Children's Home run by Coven Care Homes Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2838567 1 Registered provider: Coven Care Homes LTD

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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 operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

There is a permanent registered manager at the home. They are suitably experienced and qualified. The registered manager was away from the home at the time of the inspection. The inspection was led by the responsible individual.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. They were present and spent time talking with the inspector.

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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: 16 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: 2838567 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/09/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2838567 3

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Summary of findings

The child living at this home is having a good experience and making progress. Staff provide well-planned and good-quality care to the child. Managers and staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities of the child. Staff are vigilant in monitoring them and responding to changes in their presentation. As a result, staff help them to manage their anxieties and to keep them safe. Leadership and management at the home is strong, well organised and provides good oversight. There were no requirements made at this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a good-quality and pleasant living environment for the child. This reflects their interests well, and they have been able to make choices regarding décor and furnishings needed to create a relaxing space. This contributes to the child having a positive sense of belonging at the home. They said that they would like to stay at the home until adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in seeking out and planning activities in line with the child's interests. As a result, the child has attended and enjoyed a range of activities and events. This has included music star events, concerts and visits to animals, parks and museums. The child has particularly enjoyed caring for caterpillars, watching them turn into butterflies and releasing them into the wild. These opportunities have greatly enriched the child's experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to share their views and raise concerns when necessary. There has been one complaint by a child, which has been taken very seriously. The manager has provided feedback to the child, who was satisfied with the outcome. Staff have also supported the child to access an advocate to strengthen their voice in relation to their care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide effective support to help the child manage their anxieties in attending health appointments. For example, when the child was reluctant to attend the optician, staff approached this with patience and respect. Staff balanced providing the child with some choices and control with time to process the scenario. They successfully obtained their new glasses.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child's statutory health assessment is out of timescales. Managers had escalated this with the local authority. However, they had not reviewed the previous action plan sufficiently. This has led to uncertainty about the child having received necessary vaccines. Furthermore, the child, on occasion, refuses their prescribed medication. Staff have talked to the child to help them understand the importance of this. However, there has been no direct consultation with the prescriber. Inspection report for children's home: 2838567 4

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

Staff embed clear routines and boundaries for the child, which mean they understand the expectations. For example, they know when to hand their mobile phone in at nighttime and why this is important. Staff spend time talking to the child to help them develop the knowledge and skills needed to keep themselves safe. These topics are pre- selected and are informed by the senior therapeutic lead. The quality and effectiveness of the discussions are reviewed, and this informs further topics.

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

The child's self-harm and missing risks are understood by staff. Plans outline clear strategies for staff to follow to reduce the occurrence of these, as well as how to respond during incidents. Managers consult with partner agencies to develop plans, and staff take proactive and timely action to manage any risks. As a result, there has been a reduction in these incidents for the child.

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

Managers take online safety for the child very seriously. When concerns have arisen, they have taken action to share this information with relevant agencies and swiftly implement measures to reduce the risks. Staff are also helping the child to increase their own understanding of online safety.

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

Staff provide care that prioritises positivity and boosting the child's self-esteem. For example, staff record and share with the child a positive moment from each day, together with notes with compliments and positive affirmations. Staff are nurturing and provide praise and encouragement to the child. As a result, the child has built a trusted relationship with staff and are growing in confidence.

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

There was a high number of physical interventions for a child who has moved on from the home. This was due to the frequency and severity of behavioural incidents. Managers worked in partnership with the local authority and took advice from the clinical team to develop their plans with an aim to reduce these incidents. When the child moved on, managers reflected on and considered what further learning could be gained. This led to a decision to change the staff training for physical interventions, to foster a greater focus on therapeutic approaches and understanding behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider is committed to supporting the development of aspiring managers. There has been a trainee manager in post at the home, who is working alongside the registered manager. Although the trainee manager has now moved to oversee another home for this provider, the consistency of the registered manager has resulted in stability of leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several changes in the staff team. However, this has now stabilised and there is a core staff team in place. There is occasional use of agency staff, but they work alongside core staff to increase consistency of care to the child. At times, staff work across the provider's other homes. Staff are well supported in this arrangement. They Inspection report for children's home: 2838567 5 have introductions to the other homes, including opportunities to read and understand children's plans and reflection in supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers at the home are very present. They spend purposeful time with the child and staff. They model high-quality care and nurturing practice for the staff team. This helps to create a nurturing and positive culture throughout the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have embraced and embedded a therapeutic model of care. There is a focus on continually upskilling staff to enhance their competence and confidence in this aspect of their practice. Staff are provided with thorough induction and training programmes. As a result, they are well equipped for their roles. Staff training is enhanced in team meetings and through the work of the home's therapeutic lead practitioner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have strong oversight at the home, which is achieved through being present, involved, making observations and their audit of the child's records. Managers work alongside staff in quality assuring records, which ensures that they meet the expected standard and staff are supported in their development. Managers have ensured that the previous inspection recommendations have been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider is committed to the ongoing development of the staff team and to enhancing the quality of the care provided to the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2838567 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the health of children is assessed at regular intervals. These outcomes, recorded in the health plan, will be the basis on which the registered person will be expected to meet regulation 10(2)(a)(i) in the health and wellbeing standard. In addition, the registered person must ensure that they take a timely and proactive approach to ensuring that children's health needs are met, in consultation with relevant health professionals. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 33, paragraph 7.4)

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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 for children's home: 2838567 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Coven Care Homes LTD

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 9 Cairns Drive, Stafford ST16 3PW

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Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2838567 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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