Children's Home run by Coventry City Council in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: 2810028 1 Registered provider: Coventry City Council

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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 local authority managed children’s home provides care for up to 4 children, who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties. The purpose of this home is to provide children living in the city with a same day, short-stay home. Leaders use this stay to complete an initial assessment of children’s needs and provide appropriate support.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since September 2025. The new manager started in June 2026 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living in the home. One child spoke with the inspector, and all 3 children were observed as part of the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 15 September 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 for children’s home: 2810028 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/09/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2810028 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 7 children have moved into the home, and 4 children have moved out. Despite the short stay nature of the home, children develop positive relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s needs and how to keep them safe. Children receive care that is kind, nurturing and in line with their individual needs.

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Summary of findings

The home has been without a registered manager for an extended period. This has created some instability and led to a lack of consistent management oversight. However, senior leaders have ensured that this has not impacted on children’s safety or overall experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are well planned. Children receive information about the home and staff before they move in, helping them to understand what to expect. Children are provided with a welcome pack containing thoughtful items that help them feel valued and welcomed. When children move on from the home, staff arrange and support children to visit their new home where possible. As a result, children feel well supported and cared for during a time of uncertainty.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a wide range of enjoyable activities that reflect their interests and promote their wellbeing. These include visits to local parks, trampolining, trips to the seaside and outings to the cinema. Children enjoy positive and enriching experiences that help them to have fun, build confidence and create lasting memories. These opportunities support children’s social development and contribute to their overall sense of belonging and enjoyment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a strong emphasis on helping children to maintain relationships with the people who are important to them. They are proactive in planning for children to spend time with significant family members and friends. Staff provide practical and emotional support, including transporting children to visits and remaining nearby, when appropriate, to offer reassurance and assistance. This support allows children to maintain important family connections. This helps to promote their sense of identity and belonging while ensuring that relationships that are important to them are valued and nurtured.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s education needs effectively. Although some children who move into the home do not have educational placements, staff are proactive in thinking creatively about how children can be supported to access educational activities. Children Inspection report for children’s home: 2810028 4 who are in school are encouraged to attend and supported to complete school work, when they return from school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is generally clean, tidy and well maintained. However, some areas of the home lack personality and warmth. Children’s bedrooms are bare and do not consistently reflect their individual personalities, interests or achievements. In addition, some maintenance issues, including stained carpets and damaged furniture, have not always been addressed promptly. These shortfalls detract from the otherwise welcoming environment that staff have worked hard to create in other areas of the home.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond promptly and take appropriate action to promote their safety and wellbeing. Staff actively search for children and share relevant information with professionals and family, to support the safe return of children and reduce potential risks. When children return home, staff welcome children back in a caring manner, ensuring that their immediate safety and wellbeing are prioritised. This approach helps children to feel valued, cared for and reassured that staff are committed to keeping them safe.

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

All allegations and concerns shared by children are taken seriously and responded to appropriately. Managers ensure that concerns are investigated robustly and that relevant information is shared with the appropriate professionals. Children are informed of the outcomes of investigations. This ensures that children understand that staff listen to them, take their worries seriously and will investigate any concerns they raise appropriately.

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

Staff and managers demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s complex needs. They respond effectively during periods of heightened distress and manage serious incidents calmly and sensitively. Furthermore, managers ensure that appropriate support services and medical intervention are sought promptly, when required, which helps to safeguard and promote children’s wellbeing. As a result, children receive care and support during difficult periods and are treated with empathy, understanding and compassion.

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

Consequences are not consistently used in a restorative manner. Also, written records do not provide sufficient detail to enable effective management oversight. This has meant that some children have received consequences that are punitive in nature and do not promote meaningful reflection, learning or promote positive changes. Managers have not been sufficiently effective in monitoring practice to ensure that consequences are consistently proportionate, appropriate and focused on helping children understand the impact of their actions.

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

Following previous shortfalls in medication administration, leaders have reviewed and strengthened the home’s medication procedures. However, these changes are not yet Inspection report for children’s home: 2810028 5 fully embedded in practice, as not all staff consistently follow the agreed protocols. Management oversight has not been sufficiently robust to identify this practice issue at the earliest opportunity. While there has been no adverse impact on children, the shortfall has the potential to compromise children’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has been without a registered manager for several months. Although senior leaders have ensured that management arrangements have been in place during this time, delays in appointing a permanent manager have resulted in a lack of stability in leadership and oversight. Consequently, some shortfalls in practice have not been identified or addressed promptly. A new manager has now been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practices are not consistently robust. Leaders and managers have not ensured that all gaps in staff’s employment history are thoroughly explored and verified during the recruitment process. This weakens the effectiveness of recruitment arrangements and reduces assurance that all necessary checks have been completed to determine the suitability of staff to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Despite some gaps in oversight, managers are reflective and responsive in improving some safeguarding practice. They review incidents and use their findings to inform practice. For example, when one child experienced frequent periods of emotional distress, managers conducted a detailed analysis of incidents to identify patterns and protective factors. This enabled them to make informed changes to staffing arrangements. Managers also reviewed activities and routines, adapting these to better meet the child’s needs. As a result, the child received consistent support from trusted adults, which reduced the frequency and intensity of incidents and improved their overall experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff speak positively about the support they receive from managers and describe leaders as approachable and available. Staff benefit from regular supervision, team meetings and training, which helps them to develop their skills to meet the individual needs of children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers work effectively in partnership with a range of professionals. Professionals are positive about the care and support children receive and the communication they have with the manager and staff. They see that children’s confidence and engagement grow and that they make progress from their starting points. One professional said that they had ‘been really impressed by the care that the children have received’ while living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2810028 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, 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff practice is monitored and that they are supported to use a therapeutic approach to caring for children. Additionally, staff must record information relating to children in line with the recording policy. The registered person must also consistently have robust and reflective oversight of staff practice and address any shortfalls swiftly.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 14 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive or unreasonable may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1)) 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2810028 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that consequences used with children are proportionate, restorative and related to the behaviours that warrant the consequence.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered to children in line with the home’s medication administration protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15.)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. The manager should show professional curiosity to explore any gaps in potential employee’s employment history to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1).

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations to ensure the home environment is safe while ensuring as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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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: 2810028 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Po Box 7097, Coventry CV6 9SL

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Inspector

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2810028 9 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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