Children's Home run by Courtyard Care Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children's home: 2620865 1 Registered provider: Courtyard Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who may have learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. The inspector spent time with all the children.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered since May 2026.

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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: 2620865 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2025 Full Good 13/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/04/2024 Full Inadequate 18/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2620865 3

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Summary of findings

Staff and managers build strong, valued and trusting relationships with children. As a result, they feel happy and settled, and are making substantial progress because of their time in the home. Children speak highly of the staff and the positive experiences they have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well maintained. Each child's bedroom is nicely personalised. There is a wide range of books and toys available, and story time is part of their daily routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and 2 children have moved in. Children's moves into the home are well planned and coordinated. The manager gathers lots of information about children to ensure that their needs can be met. The manager also ensures that children have lots of opportunities to meet staff before they move in. One professional said, 'The transition was fantastic, the manager ensured the right staff were in place at the right time, to make sure they understood the child's needs.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home and spending time with staff. Children have positive relationships with staff, who understand children's needs and recognise the importance of nurturing them. Children's unique methods of communication are understood by staff, who are skilled in interpreting children's body language and changes in their presentation. As a result, children are flourishing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful planning and high levels of supervision and support ensure that disability is not a barrier to children's participation. For example, children have enjoyed trips to the zoo and a marine aquarium, and they enjoy weekly visits from the music man. Children have actively taken part in community events such as a Santa dash and colour run. Recently, the children enjoyed a holiday together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children do not have access to the right support and services, the manager is a strong advocate for them. She confidently challenges local authorities and other professionals to ensure that children have the right support to make progress in all areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a range of approaches to gather the wishes and feelings of children. When one child was preparing for surgery, staff worked with health professionals to create social stories to help the child understand what would happen.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from parents and professionals is very positive. They spoke about good communication and how well they are updated through newsletters and phone calls. One Inspection report for children's home: 2620865 4 professional said, '[Name of child] is doing things I never thought [they] would ever do, such as ice skating and taking part in fun runs, [they are] experiencing life and life is not just happening around [them].'

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

Safeguarding in the home is effective. Staff receive comprehensive training to equip them to safely manage children's complex needs, including health needs. Training in respect of children's health needs is provided by a nurse. During each stage of the training, staff are tested on their knowledge and skills to ensure that they are competent to safely meet the complex health needs of children.

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

Staff are suitably trained in fire awareness, and children regularly take part in fire drills. The manager ensures that all children have a personal emergency evacuation plan that provides staff with details of the support each child needs in the event of a fire.

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

Medication is stored safely. Since the last inspection, there have been 2 occasions when there have been errors in the administration of medication to children. The manager has taken action to investigate these incidents, and she has taken steps to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

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

Robust recruitment procedures are in place. All checks are safe and effective. Staff are checked and vetted prior to starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home.

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

There are safe care practices in place during times of personal care to ensure that all children are provided with privacy and dignity. Parents say staff ensure that their children are well looked after and kept safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an experienced manager. The home is well organised, and the manager has high expectations for everyone living and working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel privileged to be a part of this home and that they work well as a team. One staff member said, 'The manager is the most dedicated, passionate and hard- working manager I have ever worked under.'

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is effective partnership working with a range of professionals, in particular the community nursing teams and dieticians who provide advice and guidance to staff to ensure that they support children in all aspects of their health and dietary needs. Staff benefit from a practice educator who works with professionals in providing detailed clinical plans and assessing staff competencies to help them meet the children's complex needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2620865 5 Staff benefit from good-quality supervision that takes place regularly. Staff are given opportunities to discuss and reflect on their performance. Annual appraisals take place, which are a chance for staff and managers to set goals and objectives to improve their development for the year ahead.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a range of training that is specific and relevant to the children's needs. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to support children effectively. This is supplemented with a high level of clinical competencies to meet each child's individualised health needs. However, not all staff have completed their qualification in the regulatory time frame.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective and organised monitoring systems both internally and externally. The manager ensures that the review of care report is sent in a timely manner. However, the report could be strengthened with more thorough feedback from professionals, staff and parents. Inspection report for children's home: 2620865 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 individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b)) 21 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2620865 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The report would benefit from more in-depth feedback from professionals, staff and parents. ('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 for children's home: 2620865 8

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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

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2620865 9 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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