Children's home run by Coventry City Council in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033056 1 SC033056 Registered provider: Coventry City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a local authority. It provides a residential short- break service for up to four children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 31 children were accessing the service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2014.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspection started on 18 March 2025. Inspectors returned on 25 March 2025 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.

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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: 13 February 2024

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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: SC033056 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2024 Full Good 26/04/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good 10/02/2020 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC033056 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A full inspection took place on 18 and 19 March 2025. However, following the inspection, concerns were raised about a child sustaining an injury. On 25 March 2025, a further inspection was carried out to gather additional evidence. The service has arranged for an investigation to be carried out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were having short breaks. Staff and children have positive relationships and experiences. Children’s plans are kept up to date, and it is evident that staff implement strategies in practice. One professional told the inspector:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘No concerns at all; they have been very supportive to make sure children are meeting outcomes. Sometimes, key workers will suggest multi-agency working involving families. The staff are eager to learn to get knowledge on how to ensure children’s needs are best met.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to form positive relationships with each other. They participate in positive experiences organised by staff, such as holidays to Great Yarmouth and trips in the local community, as well as themed activities, such as St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Children are appropriately matched to have short breaks with peers they get along with. As a result, children enjoy attending the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s complex health needs. Leaders work alongside external agencies to develop clear health plans. There is guidance in place for health conditions, such as epilepsy and respiratory conditions. Staff respond appropriately and in line with children’s healthcare plans during emergencies. This support has helped children to recover more quickly following periods of sickness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is warm and welcoming. Children’s bedrooms are individualised for their stay; they include family photos and bedding chosen by the children. This gives each child a sense of home when they come to stay. The home environment has been modified to include lower worktops and extended tables. This promotes inclusivity and supports children who use wheelchairs to participate in cooking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are creative in their approach to ensuring that children understand their rights. Leaders and staff have created a talking book outlining policies and procedures. This allows children with visual impairments to develop a better understanding of the support available to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents speak highly about the care that staff provide. One parent said, ‘The service is absolutely amazing; our child is the most prized possession, and we can walk away knowing they are good. We have nothing but praise.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC033056 4

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

Leaders and staff have a good understanding of the risks children face. There are clear risk-reduction plans in place for each child, and staff discuss them regularly. As a result, staff feel confident in using risk-reduction techniques in their daily practice. Staff also use their relationships with children to help de-escalate any challenging behaviours. As a result, incidents in the service are rare because children feel safe.

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

Physical intervention techniques are safely used when necessary. Staff understand children’s triggers and will intervene by reinforcing positive engagement. Children have the opportunity to express their views following any interventions. Leaders review every intervention to ensure that staff respond appropriately. Due to the manager’s oversight, no poor practice has taken place.

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

Medication is safely stored and clearly recorded in the service. When medication errors occur, leaders carry out robust fact-finding to identify any shortfalls. This enables leaders to identify learning opportunities. Learning is shared with the whole staff team to reduce the likelihood of further discrepancies.

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

Recruitment is mostly carried out safely. However, two members of staff have gaps in their employment histories. This makes it difficult to see how they have been determined to be safe to work with children.

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

Consequences are fair and effective. Staff provide children with opportunities to learn following difficult incidents, which helps maintain positive relationships. However, it is unclear, based on the oversight of consequences, whether the manager has approved of those implemented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A committed and long-standing registered manager has led the service for over 10 years. She is highly valued in the short-break service by children, staff, families and professionals. She strives to ensure that staff have the skills to help children reach their full potential. One professional told the inspector:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

‘I know I can always reach out to management. I am always the first person to know directly from the home, so I never have to find out. There is good multi- agency working between the team, myself and families. The manager was really good when getting the extra stays sorted; she came to all the meetings.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and staff promote a positive culture in the service. Staff are eager to learn about each child and how they can best meet their needs. Staff feel comfortable asking the manager for additional resources, including training and supervision, to support them in their roles. Staff are complimentary about leaders. One staff member said, ‘Even down to offering a cup of coffee, they want you to feel welcome. The gestures go a long way; they made me feel part of the team.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC033056 5 Children may only use the short-break service for a maximum of 75 nights in a 12-month period. Leaders have ensured that all children have not exceeded the 75-day limit.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide support to staff during their induction period. There is effective oversight and regular reviews between leaders and staff, ensuring that inductions are finished on schedule.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders provide staff with bespoke training. Staff are confident using what they have learned, including speech and language and buccal medication training. The service holds regular team meetings. Staff value the group meetings, as they allow them to discuss best practice and develop their knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders use a range of effective monitoring systems. The manager carries out weekly and monthly quality assurance checks of the service, using audits and reports. These systems have enabled the manager to identify potential shortfalls at the earliest opportunity. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033056 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should maintain good employment practice, as set out in regulations 31 to 33. They must ensure that the recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC033056 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Coventry City Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Kirsty Truesdale, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033056 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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