Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Durham

Unique reference number SC423407 Inspector Colin Imrie Type of inspection Interim 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 Melanie Dobbin Date of last inspection 14/07/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 24/02/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

The manager and staff at the home continues to make improvements in the care of the young people.

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This inspection

Young people are making progress with their education and work training. All young people have good attendance at school, college and work and progress is clear. This bodes well for their future prospects. Young people are also making good progress with other aspects of their lives. Many young people are making significant progress in reducing their risk taking behaviour. Others are making good progress with social skills and their behaviour in general while others are developing good independence skills in preparation for moving into adult life.

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This inspection

The home has a school on the premises which works well; a number of young people attend this on a full-time basis. Other young people attend part-time and in addition attend a nearby vocational college on a part-time basis. This mix of academic and vocational education provides the young people with a range of good opportunities to learn.

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This inspection

Because most of the young people come from backgrounds where they were particularly vulnerable in their communities the home offer very close supervision at all times. This works well and does keep the young people safe. Young people do go missing occasionally but staff make great efforts to follow young people or to find and return them as quickly as possible. This approach works well.

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This inspection

Most of the young people currently living at the home are placed some considerable distance from their home areas which makes keeping in touch with families and friends difficult. However, staff are proactive and go to great lengths to ensure that they are able to escort young people back to their home areas on a regular basis to see their families. 3 of 5 Staff have worked hard to settle young people down after a difficult period during the autumn of 2014. Staff do use sanctions and occasionally use physical interventions, but in the main they rely on talking to young people and use various reward and incentive schemes. This means that young people learn about consequences in a positive way and are able to make important changes in their lives by taking control themselves.

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This inspection

Young people are prepared well for independence and do take responsibility in the home for both their own needs and the needs of others. Young people complete their own domestic jobs and share communal domestic chores. This ensures young people are well equipped with knowledge and skills to be able to move successfully into a more independent setting when they reach the appropriate age.

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This inspection

Staff work well with other agencies and there is good evidence of young people accessing and benefitting from contact with a range of counselling and advice professionals. One visiting social worker commented that staff were, ‘really supportive’ and, ‘promoted independence really well’. Another visiting social worker said that staff were good at communication and kept young people safe. Both workers said how much positive progress young people made.

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This inspection

A number of the young people were able to tell me that they thought the home was good, that they were making good progress in their lives and that they were able to maintain good contact with their families despite them living a long way away.

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This inspection

The manager provides good leadership and monitors care well and the external monitor provides good quality reports. Communication between the care staff and the teaching staff is particularly good.

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This inspection

The manager has ensured that the previous requirement and recommendations have been met and has made good progress in developing the home. Recruitment issues have been addressed and these processes are now more robust. The manager has reviewed the development plan and this has highlighted areas that needs continued development. The manager has also instigated a programme of redecoration at the home and the home now looks well cared for and in good condition. The manager has made adjustments to care planning and risk assessing as well as making the investigation of complaints more robust. The home is well led and staff are supported well with good training and supervision.

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This inspection

There are improvements which the manager should continue with. Three recommendations have been made at this inspection. The quality and depth of key working must be better. The children’s guide requires updating; this is planned. The manager also needs to ensure that young people are able to make private telephone calls without having to ask staff permission, unless there is a clearly identified safeguarding issue and the consent of the relevant authority has been obtained. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to eight children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties, and is owned by a private company. It is dually registered with the Department for Education as an independent boarding school.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/07/2014 Full good 10/12/2013 Interim good progress 17/06/2013 Full good 28/11/2012 Interim good progress

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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 the home implements a proportionate approach to any risk assessment. In particular, the manager should review the current situation around young people’s use of the phone. (NMS 4.5)  Ensure that the children’s home has a clear statement of purpose. In particular, the homes approach to the use of mobile phones. (NMS 13.1)  Ensure that staff support children’s social and emotional development. In particular, ensure key work sessions address all areas of the placement plan and cover these in depth. (NMS 2.2) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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