Children's Home run by Courtyard Care Limited in North Northamptonshire

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 1 Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children who have learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 25 July 2023.

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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: 2709657 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection. This inspection was brought forward to address allegations received by Ofsted.

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The care of children

Children have good relationships with the manager and staff. Staff support children to take part in a variety of activities. Staff ensure that children’s individual needs are met. Staff took children on holiday, which the children enjoyed. One child said that they talk to staff if they have worries, and they feel listened to.

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The care of children

Staff understand the best way to communicate with each child. The children at this home have varied communication methods. Staff are trained in using Makaton and Picture Exchange Communication System to ensure children’s wishes and feelings are known. Staff recently consulted with children on improving the decor at the home.

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The care of children

Staff help children to develop skills to manage their own behaviours. When one child reported that the actions of a staff member had led to difficulties with their own behaviour, the manager listened to the child and made changes. The manager understood that the child needed more time and space to calm down during a behavioural incident. Staff learn from children’s experiences and adapt care accordingly.

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The care of children

The manager has introduced a tool to assess the abilities and needs of children. Staff support children to meet goals through incentivising them with a rewards system. This motivates children to achieve and make progress. However, staff are not always clear what goals children are working towards. This is an area for development.

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The safety of children

Staff complete training to understand how children with disabilities may be more at risk of harm due to their vulnerabilities. A new member of staff said they had good training and support during their induction period. Staff receive training in managing complex behaviours. This means that staff use relationships and distraction to manage difficult situations. Physical intervention is only used with children as a last resort.

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The safety of children

Children are supported by a consistent staff team. Permanent staff cover any absences. Some agency staff enjoy working at this home and as a result have decided to join the permanent staff. Children are cared for by staff who they know and who understand their needs. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 3 The manager updates children’s risk assessments as new risks are identified. There is clear information on how to identify triggers for certain behaviours. Staff are informed on how to respond and reduce incidents. However, the manager does not yet have a system in place to ensure that all staff read and understand plans after they have been updated. This means that children are not always supported consistently by staff.

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The safety of children

Staff support one child to manage risks from social media. The child talked to a trusted member of staff when they were worried about an online risk. The manager acted and informed appropriate agencies. The child now has increased security on their mobile phone, which staff check daily. Staff helped the child to understand why these measures are in place. As a result, the child is safer and has been supported to reduce risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There has been no registered manager since July 2023. The acting manager has been in post since May 2023. There have also been some changes to the senior management team. Although the acting manager states that they feel well supported, they have not been receiving regular supervision. Leaders and managers are committed to improving the quality of care for children. However, they have not been in post long enough to drive forward improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have learned from an experience when they were unable to meet the needs of one child who has since left the home. The manager is confident that they can ensure that local authority care plans will be in place before any child arrives at the home in future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The responsible individual is supporting the acting manager to make progress by completing regular audits and feeding back about the quality of care that is being provided to children. The manager does not yet have good systems in place to ensure that he has oversight of the home. The manager understands the benefit of improved oversight to ensure that children’s needs are being met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager ensures safe recruitment checks are completed for new staff. There is an induction programme in place. New staff receive an increased supervision timetable during their probation period. Although staff receive regular supervision, this is not always effective because areas for development are not routinely discussed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager has not ensured that the home’s statement of purpose is up to date or shared with Ofsted in the required timescales. This prevents the regulator from having oversight of the home between inspections. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 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 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children have detailed, accurate and up-to-date risk assessments in place for staff to follow. This also relates to ensuring that a thorough assessment of new children coming into the home is completed so that their needs can be met and children are suitably matched. 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 31 August 2023 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 6 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)(d)(h))

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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

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Requirement Due date

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 parttime basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff obtain the residential childcare qualification within the required time frames. 31 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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 31 August 2023 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 7 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 is of integrity and good character;

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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

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff are safely recruited, and full checks are completed in accordance with Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(b) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff, including agency staff, have a thorough induction. In addition, there must be a probation process for all permanent staff. 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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; 31 August 2023 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 8 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; 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) (iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person has reviewed any physical intervention within the required time frame and that records are detailed.

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Requirement Due date

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

This specifically refers to any revised statement of purpose being submitted to HMCI within 28 days. 31 August 2023 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce development plan in place that meets the requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that any limits on children’s privacy or restrictions are informed by rigorous assessment and are kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 10

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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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Inspector

Alli Tandy, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2709657 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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