Children's home run by Courtyard Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2650054 1 Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited

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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 owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 6 children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. These children contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 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

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2650054 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Good 14/08/2023 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Good 16/11/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 2650054 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children moved into the home and one child has moved out since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a warm, nurturing environment, where they feel safe, settled and happy. They enjoy positive, trusting relationships with staff, who know them well and understand their individual needs. Children are relaxed and benefit from consistent, caring support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s complex communication needs. Children are routinely offered meaningful choices about food, activities and daily routines using their preferred communication methods. This promotes inclusion and respects children’s individuality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children with complex health needs are well supported. Staff understand how to monitor children’s health effectively and work closely with health professionals, who oversee children’s care. This ensures children’s health needs are met safely and consistently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted and supported. Children attend specialist education provisions. Where attendance has been disrupted, the manager actively advocates for children to secure appropriate alternatives. Staff also promote informal learning opportunities, helping children to continue developing skills and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in developing independence and life skills. Some children have made significant improvements in managing personal care. Staff consistently encourage skills, such as cooking, tidying bedrooms and participating in household routines, which increases children’s independence as they prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a wide range of meaningful activities and experiences. These include celebrations, creative activities, holidays and community outings. These experiences help children to build confidence, social skills and positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into and out of the home are well planned and sensitively managed. Children and their families are supported to visit the home prior to moving, helping them to settle at a pace that meets their needs. Transitions to adult provision are carefully planned in partnership with parents and the local authority.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding procedures and are appropriately trained to safeguard children with learning disabilities. They understand children’s vulnerabilities and ensure staffing levels are sufficient to meet children’s complex needs. Inspection report children’s home: 2650054 4 Children do not go missing from home. Staff are clear about the procedures to follow should a child go missing from care, which helps to reduce risks.

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

Staff support children to manage behaviours safely and effectively. Positive behaviour support strategies are used, and children benefit from consistent approaches. One child has experienced a significant reduction in unwanted behaviours due to staff supporting them to develop self-soothing strategies.

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

Physical intervention is generally used appropriately by trained staff and only when necessary. However, there has been two incidents where physical intervention has not been used appropriately. The manager took prompt and appropriate action on both occasions. There have been no further concerns regarding the use of physical intervention for over 5 months.

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

Two allegations were made by one child. The manager took appropriate action by notifying the local authority, social workers and parents. No harm came to the child. However, Ofsted was not notified of these allegations, which limits regulatory oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and qualified. She demonstrates a strong understanding of the needs of children living here. She is well supported by experienced senior managers and a competent deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and motivated. Staff speak positively about the manager, describing her as supportive, approachable and responsive. Children benefit from consistent care and when agency staff are used, they are familiar to the children, supporting continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Induction arrangements have been strengthened and are now thorough. New staff complete shadow shifts, training events, competency assessments and reflective practice, which prepares them well to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and good-quality training. Training is tailored to children’s individual needs, including specialist health training delivered by nurses. Most staff hold a relevant qualification or are working towards this within agreed timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a strong advocate for children. She works effectively with professionals to ensure children’s legal rights are upheld, including securing capacity assessments to inform best-interest decisions when required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person’s monthly reports are detailed and include feedback from parents and professionals. However, they contain limited recommendations and do not consistently capture children’s views. The manager has recognised this and is taking action to improve the quality of these reports to support continuous improvement. Inspection report children’s home: 2650054 5 Professionals generally provide positive feedback. At the time of the inspection, managers were responding promptly to concerns recently raised in relation to one child. Communication is mostly effective, although written incident reports can occasionally be delayed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes 6 monthly review of care reports. These are of good quality and include children’s views and plans for development. However, external feedback or feedback from staff is not routinely considered, which may limit opportunities to identify further improvements. Inspection report children’s home: 2650054 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

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure written incident reports are shared without delay to support timely communication with professionals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that feedback from staff and external feedback are included as part of Regulation 45 reviews to help identify further areas for development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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 children’s home: 2650054 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited

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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

Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2650054 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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