Children's Home run by Blossom Children’s Homes Limited in Coventry

Inspection report for children's home: 2743155 1 Registered provider: Blossom Children’s Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to 6 children with learning disabilities. The previous deputy manager has recently been appointed as the new manager for the home.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 6 children were living in the home.

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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 children's home: 2743155 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/10/2025 Full Good 06/08/2024 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2743155 3

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Summary of findings

Children have made progress individual progress in important areas of their lives due to consistent staff support. There has been improved communication between leaders and staff at the home and the wider professional network, allowing a continuity of care for children. Shortfalls have been identified with medication, the timeliness of some physical intervention reviews and one staff member’s qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff provide children with consistent and nurturing care. Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s individual needs. Leaders and staff invest time in supporting children to achieve their personal goals. For example, one child has been supported to develop their verbal communication skills through the use of social stories and videos. As a result, the child can now use short sentences to express their wishes and routinely calls staff by name. This supports the child’s confidence and sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and children are positive and caring. Since the previous inspection, no children have moved into or out of the home. In addition, there has been minimal change within the staff team over the past year. This stability enables staff to develop a comprehensive understanding of each child’s needs. Children appear relaxed in the presence of staff, which demonstrates that they feel safe and secure in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming. Leaders ensure that appropriate health and safety checks are completed, helping to maintain a safe environment for children. Leaders have developed plans to redecorate the home to create a fresher and more homely environment. This is likely to further enhance children’s comfort and wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff provide children with a range of enriching experiences and activities. Through staff promoting positive relationships between children, they now enjoy spending time together. Children regularly access opportunities in the local community, which helps them to develop social skills and confidence. Children have benefited from holidays to a seaside resort and trips away from the home, including visits to Warwick Castle and drives in the local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff communicate effectively with the wider professional network. They have improved communication with children’s education providers, helping to ensure continuity of care and support. One social worker told the inspector: ‘Since living at the home, [name of child] has become settled and secure. They have made positive progress with communication, social engagement, participation in activities and toilet training. They are encouraged to develop independence where appropriate and are supported to access a variety of community activities.’ Inspection report children's home: 2743155 4 Children’s medication is not consistently managed well. On one occasion, a member of staff incorrectly recorded medication, which resulted in one child receiving the wrong dosage for 6 days. The same staff member subsequently completed a weekly medication audit, and the error was not identified at that time. Leaders have since identified

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

learning opportunities for staff; however, these improvements are not yet embedded in practice. During the inspection, medication was also found to be stored in a food refrigerator. This does not provide sufficient assurance that systems for the storage, administration and auditing of medication are effective.

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

Leaders promote effective safeguarding systems in the home. During supervision sessions, staff are provided with examples of both safe and unsafe practice. This helps to ensure that staff understand their responsibilities in identifying, responding to and reporting safeguarding concerns. As a result, children benefit from a safer environment.

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

There has been a reduction in the number of incidents in the home. Leaders support staff through team meetings and supervision to develop their understanding of children’s individual plans. Staff implement these plans consistently and effectively. As a result, children appear more settled and secure, and there have been no allegations, complaints or episodes of children going missing from home since the previous inspection.

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

Children are supported to learn from challenges and experiences in the home. Leaders and staff do not rely on consequences to support behaviour management. Instead, they engage children in regular discussions to help them reflect on their behaviours and experiences. For example, one child who previously found it difficult to interact with peers now enjoys spending time with other children as a result of the consistent support provided by leaders and staff.

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

Recruitment processes are thorough and support the safe employment of staff. Leaders ensure that all necessary checks are completed before staff commence employment. Since the previous inspection, leaders have ensured that overseas checks are obtained where required for international staff. This provides assurance that individuals are suitable to work with children.

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

Physical intervention is used only when necessary to protect children or others from harm. Staff use the least restrictive intervention for the shortest period necessary. Children are given opportunities to reflect on incidents in a child-centred manner, and staff receive appropriate debriefs following incidents. Managers complete reviews of physical interventions that are both descriptive and evaluative, helping to identify learning opportunities. However, these reviews are not always completed in a timely manner. Inspection report children's home: 2743155 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in management since the previous inspection. The transition from the former deputy manager to the registered manager was managed effectively and did not result in disruption for children or staff. The new manager has settled into the role well and provides effective support to staff. One staff member told the inspector, ‘He has helped me a lot.’ Another said, ‘I shadowed [name of manager] and read his previous supervision records. I now feel like a supervision champion.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and staff share a clear ambition to provide bespoke care that meets the individual needs of children. Staff have recently completed PICA and buccal medication training. In addition, deputy managers and senior support workers receive management- specific training to support their professional development. This helps staff to develop their skills and confidence in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders regularly review the quality of care provided to children. The manager uses effective monitoring systems to identify areas for improvement. The responsible individual maintains strong oversight of the home and undertakes regular audits. This contributes to consistency in practice and supports sustained progress for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff hold, or are working towards, the required qualifications. However, one member of staff has worked part time in the home for 4 years and has not yet completed the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare. As a result, they are outside the required timescale for achieving this qualification. Inspection report children's home: 2743155 6

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Statutory requirement

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 make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 2 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the above principles as set out in paragraph 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that where they identify gaps in qualifications, they act to ensure the relevant units or qualifications are completed in a timely manner at an appropriate level. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraph 1.4)

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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 children's home: 2743155 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blossom Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suites 7-8, Moran House, 449-451 High Road, London NW10 2JJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Matthew Wakeling

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Inspector

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2743155 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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