Children's Home run by Coventry City Council in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 1 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 local authority home provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since November 2024 and has applied to register with Ofsted. However, a senior leader has yet to provide a suitable reference to Ofsted for the manager. Consequently, this has delayed the registration process.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home, and one child spoke with the inspector. One child moved out of the home during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 26 February 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A full inspection was carried out on 26 and 27 February 2025. Serious and widespread concerns were identified in the care and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. A compliance notice was issued under regulation 12, and a restriction of accommodation was also imposed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 2 On 30 April 2025, Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit to review the organisation’s progress with meeting the steps set out in the compliance notice. The managers had taken sufficient actions to address the steps outlined in the compliance notice and had met one of the five requirements. Following the visit, the restriction of accommodation was lifted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2025 Full Inadequate 01/08/2023 Full Good 11/05/2022 Full Good 26/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 4

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improvement to be good

Staff do not support children to make consistent progress and have positive experiences. While one child is settled and making some progress, the two other children have made limited progress since the last inspection. One child moved out of the home during the inspection. This was because staff were unable to meet the child’s needs alongside the needs of the other children in the home. The safeguarding arrangements and leadership and management systems in the home require improvement. Consequently, this has had a negative impact on children’s overall experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children do not have good daily routines. Some children stay up late into the night and struggle to wake up in the morning. Staff do not ensure children have clear plans and routines, which results in children becoming bored and leads to incidents in the home. Children have limited purpose to their daily routines and are not consistently motivated by staff to plan and engage in activities.

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improvement to be good

Two children are not engaged in education. Staff struggle to motivate children to attend school. Furthermore, leaders do not challenge education professionals’ poor planning or decision-making in relation to children’s education plans. Consequently, two children are not currently in education, which impacts on their progress both academically and socially.

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improvement to be good

The home’s environment has improved since the last inspection and feels homely in parts. However, some areas of the home feel institutionalised due to the presence of several locked doors and window restrictors being used. This does not align with the homely, nurturing environment that the home strives for.

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improvement to be good

Staff regularly seek children’s views, wishes and feelings, and they value them. Managers take action and provide feedback to children when they share their views. Children can share their views freely, which supports them in feeling heard.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to develop independence skills. Staff encourage children to carry out daily tasks and learn important skills in partnership with other professionals. One child has progressed to independence with the support of staff and is due to move into their own flat. This support improves children’s confidence and prepares them to move on to independent living

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff have developed positive relationships with some family members, and they plan for children to spend time with family. As a result, children can maintain family connections and understand their identity and heritage. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 5

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improvement to be good

Overall, children are safe in the home, and one child said that they felt safe. However, there are shortfalls in some of the home’s safeguarding systems, which require improvement and have the potential to leave children vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Staff struggle to de-escalate some situations effectively with children. Some staff respond to children in a manner that escalates their behaviours further, resulting in the need for physical intervention to be used. Furthermore, staff are not always reflective or empathetic when speaking to children following a physical intervention. Consequently, children are not well supported to manage their emotions effectively when they are in a state of distress.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding notifications are submitted late to Ofsted. Also, on one occasion, the manager did not notify Ofsted of a serious incident. When the manager does submit notifications, they lack clarity, and the records require improvement. Delay in sharing significant information reduces Ofsted’s and professionals’ oversight of children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff do not consistently prioritise children’s access to specialist support services. They do not always escalate concerns when children are not receiving the help they need from external professionals. As a result, some children are left without the support required to manage their emotions and experiences of trauma. This has, at times, led to incidents of aggression and violence in the home and has limited children’s ability to make sustained progress.

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improvement to be good

Despite some shortfalls, staff have some understanding of the risks posed to children. When children go missing from home, staff respond appropriately by taking prompt action to locate them and by sharing relevant information with professionals to safeguard them. Children now contact staff to be collected and brought home, reflecting the positive relationships they are developing with the team. Staff welcome children back without judgement and ensure they are safe and well.

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improvement to be good

Managers take allegations seriously and ensure they are investigated thoroughly. Investigations are robust and involve collaborative working with professionals and children to consider all available information. Managers ensure that outcomes are clearly communicated to both children and professionals. They place a strong focus on restoring relationships between children and staff. Following one allegation, restorative and reflective work was undertaken to help repair relationships. Managers provide support to both children and staff during difficult times and ensure that children feel heard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A suitably qualified manager leads the home. However, the manager’s application to register with Ofsted was delayed and remains incomplete. The manager is child focused Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 6 and wants to ensure that children are safe and making progress. Some staff said they feel supported and able to approach the manager for advice and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

However, management oversight and review systems require improvement. The leadership team does not consistently challenge decisions and plans that are not in children’s best interests. On one occasion, the manager did not take proactive steps to challenge social workers and decision-makers regarding the viability of two children living together. This was despite staff being unable to manage the children’s behaviours safely, which placed both children and staff at risk of harm. Shortfalls in the manager’s oversight have also resulted in missed opportunities for staff practice to be addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders are not sufficiently proactive in identifying and implementing strategies to reduce risks to children and staff. Following a high number of incidents involving children displaying aggression towards staff, there is no evidence of consideration being given to increasing staffing levels or providing additional training to help staff manage such situations safely. As a result, both children and staff have been left vulnerable to physically threatening incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders are aware of the shortfalls in staff practice and management oversight. They have strategies in place to address these issues. However, these processes are not yet fully embedded, and their impact is not consistently evident in staff practice or in the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive monthly supervision. Staff say that supervision is helpful and offers a space to discuss any issues they may have. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 7

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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

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

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children and that they are equipped with the skills to manage and de-escalate serious incidents safely and effectively.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 30 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 8 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that they have reflective oversight of incidents in the home. Also, leaders must ensure that they act on learning taken from incidents when assessing risk and considering staffing ratios. This is to ensure the safety and well-being of children and staff in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that they provide professional challenge to agencies and professionals if they feel 30 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 9 decisions and plans are not being made in the best interest of children. This particularly relates to children having access to education and therapeutic services and staff’s ability to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that all serious incidents are reported in a timely manner and include the necessary information that provides a clear and accurate record of what has occurred. 30 July 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children. The home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than institutional environment, specifically in relation to locked doors, ground floor window restrictors and cleanliness in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 10

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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: 2507724 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Po Box 7097, Coventry CV6 9SL

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Inspector

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2507724 12 regulates and inspects to 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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