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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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority managed children’s home provides care for up to four children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2012 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home. They spoke with the inspector.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 30 September 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: 1278806 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2024 Full Good 27/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2022 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 are happy and settled in the home. They share warm, trusting relationships with staff, who know them well and respond sensitively to their emotional and developmental needs. Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of each child’s individual needs and consistently provide care that is tailored to those needs. As a result, children feel valued, listened to and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made progress from their individual starting points. Staff have supported one child to manage their emotions more effectively, which has led to a reduction in incidents. Another child, who previously struggled to attend education, now attends consistently and is making good progress. A third child has been supported to develop independence skills and is preparing to move on from the home. Children feel supported and have a growing sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are valued. Their wishes and feelings are actively sought through a variety of methods, including planned and unplanned conversations and one-to-one sessions. Staff listen carefully and respond to children’s requests, ensuring that they receive clear feedback and outcomes. As a result, children feel heard, respected and involved in decision-making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain relationships with those who are important to them. They actively encourage and facilitate time with family and friends, recognising the importance of these connections. The manager has developed a positive relationship with one child’s parent, which has helped to ensure that the child’s time with their parent is a positive and meaningful experience. This helps children to feel connected to their families and develop a strong sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement in hobbies and activities is limited. Staff are not consistently proactive in encouraging children to explore new activities or develop interests beyond the home environment. As a result, children miss valuable opportunities to broaden their experiences and build social skills through varied and enriching activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is generally clean and tidy. However, some areas appear tired and lack the attention needed to create a homely atmosphere. In some children’s bedrooms, furniture is broken, and some bedrooms are untidy and unclean in parts. Window restrictors are fitted throughout the home, including on ground floor windows, without a clearly assessed need. These issues detract from the warm and welcoming environment the manager is working to create. Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 4

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

Complaints and allegations are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. Staff ensure that managers and external professionals are promptly alerted to all concerns, and children are supported and reassured throughout the process. Children feel confident to raise issues, knowing they will be listened to and that appropriate action will be taken. As a result, children feel safe and reassured that their voices are heard, respected and acted on.

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

Children’s positive behaviours and achievements are regularly recognised and celebrated. Staff use a variety of rewards to acknowledge and celebrate children’s progress. This approach helps children to feel encouraged and supported, which in turn promotes their self-esteem and strengthens their sense of self-worth. However, some consequences used are not consistently proportionate or linked to the behaviours they are intended to address. At times, they are excessive and do not support children to understand the impact of their actions. This limits opportunities for learning and does not reflect the therapeutic approach the home aims to provide.

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

Physical interventions are used safely and proportionately, and only as a last resort to protect children and staff. After each incident, children and staff are provided with opportunities to discuss their experiences and feelings. This approach provides children and staff with opportunities to learn and promotes children’s safety and emotional well-being. However, records of physical interventions are not consistently clear or detailed, and there is insufficient management oversight to identify shortfalls or inaccuracies.

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

Leaders ensure that children are protected by the organisation’s effective recruitment practices. Staff are assessed as suitable before working in the home. This helps to prevent unsuitable adults working with children.

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

Online safety systems used within the home are not always effective. Children are aware of when device checks are carried out, which undermines the effectiveness of monitoring. Staff show limited professional curiosity about children’s online activity and rely too heavily on built-in safety features. As a result, children are potentially left vulnerable to online risks.

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

Leaders do not consistently notify Ofsted of all serious incidents in a timely manner. This lack of timely reporting undermines effective safeguarding practice and limits external scrutiny of serious incidents. As a result, opportunities for oversight, learning and accountability are reduced.

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good

The home is led by a registered manager, who shares warm and nurturing relationships with the children and is focused on ensuring positive outcomes for Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 5 them. Her commitment to being actively involved in their daily care contributes to a positive experience for the children. However, the home’s leadership systems are not yet consistently effective in making continual improvements to the care that children receive in the home.

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good

The registered manager has oversight of incidents occurring in the home. However, this lacks depth and critical analysis. As a result, patterns and underlying issues in staff practice are not consistently identified or addressed. This limits the home’s capacity to learn from incidents and to implement improvements that enhance the quality of care provided to children.

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good

Staff’s recording is inconsistent and lacks the necessary detail, reflection and child- centred focus. These shortfalls are not being routinely identified or addressed by the manager. This undermines the quality of record-keeping and limits the home’s ability to evaluate and improve the care provided to children.

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good

The home has established strong and effective working relationships with external professionals. Multi-agency collaboration is well embedded and contributes positively to the care and support provided to children. Feedback from professionals is generally positive, highlighting the home’s proactive and cooperative approach to partnership working.

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good

Staff undertake a wide range of training, including training tailored to meet the individual needs of children. This has equipped them with the skills and confidence to communicate effectively with one child who responds better to a specific style of communication. Staff are able to adapt their approach to meet the diverse needs of children in their care. They have developed personalised communication methods that ensure children feel understood, valued and supported. 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

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive or unreasonable may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that consequences used with children are proportionate, restorative and related to the behaviours that warrant the consequence. 28 August 2025

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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 incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that Ofsted is informed of any incidents that involve children coming to harm or that are deemed serious by the manager in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 28 August 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; 28 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 7 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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that they have reflective oversight of incidents in the home. Leaders must ensure that they identify opportunities to address and improve staff practice through their monitoring and oversight. In addition, leaders must ensure that they have effective oversight of physical restraint records and children’s online safety measures.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. In particular, ensure that online safety and device checks are completed in a manner that is effective. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)  The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home and are encouraged to participate in those activities. Staff should support children to take part in hobbies and leisure activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children. In particular, ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard and furniture in children’s bedrooms is repaired or

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Recommendations

replaced as necessary. The home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than institutional impression, specifically in relation to ground floor window restrictors. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  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 on 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) Inspection report for children’s home: 1278806 8

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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 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Coventry City Council

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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: 1278806 10 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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