Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Buckinghamshire

Unique reference number SC421063 Inspection date 31/07/2012 Inspector Pippa Greed Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 11/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

The home is privately owned and managed by a national company. It is registered to provide medium to long-term care for up to three young people with complex needs who present with challenging behaviours. The home has access to the company's educational services which are located in the local community.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are supported by a good manager, dedicated seniors and staff team who work hard to ensure positive outcomes for all of the young people in their care. This is achieved through encouraging young people to learn from the consequences of their actions and developing their self-esteem.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from homely accommodation. The home is situated in a rural location and is decorated, furnished and maintained to a good standard. The home benefits from a large rear garden allowing young people to engage in sports and they are supported to grow vegetables. Young people are given every encouragement to engage with education and have received creative input to utilise their skills. Young people are guided well to deal with changes.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people generally like living at the home and feel safe. Young people said they really liked their key worker and staff team. Placing authorities were very positive about the home and commented that the service is good on communication and provides regular updates. The service works hard to seek guidance and work in partnership with outside agencies with regards to promoting young people's awareness of safety and risk. A social worker stated, 'The place is good, definitely', and another said, 'This has been a positive placement for this young person, he has made vast improvements since being there and this is thanks to the staff who have put in all the hard work with him.'

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Overall effectiveness

The staff team have worked extremely positively to focus on young people's outcomes. The manager has proactively addressed recommendations from the previous visit. This means there is a steady commitment to improving and evaluating the quality of care given to young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from a nurturing environment that helps them develop and thrive. They are supported by a caring staff team. Young people have commented that they get on well with their key workers and they like living at the home. One young person talked about aspirations to attend college to learn about mechanics. This provides them with a sense of purpose and promotes emotional well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have the advantage of individualised support that helps them to grow in confidence and make significant progress from their starting point. The key worker system helps young people to focus on their goals and discuss any concerns that they may have. Staff are aware of young people's abilities and interests and help to nurture these. For example, supporting a young person to join the cadets and experience integrating with peers or, a creative approach towards vocational activities such as horse riding. Constructive use is made of leisure time. Young people take part in a number of activities, for example, go-karting, playing pool, visiting the cinema, playing football or cricket, a day out to Wembley, trip to the maritime museum and planetarium.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and the home ensures that young people's health care needs are met, particularly with check-ups. The organisation uses regular support from outside agencies to provide professional guidance, for example, ‘R U safe?’ Young people have the advantage of external professionals who they see regularly and get to know. This in turn helps young people to develop trust and feel able to confide if needed. The service provides young people with guidance on keeping safe in terms of sexual health, drug awareness along with the aim of reducing the risk of going missing from the home. There are detailed health care plans in place for all young people living at the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to attend schools that best suits their specific needs. Young people's placement plans demonstrate clear educational input. Young people are making significant progress from their starting point at the time of placement. The home benefits from regular attendance from a therapist who advises the staff and young people around therapeutic approaches, support and advice.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to maintain contact with their family, friends and significant others. This is done through home visits and phone calls. This means that young people have links that are meaningful to them. Parents and social workers have confirmed that the home provides regular updates and they feel very well informed. One parent said, 'The staff are very willing and caring towards him and want the best possible outcome for him and his future. Well done staff.' Another family member said, 'The home has done wonders for him', 'we have seen a major change in him', and 'I'm fully behind them (the home) and I have got a lot of respect for them'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's views are actively sought in relation to the day-to-day running of the home. These are set up through young people's house meetings and minutes are kept. For example, young people have asked for the lounge to be redecorated which has been done in line with their input. Plans are underway for the gaming room to be redecorated and young people have chosen the colour scheme. Young people feel that staff value their views and opinions.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff encourage all young people to be as independent as possible in their daily living tasks and take responsibility for their actions. The home has a system that records planned activities and outcomes which provides the young person with a sense of direction.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

The quality of care provided is having a highly positive impact on young people’s development and progress. Families, social workers and professionals confirm this. Referral and assessment procedures ensure that each young person’s placement is individually tailored to meet their needs and circumstances. Comments include: 'We are very happy how he has grown and his behaviour has changed for the better. He is a different boy', 'Very helpful staff, informative and welcoming. Great place for young people to feel supported.' And, 'Responsive staff, courteous and helpful. My client has expressed that he enjoys living here and responds well to sanctions.'

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Quality of care

Each young person is cared for in line with a clearly-defined individual plan setting out achievable aims for their placement. These documents are of good quality and demonstrate a strong understanding of young people’s individual preferences, needs and the support they want to receive. Young people are aware of what information is kept about them through supporting staff to complete a report of their achievements and progress in the regular key working session. Detailed weekly reports are compiled and sent to placing authorities to ensure all parties are kept up-to-date with young people’s development.

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Quality of care

There is exceptionally effective and proactive collaborative partnership working with other agencies, including placing authorities, local police, health and education services and those with safeguarding responsibilities. Key information about young people is openly shared. Consequently, there is a consistent and unified approach to supporting young people in all outcome areas. The holistic approach effectively challenges any barriers to young people’s development. This includes ensuring young people’s family contact is positive and that young people are provided with effective support from placing authorities.

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Quality of care

The manager and staff team are eager advocates for young people. The organisation has high aspirations for young people’s education. Staff are inventive in establishing ways to engage young people with both attending and progressing educationally. Examples of this include attending local school or college. Staff provide one-to-one support where needed and young people explore their interests, therefore, focusing on strengths and skills, such as art, mechanics or horse riding. The staff team have put together photograph albums documenting young people's activities and outcomes. An album has been set up for each young person recording their achievements. This nurturing approach means young people are supported to try new experiences and develop their self-esteem.

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Quality of care

The relationships between staff and young people are very strong. Young people are highly nurtured and very well supported. Staff are concerned about, and interested in, young people and there is a focus on spending time together in order to promote stability, instil routines and create a family environment. One member of staff works directly with each young person on every shift. Young people say they engage well with their key worker and this approach has ensured they meet regularly with a member of staff that they feel comfortable and confident with. Young people can identify key adults whom they would go to if they were worried or unhappy in the home. Additionally, they are also provided with a designated telephone and contact numbers for external agencies. One young person confirmed he feels content and settled in the home.

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Quality of care

Young people’s health and dietary needs are fully met. They are provided with appropriate medical care when they are poorly or injured. Well-trained staff enable the safe administration of medication or first aid treatment. Young people’s emotional and psychological health is closely monitored and relevant professionals provide regular guidance and support.

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Quality of care

Young people are able to negotiate about life in the home through regular key work sessions at their request. House meetings take place regularly and young people are involved in creating menus, activity planning and making suggestions relating to day- to-day living in the home. Young people are developing team building and compromising skills. Additionally, young people’s views are sought on day trip destinations, choosing their own vegetables to grow in their own plot and ideas for home improvements.

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Quality of care

Young people are supported to develop their self-identity by choosing their own clothing, activities and personalising their bedroom. Staff guide and advise sensible options; however, young people are able to express their preferences and individual tastes. Mealtimes are an enjoyable experience in the home where staff and young people eat communally. Young people develop independence skills by preparing meals as well as carrying out household tasks.

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Quality of care

The house is spacious, brightly decorated and provides a domestic, family-style setting. Young people have the advantage of space to roam within the home. This includes a lounge for television viewing, an additional lounge for gaming or quiet time and a dining room for dining or arts and crafts activities. Parents and social workers confirm that young people have progressed and that the service is very child and outcome focused.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are good arrangements in place at the home to keep young people safe. Young people have been absent without authority but staff are well trained in managing missing from home procedures and young people are often returned home safely in a short space of time. Young people stated they feel safe and sometimes experience bullying but staff work quickly to address this. Staff receive regular training to ensure that they are able to fully safeguard the young people in their care and are fully aware of the procedures they should take if there are any safeguarding concerns.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff actively encourage and promote positive behaviour. Staff maintain a reward system in line with the home's policy and this encourages positive behaviour. Occasionally staff sanction young people for inappropriate behaviour. Young people fully understand why they have been sanctioned and think that this is fair. Sanctions are recorded fully and discussed with the young people. Staff are fully trained in safe restraint. The restraint log is detailed and comprehensive and this includes inviting comments from young people. The manager provides opportunities for both young people and staff to reflect. This is supported by documents that provide analysis of what happened and why. Staff are clear that it would only ever be used as a last resort to ensure the safety of staff or the young person.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is aware of the need to have a robust risk management system. Risk assessments are in place for individual young people, the building and activities. Young people's individual guidelines highlight behaviour management issues and how staff are to manage these safely.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are regular checks of the fire alarm and staff and young people take part in fire drills. There are robust procedures and checks in place to ensure the health and safety of young people in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a stable core staff team. There have been two leavers and one new appointment since the previous inspection. The home has a robust recruitment policy that ensures the safety of the young people. Records confirm that staff have been appropriately checked before starting work at the home. Any visitors to the home are monitored by staff and a visitors book is maintained to help ensure only appropriate people are admitted to the home.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

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Leadership and management

The home meets the aims and objectives in their Statement of Purpose. Staff succeed in providing a stable and structured environment for the young people. There is a strong commitment to anti-discriminatory practice at the home. Staff strive to promote high aspirations for young people and staff encourage them to fulfil their potential. For example, staff are encouraged by the manager to find out young people's talents or interests and then action is taken to realise these, for example, through art work, exploring cultural heritage or attending the local cadets.

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Leadership and management

The staff team are very well supported by the organisation and the manager. Staff receive regular and good quality supervision from the manager to ensure that their practice is fully supporting the care needs of young people. Staff also undertake training in a variety of topics to ensure they are able to meet the diverse needs of the young people who they are working with. This is an organisation that promotes learning and development. This enables staff to share knowledge and learning and stimulates interest and motivation within the staff team.

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Leadership and management

The manager ensures that there are an appropriate number of staff on duty at all times to meet the needs of the young people. High staffing ratios mean that diverse individual care needs are able to be met at all times. If required due to sickness or annual leave staff are available from the organisation's other homes to ensure continuity and consistency for the young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from very effective management. There are various systems to monitor the quality of care. This includes monthly monitoring visits by a designated person, in accordance with the regulations. The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses in the home and completes Regulation 34 reports to reflect on developments in the home. Compliance with previous inspection recommendations has been met.

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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 main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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