Children's Home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Shropshire

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:

 Staff do not follow safeguarding policies and procedures. This has meant that young people have been at risk of harm.  The service does not consistently promote young people’s safety due to a lack of consistent staff who do not know the young people and their complex behaviours.  Staff do not provide guidance and support to young people to help them develop positive relationships with one another and manage conflict.  Young people have not been listened to with regards to relationships with their peers and bullying.  Poor matching of young people has resulted in a period of instability. This has impacted on the emotional wellbeing of some.  The provision does not promote the wellbeing of some young people because they have to wait for long periods for repairs and maintenance to happen.

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The children's home strengths

 The current manager is aware of the strengths and areas for development of the home. She has started to take action to address the shortfalls and has made significant attempts to stabilise the home.  Communication, and the sharing of information with relevant professionals, is a strength. Managers escalate concerns where appropriate and regularly attend care planning meetings.  Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff who are committed to them. The home is currently settled.

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person is to

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

(i) meet the needs of each child. 10/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

7: The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the children's views, wishes and feelings standard the registered person is to ensure that children receive care from staff who

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (ii) help each child to express views, wishes and feelings. 10/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on

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Requirement Due date

(b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour. 10/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard registered person is to ensure that staff

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Requirement Due date

(2)(v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to 10/09/2015 protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must

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Requirement Due date

(2) (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 10/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard the registered person is to ensure that children

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Requirement Due date

(1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 10/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 10/09/2015

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care for up to six children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is privately owned.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

04/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement

Young people do not learn how to manage conflicts with their peers effectively. Some do not receive the guidance they need to be able to manage their feelings for one another. Staff rely on separating them, rather than consistently encouraging them to resolve these conflicts verbally. This does not enable young people to learn acceptable ways of behaving and managing peer relationships.

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requires improvement

Young people do not always receive care from a consistent staff team. Staff and managers attempt to alleviate the impact of staff vacancies upon young people’s emotional wellbeing. However, young people say they do not always know who is going to be caring for them. A lack of consistent staffing coupled with a lack of recording means that staff do not work in an effective manner with young people. This has impacted on their positive experiences and emotional wellbeing within the home.

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requires improvement

Young people’s home environment is improving. The service has made significant decorating and maintenance repairs. However, there is delay in other repairs. Young people have to wait an excessively long time for repairs to their bedrooms, damaged during times of distress. This is not conducive in promoting their emotional wellbeing.

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requires improvement

Young people’s daily experiences of living in the home are improving. Young people experienced a recent unsettled period due to violent and aggressive behaviour of their peers. Staff and managers have worked hard to stabilise the home and the young people. During that period, some young people experienced bullying and disruption to their daily routines due to their peers’ behaviours. This had a detrimental impact on their education and emotional wellbeing. Young people work with professionals regarding educational choices and careers. Staff work closely with education providers to encourage and promote educational attendance.

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requires improvement

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff work hard to build good relationships with young people. Staff do not always record the individual ways in which they work with young people. This means that young people do not receive consistent and effective care, when other staff do things differently. Staff encourage young people to be involved in their own care planning and decision making. A social worker said: ‘A year ago the young person would not attend meetings and did not communicate much at all. He is more confident now and with support of staff he says what he wants to say. He is prepared for core groups and reviews and will have a list of things he wants to address’. However, young people’s views regarding poor peer relationships have not always been listened to or acted upon.

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requires improvement

Young people make progress. For example, they gain qualifications and they take part in clubs. Some young people engage in independence work in preparation for their transition out of the home. They focus on areas such as shopping, cooking and budgeting. This begins to prepare them for adult life. Young people are settled. They say: ‘I like it here. Staff look after us well. They make sure we are ok’.

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requires improvement

Staff do not keep young people consistently safe. They lack awareness of safeguarding policies and procedures. For example, when young people have made allegations about members of staff, they have not reported these concerns to placing authorities, managers, or Ofsted. Staff do not consistently listen to young people and do not prioritise their safety in the home. Poor peer relationships have had an adverse impact on young people’s emotional wellbeing due to incidents of bullying. Staff do not robustly challenge incidents of bullying. They do not work with young people to support them to develop ways of positively managing to share a living space with other young people.

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requires improvement

Staff do not consistently implement robust behavioural boundaries and have not worked proactively to keep young people safe. This is a result of permanent staff shortages, a lack of staff supervision and poor records about children. For example, when young people go missing, staff do not routinely collate details of who they have been with. This means that there is a lack of focus on prevention. Staff work reactively rather than proactively with regards to missing incidents.

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requires improvement

Staff encourage young people to learn about self-protection through key working sessions and discussions. They balance young people’s need for independence with their risk taking behaviours. Staff support them to try to manage their behaviours safely in the community.

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requires improvement

Staff are committed to young people. The manager escalates safeguarding concerns. For example, she has referred concerns regarding child sexual exploitation to the local authority child sexual exploitation panel. Communication and information sharing is a strength of the home. A social worker said; ‘The communication from the home is fantastic. One of the strengths of the home is that they are able to manage difficult situations’.

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requires improvement

There is a qualified, newly appointed manager in post due to the previous registered manager leaving in May. The current manager is in the process of submitting their application to become registered manager. Ofsted have not yet received this application. The manager has worked in the home as the deputy manager and so is familiar with the young people and the staff. The manager is aware of the strengths and areas of development of the home.

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requires improvement

The service has not prioritised the matching of young people within the home. Young people have been admitted to the home without staff being prepared and young people’s care has not always been well planned. This has led to significant incidents within the home which has impacted on the emotional and physical wellbeing of young people.

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requires improvement

The service is not providing stable staffing to the young people in their care. Agency staff are used because extensive vacancies within the staff team. The provider is in the process of trying to recruit more staff, but this is not effective yet. This has impacted on young people’s emotional wellbeing. Since her appointment, the manager has worked tenaciously to stabilise the young people within the home. The manager recognises the areas for development which directly impacts on the quality of care provided to young people.

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requires improvement

Staff say they feel supported. There is adequate training provided to staff which equips them with skills to meet some of the complex needs of young people. The manager has ensured that staff have received appraisals and supervisions. She is quick to rectify any practice issues within the home. There have been occasions when the service has not ensured that Ofsted have been notified of significant events.

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requires improvement

Partnership working is a strength. The manager has established effective working relationships with placing authorities, police, youth offending service and education. The manager is committed to wanting young people to achieve their full potential within the placement. She recognises the importance of working with other agencies to be able to promote young people’s overall wellbeing.

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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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