Children's home run by Courtyard Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1231404 1 Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to five children who may have learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or sensory impairment. At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 26 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1231404 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2023 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good 11/01/2022 Full Outstanding 07/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1231404 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children receive individualised care from dedicated and responsive staff. All the children are very much recognised for their own uniqueness, and staff tailor their approach to each child who they are working with. This provides the children with high- quality personalised care that meets their complex needs. A family member said, ‘We won the lottery finding this home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children use various communication methods to convey their views and wishes. Staff allow the children time to convey their needs and actively listen to the children before responding. This creates a home where children are central to their own care. They share their voice, and staff respond accordingly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff demonstrate genuine aspiration for the children’s success and are committed to helping them reach their full potential. They engage directly with the children, assisting them in breaking down objectives into manageable tasks and then empowering them to acquire the necessary skills independently. Through consistent encouragement and praise, the children have made progress over time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school regularly, with staff accompanying one child to ensure that they have consistency of care around their health needs. Children are fully engaged in education. They have excellent school attendance and make significant progress. The close collaboration between staff, managers and education colleagues ensures that staff understand the areas where children need support, which enables them to provide the necessary assistance for the children to excel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children have warm and sensitive relationships. Staff are skilled in guiding and reassuring children. This helps children to feel cared for and understood. Staff understand that children need to be nurtured to feel happy and safe. This nurturing care helps children to flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with people who are important to them. The manager advocates for children and supports increased time spent with loved ones. This ensures that children maintain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences in the home. They participate in a range of enjoyable activities, such as having days out at the beach, going on trips to the cinema, shopping and going to parks. There are photos of children engaged in different experiences around the home. Children also have memory books that capture their time from when they moved into the home up until when they leave. This helps to provide children with good memories of their time spent in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231404 4

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

Staff understand each child’s unique methods of communication, supported by individual communication passports. They are attuned to the children’s communication styles. Children who are non-verbal will point with their eyes, directing staff to items of choice. Staff are sensitive to the child’s facial cues and gestures and use these to help the child to make choices in their daily life.

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

The children have differing complex health needs and are all wheelchair users. The home and garden areas have the appropriate adaptions in place and are accessible for all children. There is specific equipment in place that allows children to remain safe while having their needs met.

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

Staff are highly attentive to children’s needs. They closely monitor even subtle changes in their presentations which could signal health deterioration. Health professionals praise the staff’s proactive approach in seeking and acting on support and advice, fostering excellent communication between the teams.

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

There is a robust medication process in place. When medication errors have occurred, action has been taken to rectify the errors as soon as possible. Staff receive extra training and support when necessary. This prevents further errors being made.

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

Restrictions are in place, including high staffing ratios and locks on the front door, to prevent children from leaving the home and encountering potential harm. These measures are based on comprehensive assessments of each child’s unique needs and are carefully documented.

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

Staff are trained to meet the complex clinical health needs of the children and ensure that they receive robust and comprehensive care. Before supporting the children, staff receive thorough training and assessment by a nurse educator, which equips them to handle a wide range of health requirements. A well-managed system is in place for ensuring the highest standard of care.

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

Safeguarding practice is effective. Staff receive safeguarding training that is specific to children’s disabilities. Additionally, staff have a clear understanding of children’s needs, vulnerabilities and the potential risks they may be exposed to. Staff understand how to report and respond to any safeguarding concerns. However, not all staff fully understand the role of the local authority designated officer.

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

Leaders and managers respond to incidents immediately. If these occur, staff prioritise the safety and well-being of the children. Managers are thorough in their investigations. They are prompt in sharing any learning to inform staff practice. The manager liaises appropriately with external professionals, such as social workers and the local authority designated officer. This ensures that there is external scrutiny of safeguarding measures in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231404 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced, suitably qualified and is well supported by a deputy manager and team leaders. The leadership team is very proactive in its collaboration with external agencies and parents. Many individuals are involved in the children’s lives. Time is taken to ensure that the children receive a coordinated and responsive service from all involved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive from the leadership team. One member of staff said, ‘It’s an amazing place to work and wish I had come here earlier. Everything is so child centred, I really am loving working here.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular good-quality supervision which gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice and learning needs. Regular team meetings are purposeful and focus on ensuring that the staff consistently meet the children’s needs. The manager advocates for staff to continually develop their skills and knowledge. This means that children receive the best care possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff maintain detailed, individual plans for each child. Despite regular updates, some information remains confusing due to unamended historical details. However, staff are fully aware of the children’s needs and support them according to the plans. Managers are addressing record-keeping shortfalls by removing outdated information to improve the quality of the plans. In addition, the recording of the healthcare support that staff provide to children is not always thorough.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from parents and professionals is positive. They say that children are settled and well cared for. One social worker said, ‘A strength of the service is the long-standing staff, and this means that they know the children well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a good advocate for children. She is confident to challenge placing authorities and professionals to ensure that children have access to the support and services that they require. However, the manager has not followed the provider’s escalation policy when children’s annual health reviews have been delayed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and areas of improvement. They have implemented systems to improve their oversight through regular auditing and evaluation. This is improving practice in several areas and means that staff provide better care for children. The manager has met the requirement made at the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231404 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, The 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 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

The registered person must ensure that children’s case records contain up-to-date information about the children. Staff must routinely record when health needs have been met, and information between the relevant plans must match to prevent any confusion. 20 August 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are aware of the role of the local authority designated officer in line with the home’s policy on protecting children from abuse and neglect. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)  The registered person should ensure that the home has an up-to-date healthcare plan for the child from the local authority. It is essential that staff understand what is required of them to meet the needs of the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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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 for children’s home: 1231404 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jacqueline Hills

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Inspector

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1231404 8 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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