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Inspection report children's home: SC428599 1 SC428599 Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited

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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 why may have learning disabilities and/or a mental health diagnosis. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 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 children's home: SC428599 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/06/2023 Full Good 21/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/09/2021 Full Outstanding 04/09/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC428599 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved in, and one child has moved out since the last inspection. Children who move in and out are well supported and move in a planned way that is sensitive to their needs. The manager explores children’s needs with agencies to ensure that decisions for children to live in the home are carefully considered. Children are invited to visit before moving in so that they can meet staff and the other children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who know them well and understand their needs. Staff work hard to build trusting relationships with children. This means that children feel happy and safe. A child said, ‘This is the best home I have had, staff hear me, I feel important, the staff respect me and my wishes.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles; they have healthy diets and engage in physical activities. Staff educate children about the risks of drug and alcohol use, smoking and vapes to ensure that they understand the risks to their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff. Staff are nurturing, kind and playful, which creates an environment that is warm, friendly and stimulating. Staff involve children in day-to-day decisions, such as choosing meals, activities and decorating their bedrooms. Staff listen to children, but also ensure that boundaries are clear.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have high aspirations for children and encourage them to do well in education. One child had struggled with education for some time. Staff researched local provisions identifying one that met the child’s needs. This meant the child then engaged and made progress in their learning as it suited their needs and abilities. When there are barriers to education, the manager advocates strongly for children and works together with other professionals to overcome these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a therapeutic care and support package. The manager and staff work with the home’s therapist that provides regular guidance and support. The staff are suitably trained to deliver this specific model of care. As a result, children are being helped to develop skills and strategies to manage their own conflicts and difficult feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to experience a wide variety of activities in and out the home. When children have specific interests, they are supported to take these up as a hobby. One child said, ‘I have been supported to have my own horse, what more could I ask for.’

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

Children have good relationships with the staff who care for them. Children can identify a trusted adult who they can talk to. As a result, children feel comfortable to talk about Inspection report children's home: SC428599 4 their worries and to ask for support. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The staff have ensured they have fully got to know and build positive relationships with [name of child], and [name of child] trusts them.’

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

The manager review’s whether they can keep each child safe.’ When one child demonstrated significant risk of harm to themself, the manager promptly escalated their concerns to the local authority. It was agreed that the team could not keep the child safe due to circumstances that could not be prevented. Staff provided support to the child to minimise the impact to the child when they moved out.

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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 needs. Additionally, staff have a clear understanding of children’s emotional needs, vulnerabilities and the potential risks they may be exposed to. Staff understand how to report and respond to any safeguarding concerns.

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

Children’s positive behaviour is encouraged by staff. Staff use proactive techniques to help children to manage their frustrations and anxieties. Children respond to this approach. There have not been any incidents of physical intervention. The manager and staff use their skills and experience to manage incidents well. They are confident in setting boundaries and are consistent in their approach.

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

Children are supported to be healthy and learn about the harms of energy drinks, smoking and vaping. They have access to health appointments and are taught about self-care. However, on one occasion, when a child returned to the home under the influence of alcohol, staff regularly checked on the child but did not seek medical advice.

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

When children go missing from home, there is a well-coordinated, multi-agency response. Records show that staff follow the agreed protocol to try to locate the child. Return home interviews are offered to help develop an understanding of the triggers. Risk assessments are reviewed after every incident to try to reduce the risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and senior manager work well together. The manager is experienced and is working towards the leadership qualification. Leaders know the children well and have strong relationships with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a positive role model and supports staff with regular supervision and training. Staff talk about safeguarding in their supervision sessions and are set targets to achieve. Staff have received training to enable them to support children’s specific needs. New members of staff are well supported with well-structured inductions and frequent probation reviews.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Permanent staff receive regular reflective supervision, however, agency staff do not, which is not in line with the provider’s policy. As a result, agency staff lack protected time to reflect on their work with the children. Inspection report children's home: SC428599 5 Team meetings are used as a forum for learning. The manager is not afraid to challenge and address staff practice. This helps staff to reflect on their performance and to identify areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff are supported to complete any training required. There is specific training tailored to the needs of the children, to ensure that they have the necessary skills to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff effectively use their skills and experience to manage incidents and maintain consistent boundaries. However, children’s plans need clearer guidelines to help staff respond appropriately when children become upset. For example, on one occasion, staff purchased a vape to de-escalate a situation, highlighting the need for more consistency in guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has strong systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided to children. The manager often seeks the views of other professionals, this has supported the development plan in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are creative in promoting strong teamwork and use team meetings to encourage team building. Staff are encouraged to discuss each other’s strengths during team meetings and celebrate each other’s achievements. Staff enjoy working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: 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. However, on one occasion, the notification to Ofsted and referral to local authority designated officer was delayed. Inspection report children's home: SC428599 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(x))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that children’s plans have clear and consistent boundaries, to support staff to understand what is expected of them when children become upset. 20 November 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is clear guidance in children’s plans that guide staff when children are under the influence of alcohol. This should include staff seeking medical advice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that they have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s Inspection report children's home: SC428599 7 staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, receive supervision

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Recommendations

of their practice which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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 children's home: SC428599 8

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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 children's home: SC428599 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 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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