Children's Home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Somerset

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

The leadership and management arrangements are inadequate. An allegation from young people against a professional has not been handled in-line with Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People. The manager does not address the actions from the independent visitors reports and a recommendation from the previous inspection has not been acted upon.

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because:

The statement of purpose for the home is not correct and the home is not run in- line with its ethos. The home’s location risk assessment does not provide for the effective safeguarding of young people. The accommodation is institutionalised in places, with the unnecessary use of door alarms and signs on display. The manager does not ensure that the home is kept in good repair throughout.

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because:

The young people are not helped to understand possible risks and safety measures from using the internet and are not provided with advice on their sexual health and relationships.

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The children's home strengths

The young people make good progress in many areas while living at the home. They excel in their education and have dissociated themselves from negative and anti-social behaviour which was prevalent at their time of placement. The young people benefit from the stability and permanency which the placement has given them. The staff hep the young people with their plans for moving away from the home and continuing their further education.

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The children's home strengths

The young people can identify a member of staff that they can talk to about their concerns. They report that staff listen to them, take their anxieties seriously and respond appropriately. The manager works well with outside agencies to ensure that young people have the necessary support in place.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

(1) The health and well-being standard is that — (a) the health and well-being needs of children are met; (b) children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and (c) children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure — (a) that staff help each child to — (iv) understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (2) (a) (iv)) 31/08/2014

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Requirement Due date

(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure — (a) that staff— (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (2) (a) (ii)) 31/08/2014

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that — (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to — (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the 31/08/2014 approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (2) (a))

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that — (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to — (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (2) (c)) 31/08/2014

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that — (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to — (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2) (f)) 31/08/2014

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that — (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to — (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2) (h)) 31/08/2014

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must ensure that all employees — (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4) (b))

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Requirement Due date

34: Policies for the protection of children

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which— (b) sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1) (b)) 31/08/2014

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2) (c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1)) 31/08/2014

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Information about this children's home

This section should outline:  The children’s home is operated by a private company. It provides care and accommodations for up to three children and young people or may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

21/01/2014 CH - Interim Inadequate Progress

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requires improvement

The young people do not live in an environment which is homely throughout. The use of electronic surveillance on bedroom doors to monitor young people is intrusive and inappropriate. Young people report that the door alarms on bedrooms can disturb them during the night. There are also locks on the doors in the communal areas and there are company policy documents on display in the utility room. The manager and staff do not recognise the impact that this practice has on the experience of the young people.

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requires improvement

The young people are not helped to address and learn about relevant issues in their life. The staff do not provide young people with sufficient support to help them learn about safety when accessing the internet and learn about sexual health and relationships. Therefore, young people are not helped to understand how to keep themselves safe while using social media and they do not have opportunities to develop their skills to promote their well-being and sexuality.

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requires improvement

The young people have excellent attendance at school and achieve well in relation to their starting point. Social workers and headteachers comment that young people’s progress in their education work is exceptional and above many people’s expectations. The staff work well with the schools to support the young people’s academic achievements and celebrate their learning. Young people are helped to gain places at college to further their education and have clear aspirations for their future career.

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requires improvement

The young people have good access to specialist health services as well as general practitioners. This ensures that their basic health needs are responded to and they are helped to understand the underlying causes of their actions and emotions. The staff also provide young people with advice and information to help them reduce their smoking an understand the associate health risks.

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requires improvement

The young people have good relationships with the staff. They state and demonstrate that they can talk to staff about their emotions and concerns. Young people have a trusting relationship with staff and frequently raise complaints. They are also involved choosing the decoration of the home. Young people state that they ‘know all the staff well’ and that the home is ‘very good.’ They enjoy spending time at the home with staff, watching movies and cooking together.

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requires improvement

The staff provide effective support to the young people to help them with their family dynamics. They will always facilitate contact for young people and ensure that the young people are emotionally supported with their feelings towards their family.

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requires improvement

When managing allegations made by young people, the manager does not demonstrate that he understands the reasons behind the safeguarding reporting process and does not act in line with the home’s child protection policies.

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requires improvement

The manager’s location review of the home is insufficient. It does not detail the specific risks of the local area and the control measures in place to address them. Also, it does not identify the location of two other children’s homes within close proximity and the risk this may present.

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requires improvement

The number of times which young people go missing from the home has greatly reduced. The staff respond appropriately to young people who go missing from the home; they ensure that they follow them and keep them safe. Frequently, young people will return home with the staff without actually going missing, which greatly reduces the danger they expose themselves too. This helps build trusting relationships as young people feel that staff care about them. Also, a procedure is in place with the police, which ensures that young people are responded to appropriately if they are reported missing from the home.

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requires improvement

The young people feel safe and receive support to manage their behaviour and feelings safely. There are effective multi-agency plans and therapeutic help in place that are reducing the risk of young people self-harming.

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requires improvement

The staff provide stability for young people with clear boundaries about what is safe and acceptable and also seek to understand the triggers for unsafe behaviour. There are no recorded incidents of restraint since the last inspection and sanctions for poor behaviour are used sparingly. The manager reviews the sanctions for their suitability and effectiveness, which ensures that young people are given opportunities to learn from their actions and are not just punished for them.

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requires improvement

The manager ensures that staff are carefully selected and recruited before they work at the home. He also ensures that the home’s physical and environmental checks are carried out at suitable intervals.

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inadequate

The effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate. The manager does not provide a good supportive environment for staff through sufficient and effective training and supervision. Staff do not receive sufficient training to support young people who self-harm, despite this being identified at the last inspection and highlighted by the independent visitor. Also, the manager identifies that staff are not being supervised in-line with the home’s policy. This deficiency has also been regularly highlighted by the independent visitor but not acted upon by the manager.

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inadequate

The manager does not ensure that all significant events relating to the protection of young people are notified to the appropriate authorities. For example, allegations about a member of school staff were reported to the school by the manager before being reported to the Local Area Designated Officer. This does not ensure that there is an independent investigation into the allegation and does not protect the young people or the individual about which the allegation was made.

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inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose is incorrect as it states that the home can provide care for children and young people with a learning disability, which is not part of its conditions of registration. The manager does not ensure staff help the young people keep their rooms tidy on a daily basis. Some furniture is damaged and the large patio door from the lounge into the garden is not fit to be used. Young people state that ‘it would be nice to use the patio door.’

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inadequate

The manager has been in post for 10 months and he has the necessary qualifications for the role. The manager has recently stopped managing a second children’s home as he recognised that this negatively affecting his ability to oversee this home. The manager is aware of many of the weaknesses of the home, but has been ineffective in addressing all of them to make improvements. The manager monitors the progress which young people make and can demonstrate the progress that they have made. The manager works well with outside agencies, who confirm the positive impact that living at the home has had on the young people and their life chances.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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