Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC370899 Inspector Michael Mulvaney Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person BetterCare Keys Limited Registered person address Laganwood House 44 Newforge Lane Belfast BT9 5NW Responsible individual Heather Ann Laffin Registered manager John Bertie Date of last inspection 26/03/2014 2 of 10 Inspection date 12/11/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection None

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people outstanding Quality of care outstanding Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

This home is judged to be providing a good standard of care for the young people, who make good progress as a result of the level of care and support provided by the staff. The manager and the staff provide high quality support. Each young person has a personalised care plan which meets their individual needs. There are good risk assessments in place to manage any risks and an effective system in place to update these.

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Overall effectiveness

The home has a settled staff group, who are trained in appropriate methods to manage the young people’s behaviours. Some agency staff are used and the home does not have records of the training that these staff have undergone before starting working with the young people. This means that the home does not know that these staff have the skills to meet the needs of the young people.

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Overall effectiveness

The staff work hard to ensure that young people’s views are taken into account at all times. Young people have educational provisions in place, with several having moved on to further education. From their starting points, young people achieve well in their education and have clear goals for their futures.

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Overall effectiveness

The home has strengths in developing solid relationships with the young people, and these relationships are used to promote positive behaviour and a challenge to the 3 of 10 young people within the home. The home is good at communicating with the placing authority and with families, which promotes the welfare needs of the young people

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Overall effectiveness

Despite the need for some of the décor needing to be refreshed the home is maintained to a reasonable standard and the fixture and fittings are in good order This helps to promote the young people’s feelings of self-worth.

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Overall effectiveness

The files were in good order with updates regularly made. This ensures that the changing needs of the young people are understood by the staff who can put in place strategies to meet their needs. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of a number of homes operated and managed by an organisation which is a national provider of care and education for young people. The home is registered to offer care and accommodation for up to three male young people who may have emotional and or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/03/2014 Interim good progress 15/01/2014 Full good 13/12/2012 Interim good progress 30/05/2012 Full good

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that children are looked after by staff who are trained and competent to meet their needs, (18.1) 5 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people make excellent progress while living in this home. This is especially so given their starting points when they arrive at the home. Some young people have experience of gang culture, and being on the edge of offending. This has stopped since they have lived in this home. This means that they are making more positive choices in life. One social worker commented on the progress that their young person has made, ‘his self-esteem has grown so much since he has lived here.’

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people develop a more positive self-view and make very positive attachments to adults and to their peers. An independent reviewing officer for one young person commented on the significant progress made in relation to improved emotional stability and increased confidence. Young people establish a level of trust in the adults who care for them.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people engage in education and this promotes the development of positive friendship groups, and helps to develop skills. They develop more emotional resilience to enable them to learn much better and life chances are therefore improved as a result of their progress in education.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people eat healthily and they develop a good awareness of how issues such as smoking and drug use can have a negative impact on their health. This enables them to have the information to make better choices. This helps young people's health and well-being to improve.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people develop better self-care skills, including personal hygiene. This also has a positive impact on personal relationships. Some young people continue to engage in risk-taking behaviours, despite advice, guidance and support. However, this is minimised and reducing.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff have high aspirations for all of the young people in the home. This is directed by the home manager, who encourages the staff to develop positive relationships with the young people. These relationships are used as the cornerstone of the work that is done. Young people have good relationships with staff, which are based on trust and mutual respect.

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Quality of care outstanding

One of the young people commented that, ‘staff are always there for me.' Young people are encouraged to behave appropriately through good behaviour management strategies, and as a result, their behaviour improves over time. Young 6 of 10 people are encouraged to respect each other and think about the consequences of their behaviour on other people.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff positively encourage the young people to attend school or college. In one example, staff took a young person to a school nearer his previous home, a journey of over an hour and a half, and stayed at the school to promote the young person’s learning experience. In another example, staff challenged the school about a negative attitude they displayed to one young person. This improved the options for the young person and showed that young person that the staff cared for him and would advocate for him.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff use resources in their community to provide opportunities such as youth clubs, and in line with the skills of two of the young people, the local basketball team. This enabled the young people to have the chance to represent the local area at this sport. This promoted their self-esteem as well as their fitness.

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Quality of care outstanding

A social worker commented that the home continued to work to build positive relationships with the young person even when there were challenges to them from the behaviour of the young person. This showed that the staff had an ability to ‘stick with’ the young person despite the negativity he presented, and through the positive relationship the young person became settled.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff in the home have a robust understanding of safe working practices, they record incidents and log concerns which are then considered by the team as a whole in team meetings, and in key working sessions. This means that young people are safely cared for and their needs routinely reviewed.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff are rightly proud of a number of young people who came to the home in a difficult and challenging time and who have moved on into independent living. They display young people’s achievements by putting certificates up and celebrating individual achievements in sport and music.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff are excellent at finding ways to support children and young people in making progress in their lives. They research young people’s interests to see if local groups exist and put the young people into contact with these groups. The staff will go along with the young people and ensure that the group is safe for the young people to attend

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Quality of care outstanding

Staff are exceptionally effective in developing relationships with external agencies and with the young person’s social work services. The independent reviewing officer for one young person gave an example of how the staff had chased the placing authority to agree for further funding for therapy. This shows how they effectively challenged and developed the care plan for the young person which resulted in the young person getting the opportunity to receive the help they needed.

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Quality of care outstanding

The home uses an in-house therapist to assist in developing methods to work with 7 of 10 individual young people. She works directly with the young person if the placing authority requests this. This results in focused work and development of a significant relationship within which young people can be helped, through discussing their problems or worries in a safe environment. This can lead to better future relationships.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff support young people with appropriate contact with friends, family and people who are important to them. As a result, they develop a much better understanding of their situation and their backgrounds. In one instance they collected a mother from a railway station some 40 minutes away to bring her to the home. Prior to this the home had spoken to the mother to arrange for her to cook a traditional Moroccan meal for her son at the home; this supported ethnicity along with building on their relationship.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff consider the diverse needs of each young person and ensure that their needs are met at all times. This includes the consideration of the provision of special dietary requirements and meeting cultural and religious needs. Young people and family members are consulted with, to make sure that their needs are known. Key work sessions discuss young people's religious and cultural needs and how they will be met.

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Quality of care outstanding

The home is well maintained. Although the décor is in need of some updating, there is routine maintenance to ensure the fabric of the building is sound. New furnishings have helped the young people to feel pride in the home and this can have a positive effect on young people’s sense of self-worth

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The young people say that they feel safe in this home, and they are safely cared for. Staff use regular consultation with young people to plan activities and to look at their care plan; this places the well-being of the young people at the centre of their practice in the home. There are weekly meetings with the young people at which notes are taken; this helps to remind the staff and the young people of the plans and decisions made.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

There are carefully considered risk assessments to manage the care for the young people, which are supported by key worker sessions looking at protective factors and safe care. There is evidence that these are reviewed regularly and the home uses the in-house therapist to ensure that they will protect and promote safe care.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home has a good relationship with the local police who visit the home regularly. This, together with a local policy regarding how the home will manage times when young people go missing, has begun to reduce incidences of this. 8 of 10 The staff are vetted and checks are made prior to starting working with the young people which shows that the home places safe recruitment high on its priority. The staff have a good induction period when new members of staff receive initial training in methods to positively manage behaviour and to de-escalate situations before having to physically intervene. As a result, there are very low numbers of physical interventions and those that are used are well recorded and show the effort that the staff have put in to try to prevent its use. Young people also have incentives to work towards to promote positive behaviour. As a result, there have been very few sanctions since the last inspection, all of which have been appropriately recorded.

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Leadership and management good

The home has an experienced NVQ level 4 manager who aspires for the best from the young people. He provides regular supervision and appraisal and routinely looks at the training needs of the team. For example, he has arranged for an update training event to focus on a specific part of a young person’s needs for the whole team to learn and develop an individual care plan for him.

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Leadership and management good

The management of this home reflects the manager’s and deputy manager's commitment to ensuring the best possible outcomes for young people. The Registered Manager communicates high expectations to staff and continually looks to improve the services provided and outcomes for all young people.

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Leadership and management good

The manager and staff have formed very positive working relationships with partner agencies, the local community and particularly the young people. All of the workers and agencies spoken to as part of this inspection praised the staff team and manager for their communication and information-sharing skills. Progress reports are provided to placing authorities for each young person. Family members report high levels of satisfaction in how well staff share relevant information with them and in seeking their views on the care provided to young people.

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Leadership and management good

The home is currently recruiting for two members of staff. While this is in process the home are using agency staff, provided by an agency which regularly undertakes the safe recruitment of the staff. The home also uses a useful induction pack for the agency staff to alert them to risk factors and to routine issues such as fire procedures and other health and safety issues. This promotes the safe care of the young people.

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Leadership and management good

What the home does not have, but is in the process of gathering, is information on the level of training that the agency staff have, or have not, done. This means that the home has staff working with vulnerable young people who may or may not have the knowledge and skills needed. The home regularly uses the same agency staff offering stability for the young people.

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Leadership and management good

The staff and the manager are aware of the need to reflect on their performance and they use the in-house therapist to help them to maintain their focus on improving 9 of 10 relationships. The home is working with a clear development plan looking at every aspect, from the upkeep of the home through to the plans for staff. The manager shows a good awareness of relevant regulations and legislation which he applies to how the home runs. The Statement of Purpose and children's guide contain all necessary information and are regularly reviewed and updated. This helps young people, placing authorities and family members understand the aims and objectives of the home and how they will be met.

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Leadership and management good

There are sufficient staff for the home to be run safely providing the level of care to the young people that they need. Most staff receive training and development opportunities. Managers keep records for each staff member and refresher training is continually provided. Staff report feeling satisfied at the support they receive from the manager in this home. They receive regular formal supervision, attend team meetings and feel that they can make a real contribution to how the home is run. The manager keeps staff up to date with new legislation and practice developments; this means that committed and trained people are looking after the young people. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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