Children's Home run by Coventry City Council in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 1 Registered provider: Coventry City Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home. All the children were spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in July 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2022 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in the home. They have staff who they can speak to, and they share their wishes and feelings. These relationships with staff help children to learn and accept support. One child said, ‘It’s actually alright as staff care and they are there for me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home to live in their own flat, in line with their plan. They lived in the home for over five years. During this time, they developed their understanding of the world and their independence skills and learned to play the guitar. This child remains in touch with staff to share updates about their progress or to seek advice when they need to. One child has moved into the home. This was well planned, and the child’s individual needs were considered alongside the needs of the children already living in the home. This helped the child to feel settled after a brief period of adjustment, which the staff managed well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress in education is mixed. Two children attend school. One child missed a lot of education prior to moving into the home. This was due to their anxiety and other factors that were out of their control. Staff advocated for a tutor for this child to help them to catch up on some of the work they missed and to prepare them for exams. Despite this support and encouragement from staff, the child struggled and was unable to sit their exams. However, staff continue to work with professionals to arrange an apprenticeship based on the child’s ambition of working in hair and beauty.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health and well-being are promoted by staff. Children are registered with health services and attend routine and specialist health appointments. Staff have worked hard to understand one child’s reasons for previously struggling to attend appointments. They put in place strategies to help the child to understand the importance of looking after their health. This has led to the child being accompanied to their appointments by one of a core group of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A range of positive activities offer children the chance to have fun and learn new skills. Children have enjoyed day trips and holidays with staff, boxing, baking and going fishing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some areas in the home have been redecorated and the garden has been renovated to make it more child-friendly. Pictures of the children brighten up communal areas of the home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. In one child’s room, there are pictures, toys and bedding based on a wrestling theme. However, some areas of the home need some updating and minor repairs. This work is booked to be completed in the coming weeks. Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 4

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

Risk management plans are detailed. They contain clear guidance for staff about the risks to children and what they need to do to keep the children safe. Plans are regularly updated to reflect any changes or emerging risks to children.

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

Complaints and allegations from children are taken seriously and managed well. Managers ensure that matters are investigated thoroughly. Children are kept informed of the outcome. This helps children to feel respected, listened to and valued by staff.

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

Children are helped to understand how to stay safe in the home and community. One child is also encouraged to take age-appropriate risks. This includes spending time away from the home on their own in the community. This enables them to practise making safer decisions as part of their independence plan.

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

Incentives and regular conversations with staff help children to understand important topics, including the dangers of vaping, healthy relationships, and the risks of exploitation. Children benefit from routines and boundaries in the home. However, these are not consistently applied by all staff. The manager is aware of this and has a plan in place to address this.

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

Staff take appropriate action when children are missing from the home. They work with external professionals to actively search for children to help them return home safely. Return home discussions with independent professionals encourage children to speak about their experiences.

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

Staff physically intervene in a proportionate manner to keep children safe. Debriefs by managers with staff and children take place promptly. However, records of these incidents sometimes lack detail. The analysis of themes and patterns in children’s behaviours are also not consistently noted in records. Further to this, on one occasion, the manager did not notify Ofsted of a serious incident involving a child. This affects the regulator’s ability to monitor how effectively children are safeguarded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The presence of the registered manager means lines of management accountability are clear. There is a stable staff team, and the use of temporary staff has been reduced. Children benefit from the stability in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and review systems are good. These systems help managers to identify areas of strength and those for development. When there are shortfalls in staff practice, managers identify and share learning with staff. Further support and training are offered to improve staff practice and development. This is helping to shape a culture of learning and reflection in the home. However, two members of staff have not completed the relevant residential childcare qualification, despite having clear timescales. Managers acknowledge this and have a plan in place to progress this. Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 5 Staff feel supported and morale in the team is good. Staff receive regular supervision and attend team meetings. This gives them the opportunity to share their experiences of caring for children. They can also reflect on their own learning as well as understanding and sharing views about the developments in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work effectively with the wider professional network. They are strong advocates for children and challenge professionals when they need to. On one occasion, managers understood a child’s wish to go to school with friends rather than with staff. The child did not want to be different to the other children in the school. Through negotiation, safe arrangements were made, and this led to the child attending school regularly. Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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 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 has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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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. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that two members of staff complete the appropriate qualification in a timely manner. 18 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 7 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any [other] incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 18 November 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children and is maintained to a good standard. Damage to windows should be repaired and stairs and landing areas should be repainted in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home should understand their roles and responsibilities and communicate changes regarding children’s routines and care effectively. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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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: 1278806 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Coventry City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Coventry City Council, Council House, Earl Street, Coventry CV1 5RR

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Inspector

Nurul Kabir, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 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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