Children's Home run by Cove Care – Residential Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2645281 1 Registered provider: Cove Care Residential Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in August 2024 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no children were living in the home. One child recently left the home. This inspection focused on the child’s experience and the child was spoken to.

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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: 2645281 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/07/2025 Full Good 13/08/2024 Full Good 14/06/2023 Full Good 06/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2645281 3

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Summary of findings

The child spoke positively about their experiences of living in the home and the relationships with they shared with the manager and the staff team. The manager and staff were nurturing and helped to promote the safety and welfare of the child while also supporting the child to maintain their important family relationships.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers recognise that supporting children’s individual education and health needs are areas for development and have plans to address these. Leaders have established detailed monitoring systems to review children’s progress and staff practice. The learning from these reviews is an ongoing area of development for the manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out. The manager and staff team helped the child to understand the arrangements and to be involved in organising their move. The child’s new carers said that the move was sensitively planned and all information about the child’s needs were shared. As a result, the child experienced a thoughtful move that reflected their individual needs, wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff helped the child to develop trusting and positive relationships. The child said that the manager and staff were ‘amazing,’ and they enjoyed living in the home. Staff encouraged the child to take part in a variety of activities to develop their confidence and independence. The child enjoyed arts and crafts, going to a youth club and a gym, walking, reading and cooking with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is valued by the manager and staff. Staff created positive routines to support the child’s learning and the manager liaised effectively with education professionals. However, when the child experienced barriers to education, the manager and staff were not consistent in ensuring the child received appropriate support. As a result, the child was not provided with an individual education plan to reflect their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s relationship with their family members was nurtured. Staff supported the child to visit their family members and to enjoy celebrations and holidays. This helped the child to understand their family history and identity. When the child experienced difficulties in maintaining important family time, the manager was a strong advocate in resolving these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understood the child’s health needs and helped them to attend their appointments. Staff were creative in encouraging the child to learn about healthy eating and to take part in physical activity. When the child experienced barriers with their health needs, the manager and staff team were not consistent in accessing the required support and challenging any delays regarding this support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2645281 4 The child lived in a home, which is comfortable and homely. A new kitchen and bathroom have recently been fitted, and the dining area has been redesigned. The communal areas and children’s bedrooms were personalised with pictures, plants and soft toys. There is a spacious garden where children can relax and play on the trampoline.

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

The manager and staff had a clear understanding of the child’s individual needs and risks. A social worker said that the manager and staff knew the child well. When the child was in crisis, the staff team skilfully avoided the use of physical interventions. This therapeutic approach created a nurturing and safe living environment where the child did not go missing.

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

Staff helped the child to explore their individual needs by creating opportunities for meaningful discussions. This sensitive approach enabled the child to share their views, wishes and feelings and to be involved in their planning. The manager and staff team were supported by the clinical team to understand the child’s emerging needs and vulnerabilities. This enabled informed decisions to be made regarding the child’s long- term care.

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

Leaders and managers understand and apply safer recruitment effectively. A new monitoring and audit system has been implemented to ensure detailed checks of all staff. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the individual skills of the staff team and are proactive in addressing any concerns regarding staff practice. This ensures that children are cared for by suitable adults who have the necessary skills to protect them.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no allegations or concerns raised by the child. There has been one external complaint about the child’s presentation in the community. The manager promptly and sensitively investigated this and arranged for there to be a resolution meeting. This helped the child to understand the reasons for the complaint and to also share their views, wishes and feelings. As a result, the child felt valued and safer in their community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have worked together with the staff team to address the identified shortfalls. There are revised monitoring systems in place to review children’s progress, staff practice and the home. An area for development is implementing the learning identified from the monitoring and review audits.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team are child focused and resilient. They are committed to providing a safe and nurturing living environment for children. Staff value the support of the manager and are enthusiastic about their experiences of working in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2645281 5 External professionals are positive about the overall quality of care that was provided to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about their reflective supervisions and team meetings. This helps to create positive communication and respectful staff relationships. Staff receive a detailed induction and ongoing training. As a result, staff have either achieved their regulatory qualification or are enrolled to complete this within timescales. Leaders and managers provide support when staff members experience difficulties in completing their qualification. This ensures a focus on developing a qualified staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff value the support from the clinical team. This enables the manager and staff team to reflect on children’s individual needs and the support they require. Following the child leaving the home, the clinical team supported the manager staff team and external professionals to reflect on the child’s needs and experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 2645281 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff work closely with the placing authority so that children are supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, children should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day to day health and well-being. Where children have specific health needs or conditions, they should be supported to manage these subject to their age and understanding. When a child needs additional health or well-

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Recommendations

being support, staff should work with the child’s placing authority to enable proper and immediate access to any specialist medical, psychological or psychiatric support required. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2645281 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cove Care Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 147 Stamford Hill, London N16 5LG

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Inspector

Siân Heffey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2645281 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 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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