Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Cambridgeshire

Unique reference number SC370910 Inspection date 13/02/2012 Inspector Caroline Oldham Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 20/05/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children’s home, owned by a private company, is registered for three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, aged between 11 and 17 years. The home is domestic in style and set within a housing estate.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress.

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Progress

At the last inspection in May 2011, the overall quality rating for the service was judged as satisfactory, with four recommendations set. Since then the home has had a new manager, who continues to develop and improve the care provided. The manager and staff team are focused on making a difference and promoting positive outcomes for the children in their care.

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Progress

There were four recommendations set at the last inspection. The recommendation regarding young people's views, wishes and feelings influencing the day-to-day running of the home, has been addressed. This has been achieved through residents meetings and the opportunity to feed in issues to the staff meetings. For example, the young people have agreed a rota for activities to enable sharing the use of the car. Young people have ample opportunity to pursue individual interests and hobbies. These include joining local community groups, playing a variety of sports and enjoying in-house quizzes and games. Staff now evidence the support they offer to young people to progress their social and emotional development through well documented key working sessions. Areas for discussion arise from care plans and the manager monitors progress on a monthly basis. As issues arise, additional speciality support is sought to enable young people to develop emotional resilience and self-

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Progress

esteem. All staff now receive regular supervision, and new staff receive twice monthly supervision. The manager has good monitoring processes in place to ensure that there is no slippage.

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Progress

Young people continue to receive well planned care provided by an enthusiastic and competent staff team. The new manager and the organisation have made further improvements to monitor care plans and young people's progress. For example, semi-independence programmes tailored to the individual needs of each young person are now in place, and the young people are making good progress. Young people say that their relationships with staff are good and that they feel safe. They have regular, fun residents' meetings, and are actively involved in choosing activities and menus. The photographs around the home display their day-to-day activities and add to the homely feel. The culture and practice within the home recognises the individual paces of learning, and separate and different emotional needs. As a result, young people receive highly individualised care and support, which is based on their identified needs.

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Progress

Since the last inspection, a significant amount of work has taken place to review documents to ensure they embrace the new National Minimum Standards. In addition, the Statement of Purpose and the children's guide have been translated into other languages. There is a good training programme and mandatory training has been developed to provide a comprehensive package. The staff team has had some changes, and the manager is now working hard to create an ethos for the home based on individualised packages of care and positive reinforcement. Additional monitoring systems by the manager ensures that she has a good overview of progress. Risk assessments are thorough and strategies are implemented, such as changing the way a door opens to prevent a young person from barricading themselves in a room. Staff work hard to obtain external specialist support and care for young people where required, for example health care, and consequently young

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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