is helping to identify potential issues, and managers have plans to address this with staff to reduce the chances of further delays.

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This monitoring visit

New systems have been developed by managers that, when implemented, will enable children to have their say about their experience of living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379123 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/05/2023 Full Inadequate 06/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379123 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, The 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 with the given timescales.

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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)) 31 August 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

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)) 20 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379123 6 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 31 August 2023

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 31 August 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;

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Requirement Due date

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; 31 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379123 7 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. 31 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is suitably located so that children are safeguarded effectively and can access services to meet the needs identified in their relevant plans. In particular, they should ensure that the location risk assessment contains strategies to manage known risks and vulnerabilities in the local area. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379123 8

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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: SC379123 9

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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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Inspectors

Rumbi Mangoma, Social Care Inspector Jackie Line, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379123 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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