Children's Home run by Cove Care – Residential Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children's home: 2645281 1 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 is registered to provide care for up to two children with emotional, social and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2645281 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2023 Full Good 06/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2645281 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from receiving individualised care which recognises their specific communication styles and needs. They develop positive relationships with staff and settle quickly. They feel that this is their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children. They incorporate their wishes and feelings into their care and how the home looks. They have important conversations with children to help them to develop their understanding of risks and how behaviour impacts on their well-being. Staff recognise children’s individual identity and promote this effectively. This ensures that children’s needs are well met. For example, they provide the right haircare and products and food that recognise children’s ethnic and cultural identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is promoted by staff. When children have not attended school for some time before moving into the home, staff ensure that all necessary steps are taken by the placing authority and the host authority to secure the right education to meet the child’s needs. Staff promote learning opportunities for children in the home while an appropriate education setting is identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop effective relationships with health professionals to ensure that children’s physical and emotional health needs are met. They are tenacious when there are challenges for children in attending appointments and ensure that children are able to have their health needs attended to. Staff are proactive in challenging health providers when children face long delays in accessing services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s family relationships are promoted through face-to-face meetings and calls. Staff support children to have family time which is safe and promotes their own needs. When this is not meeting children’s needs, they work effectively with placing authorities to change this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. They encourage children to engage in their hobbies, as well as offering them opportunities to widen their interests.

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

Staff develop a clear understanding of children’s risks. Risk assessments are regularly updated so that staff have the most relevant and necessary guidance to keep children safe. As a result, staff support children in an individualised way to reduce risks posed by self-harming behaviour and going missing from home. This is generally effective, however, when risks escalate due to children’s declining mental health, staff support children to leave the home and move to a safer environment.

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

Staff understand the push and pull factors when children go missing from home. They are alert to the risks and respond swiftly when children go missing. At times, they are Inspection report for children's home: 2645281 4 able to encourage children back to the home quickly so that they are not reported missing. At other times, they follow children and when they lose sight of them, ensure that all relevant people are informed while they continue to search. Independent return home interviews are not routinely offered to children. This means that children do not have the opportunity to speak to an independent person to inform reviews of these incidents. However, this is mitigated, as staff do speak to children and these conversations support children to reflect on the incident and help staff to review their responses.

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

Restraint is rarely used in the home. When it is used, this is only as a last resort and used in a proportionate way. The registered manager reviews these incidents carefully and ensures that a thorough debrief takes place with the child. There is not always a clear record of discussions with staff after they have used physical restraint. This does not ensure consistency in support to staff and learning from these incidents.

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

Allegations are managed appropriately. Advice is sought from the local authority designated officer and their guidance is followed. The registered manager takes steps to ensure that children are safeguarded while allegations are investigated.

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

The registered manager ensures that staff are safely recruited. This helps to ensure that only suitable staff work with vulnerable children.

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

Staff respond to safeguarding concerns appropriately. They develop strong relationships with children, who feel safe and share their previous experiences with them. Staff understand their responsibilities in managing this information and ensure this is shared with the child’s placing authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a new registered manager. She has considerable experience in managing adult care services and is currently working towards a suitable qualification in the management and care of children in residential care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She has a detailed understanding of the children in her care and the progress they are making. She understands where her attention needs to be focused to make the most difference and enhance children’s experiences and progress. She is sensitive to and takes account of children’s starting points and the impact of previous adverse experiences. As a result, the quality of care provide to children is improving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has taken decisive action when needed to safeguard children and has demonstrated how she learns from experiences. As a result, she ensures that children are well matched to the home’s location and staff knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager develops positive relationships with external professionals and children’s families, which promotes children’s welfare. Social workers feel welcome in the home and recognise the difference living in the home is making for their children. One Inspection report for children's home: 2645281 5 social worker said, ‘My child seems much happier and has developed positive working relationships with staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has processes in place that ensure the home is running effectively. She is developing the garden to encourage children to use this space and benefit from new interests. The registered manager is in the process of replacing all the fire doors and redecorating the home. This ensures the home remains safe and welcoming.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from training so that they are able to meet children’s needs. They complete their level 3 qualification alongside more specific training about autism and mental health. Managers provide staff supervision regularly, which ensures that staff have an opportunity to reflect on their progress and development. However, the registered manager has not ensured that all staff have received their annual appraisal to review their development and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Complaints are usually managed effectively. Managers respond to complaints from children and neighbours promptly. This ensures that children feel they are listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met the two recommendations from the previous inspection. As a result of this inspection, one requirement and two recommendations have been raised. Inspection report for children's home: 2645281 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due Date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due Date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)) 16 September 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and of children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’,

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Recommendations

page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children's home: 2645281 7

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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: 2645281 8

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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: 51 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton WV1 4QJ

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Inspector

Rebecca Quested, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2645281 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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