NumberFour

Inspection report for children’s home: SC428599 1 SC428599 Registered provider: Courtyard Care Ltd

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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 who may have learning disabilities and/or a mental health diagnosis.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection there were no children living at 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 for children’s home: SC428599 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2024 Full Good 27/06/2023 Full Good 21/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/09/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC428599 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a positive experience living at the home as a result of the nurturing and individualised care they receive. Most children make significant progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-considered assessments of children’s needs means that children only come to live at the home if the staff have the skills to care for them and keep them safe. On one occasion, one child with significant mental health needs was unable to remain at the home to ensure their own safety. The registered manager worked closely with mental health services, the child’s family and social worker to manage the situation in a child-centred manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving on from the home, in line with their care plans benefit from well- paced transitions. This ensures that children are prepared for the next stage of their lives and have a positive experience of leaving the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with primary and specialist health services to identify and address children’s physical and emotional health needs. There are strong and well-established links between the registered manager and local child and adolescent mental health services. These positive working relationships mean that children are able to move from residential mental health provision into the home with clear plans of support in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with their families is supported and promoted. Parents are welcomed into the home to spend time with their children where this is appropriate. When children move back to live with their families, staff offer support during their transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well presented and provides children with a homely environment. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their own tastes and interests. There is large garden to the rear of the house which gives children plenty of space to enjoy time outside.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the strengths and vulnerabilities of the children in their care. The staff team are involved in well-embedded multi-agency information sharing and joint working which helps identify and reduce risks to children.

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

Written risk assessments and placement plans are of good quality. They provide staff with the information they need to act to safeguard the children in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428599 4 Children are helped to make progress through regular and purposeful one to one time with staff. This supports children to develop personal skills and implement positive strategies to help them meet their goals.

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

When serious incidents occur, there is a prompt and appropriate response from staff in order to safeguard children and reduce risks. Written records are detailed and of good quality. There is timely oversight from the registered manager to ensure that staff practice is appropriate and keeping children safe.

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

When children go missing from home staff are proactive in their response. They use their knowledge of children and follow children’s written plans. There is timely sharing of information with family, police and social workers in order to reduce risk and bring children home safely.

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

Children’s day to day care records are not always written in a style which is helpful to children. Records are written about, rather than to children. Some records refer to children by their initials rather than their names. This approach does not help children to view these records as their own, or to understand, contribute to, or access them now or in adulthood.

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

Children and staff benefit from regular input from the in-house therapist. This specialist advice and support helps to inform staff practice. It provides children and staff with improved skills and understanding which encourage positive behaviours and support children’ s emotional well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leadership and management of the home is strong. The registered manager is skilled and knowledgeable. She is aspirational for the children in her care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has robust systems in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of care experienced by children. Quality of care reports are evaluative and include the views of children, families and external professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager completes detailed pre-admission assessments to inform decision making about children coming to live at the home. These assessments do not always show consideration of the needs of the children already living at the home. These gaps in written assessments have not impacted on the experiences of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff new to the home receive a well-planned induction and an appropriate level oversight to support them in their new role. All staff receive regular high quality supervision and training which gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice and the progress and experience of children. Annual appraisals are comprehensive and reflective with clear targets set to support staff development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428599 5 Team meetings are regular with a clear focus on children’s experiences and progress. Team meeting minutes are comprehensive and provide staff with a detailed record of discussions. Staff are included in considerations of new children coming to live at the home. This helps to ensure that staff have the skills and experience to meet the needs of all children at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Family members and external professionals spoken to by the inspector speak highly of the quality of care staff provide to children and the leadership demonstrated by the registered manager. The registered manager has strong and effective working relationships with placing authorities and other professionals involved in the care of children. This contributes to children receiving the services they need in a well- planned and timely way. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428599 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s care records are written sensitively and in language which is respectful to children and helps children to understand their care experiences. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that pre-admission assessments of children’s needs take into account the needs of children already living in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: SC428599 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Siskin Drive, Middlemarch Business Park, Coventry CV3 4FJ

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC428599 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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