Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: 2515609 1 Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private company. The home provides care for up to six children, who may have learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a permanent registered manager, who is suitably experienced and is working towards a relevant qualification.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, five children were living at the home. All children were present and spent time with the inspector.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 27 November 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2515609 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/11/2024 Full Good 13/06/2023 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Good 03/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2515609 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home are provided with a good quality of care. The home comprises of two separate buildings. Four children live together harmoniously in one building. The second building was unused for a period prior to February 2025, when a child moved in. This was a planned move, from another of the provider’s homes. Senior leaders made this decision in the child’s best interests, and to reduce the impact of their needs upon others. They have settled well at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a nurturing and calm approach in their interactions with children. Children have trusted relationships with staff. They enjoy being in the care and company of staff, and they actively seek reassurance and comfort from them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to sustain family relationships and to safely enjoy spending time with those who are important to them. Managers share photographs of children’s experiences and progress with family members. Staff help children to buy cards and gifts for their loved ones for special occasions. As a result, families are kept well informed and have trust in the staff to care for their children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff embed clear routines for children, and education is central to this. Children either go to school or have interim arrangements for home tuition. Managers have worked in partnership with the relevant professionals to secure appropriate education for children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to prepare for important appointments, for example, using social stories with symbols to support children to go to the dentist. Staff ensure that children access all necessary health care to sustain good health and development. Managers are proactive in planning for future health and care needs. For example, securing a portable hoist and new slings in preparation for a child’s upcoming operation.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the targets children are working towards. The targets are kept under regular review; staff reflect upon the progress and revise these accordingly. Staff promote children’s independence and praise their achievements. As a result, children are making clear progress. In particular, children are making notable progress in communication and contribution to their personal care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Aspects of the home have been renovated and redecorated. One bedroom has a strong malodour; this is limited to this one room. The home has vast garden space, and all children enjoy spending time outdoors. This includes water play, scooters, swings and trampoline fun.

p.3

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

Staff prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children. Overall, there has been a low number of behavioural incidents for the children at the home. Staff are attentive and Inspection report for children’s home: 2515609 4 provide reassurance to children, this helps them manage their emotions and communicate their needs. Staff help children to learn about appropriate behaviour and keeping safe, using approaches in line with their ability. For example, using symbol- based resources and reinforcing the use of ‘kind hands’.

p.3

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

However, for one child who has recently moved to the home, there is a pattern of behavioural incidents that are higher in frequency and intensity. This is due to the complexity of their needs. Most of the core staff at the home are not experienced or sufficiently skilled to manage these incidents. To mitigate this, the child’s care is being overseen by a manager and staff from the previous home. These staff are familiar and skilled in meeting the child’s needs. The home’s staff are being upskilled and introduced gradually. There has been a reduction in incidents for this child.

p.4

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

Any concerns raised are taken seriously by the manager and are logged as complaints, for transparency. A thorough and proactive response is made to all issues raised. This has vastly strengthened staff relationships with children’s families.

p.4

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

There has been one missing incident that could have been very serious, as a vulnerable child left the home barefoot at nighttime. Staff took prompt action to secure their safe return. There were shortfalls in care planning about this risk, enabling the child to leave via an unlocked external door without staff being initially aware. At the time of the inspection, further measures were being explored to manage this risk, following another attempt by the child to leave the garden unsupervised.

p.4

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

There is no record of visitors to the home kept. This could impede potential safeguarding investigations and is a shortfall in the home’s record keeping.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has the uttermost dedication to the role, is aspirational and strives for the best outcomes for the children living at the home. The manager is now supported by two team leaders, although one is very new to the team. The manager has diligent oversight at the home and makes effective use of external feedback, and the organisations quality assurance systems.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The addition of a manager and group of staff from another home has brought about some challenges to staffing, leadership and management. This is due to different management styles, and streamlining processes has taken time to embed. Senior leaders are supporting and overseeing this arrangement.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a core staff team at the home, some staff have worked at the home for a very long time. However, there is a high number of agency staff utilised, this can be up to half the staff team each day. However, these are usually consistent staff who are familiar to the children. There is ongoing recruitment to address the shortfalls, with some staff currently onboarding. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515609 5 Staff development is a key focus at the home. Permanent staff have clear and detailed induction plans when they are new to the home. All staff, including regular agency staff receive effective supervision. This is enhanced by practical sessions where managers demonstrate and complete tasks alongside staff. This aids staff understanding of the task and the expected standard.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are trained in a breadth of topics, and the manager has good oversight and addresses gaps in staff training. Overall, this ensures that staff are well equipped for their roles. Bespoke training was arranged when a new child moved to the home, to help staff understand and meet their specific needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is very present and approachable; staff are confident that they can seek their support or advice at any time. Staff speak positively about working at the home, they are proud of children’s progress, and they feel well supported by leaders and managers. Inspection report for children’s home: 2515609 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that they identify all risks for children, and that they implement robust measures to safeguard children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This also relates to staff being vigilant in following children’s plans to keep them safe at all times. 25 July 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 25 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2515609 7 This specifically relates to keeping a record of all visitors to the home, and to children including the names of visitors and the reasons for their visit.

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive. Homes must also meet children’s basic day to day needs and physical necessities; this includes the home being free from malodour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

p.7

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: 2515609 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Ltd

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton WV4 6JG

p.8

Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2515609 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9