Children's Home run by Coven Care Homes Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2732578 1 Registered provider: Coven Care Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who have learning disabilities and complex needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a permanent registered manager, who is suitably experienced and qualified. This home was registered on 3 August 2023. This is the home’s first inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2732578 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are two children living at the home. Children have good experiences and they are making progress from their starting points. Children’s moves to the home were well planned. Gradual introductions have supported them to settle well at the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a spacious and pleasant environment. Staff have helped children to personalise their bedrooms and they are encouraged to take pride in their rooms.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built good relationships with children. They respond to children in a warm and enthusiastic way. As a result, children choose to spend time with staff and ask for their help.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities at the home and going out to places they choose for leisure activities. Staff focus on listening to children and children make choices in their day-to-day lives. For example, children have choices about where they like to go. One favourite is go-karting. Furthermore, staff take time to explain decisions to children.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s development of independence skills, for example, carrying out tasks in the home such as washing up or going out shopping and using public transport. Incentives and rewards are used to encourage children to make progress and learn new skills.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are both in education and attendance is embedded in the home’s routines. Staff take children to school and college. Professionals from education settings all say that communication with the manager and staff is excellent. This has enabled any barriers or difficulties to be swiftly overcome.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good day-to-day health. Staff support children to access routine and specialist healthcare. They talk to children to help them to understand the purpose of their medication. They implement routines that promote healthy sleep and mealtimes for children. Children sit together with staff for meals, so they benefit from the social element of mealtimes.

p.2

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

Staff understand children’s individual risks. Children’s plans outline action staff must take to support children to manage their risks.

p.2

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

The two children at the home do not consistently get along. One child’s behaviour exposes the other child to inappropriate words and actions. Managers and staff are proactive in limiting the time the children spend together, and act swiftly to intervene when conflict arises. The long-term sustainability of the children living together is under discussion, to reach the best outcome for both children. Inspection report for children's home: 2732578 3 Staff understand how to respond in the event of an allegation. There have been no allegations or complaints at the home. Children do not go missing from this home but children’s plans set out how to prevent this and respond should it happen.

p.2

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

Staff provide children with clear guidance and boundaries. As a result, they understand what is expected of them and respect rules. Children follow their daily routines well. Staff understand how to interact with children and help children calm when needed. There have been no physical interventions at the home.

p.3

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

There is a proactive approach to managing risks relating to technology and internet safety. Managers and staff are vigilant. This is supported by direct work to develop children’s understanding around keeping themselves safe. Direct work is revisited frequently and a range of creative resources and approaches are used to maximize the learning opportunities.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff are aspirational for children’s futures and are committed to helping them make progress. Staff delight in talking about children’s progress and achievements.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they are well supported by managers at the home. They receive supervision and lots of supportive discussions. This aids their development and well- being. Managers have acted when staff performance has fallen short of the expected standard.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are trained in a wide range of topics, which equips them well for caring for the children at the home. Managers provide additional training as necessary to ensure that staff are upskilled to meet the range of children’s needs. The training offer is being continually developed. For example, recording and reporting training is being revisited because there are times when the quality of reports and the language used could be improved.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team at the home. Agency staff are not used and staff are recruited safely. The manager has full oversight at the home and approaches this in an organised and thorough way.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is integral to the day-to-day running of the home. However, she is striving to empower staff to take a lead in decision-making. Alongside this, she is delegating tasks to rising leaders, to upskill them and promote their development. This is in its early stages as the organisation develops further.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has successfully established clear expectations and an ethos at the home that the care provided to children is of consistently high quality.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations have been made following this inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 2732578 4

p.3

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: 2732578 5

p.4

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Coven Care Homes Ltd

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 55 Marsh Lane, Penkridge, Stafford ST19 5BP

p.5

Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2732578 6 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.

p.5

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6