Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Nottinghamshire

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people make good progress in all areas of their lives and staff continue to support them when they go through difficult times and their behaviour deteriorates.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people have very good relationships with staff. They know staff care for them and that staff want the best for them.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people’s safety improves as their risk-taking behaviours, including going missing and engaging in criminal activities, reduce.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people’s attendance in education and training is very good which helps to improve their life opportunities.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 Partnership working is a key strength and helps to ensure young people’s holistic needs are met.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 There are a number of areas for improvement relating to staffing, the recording of information, the use of sanctions, staff training and quality assurance systems. These have not had an impact on the experience, progress and outcomes for young people.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure:

p.4

Requirement Due date

(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

p.4

Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring young people’s risk assessments give clear details of actions to take to minimise identified risks. 30 September

p.4

Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

(h) ensure that monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home are robust and effective. 31 October

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. This is with specific reference to ensuring all staff receive mandatory training in a timely manner; and all staff receive training in self-harm and 31 October child sexual exploitation. (Regulation 33 (4) (a))

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out –

p.5

Requirement Due date

(a) how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and (b) the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring sanctions imposed are appropriate and effective. (Regulation 35 (1)) 30 September

p.5

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff are competent in following the home’s policies on record keeping and that they understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. This includes ensuring young people’s case records are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph s 14.3 and 14.4) 

p.5

Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned and provides care for four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home’s statement of purpose indicates that the age range will be between 11 and 18 years of age.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.6

Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained Effectiveness

p.6

Recent inspection history

14/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

p.6

Good

The admission of new young people is carefully considered, and procedures help them settle more easily at what can be a very difficult time for them. The registered manager obtains a range of information to help her make an informed decision about the suitability of the home for the young person. She also completes an impact risk assessment which takes into account the compatibility with the existing group. Young people new to the home are welcomed in a sensitive and supportive manner. A young person confirmed that they were given the young people’s guide and staff spent time with them explaining the routines and basic health and safety rules, such as the fire evacuation procedure.

p.7

Good

Young people receive a good standard of individualised care and make good progress in a nurturing environment. This is because they are cared for by a committed and skilled staff team who want the best for young people. Staff do not give up on young people and challenge barriers where young people are not getting the support they need. For example, the registered manager challenged one young person’s placing authority as they had been without a social worker for some time. This was successful as a social worker was allocated promptly after the registered manager had raised her concerns. A social worker commented that staff are ‘very child-centred’ and ‘know what makes the young person tick’.

p.7

Good

Young people’s needs are appropriately identified and regularly reviewed, which informs their placement plans and risk assessments. Monthly reports are produced and sent to social workers, which keeps them up to date and helps to inform future planning. Feedback from social workers confirms that staff communicate very well with them.

p.7

Good

Young people are happy and feel safe. One young person told the inspector that this is the best children’s home he has lived in. He said that he had told this to another young person who had recently moved in and who had never lived in a children’s home before.

p.7

Good

Staff recognise and praise young people’s achievements, which helps to increase their self-esteem and confidence. They have very good relationships with staff, who they trust and can raise any concerns with. They feel valued as they are listened to and have a say in the day-to-day running of the home. Staff take time to explain to young people why their requests cannot be agreed, which helps them understand and accept decisions more easily.

p.7

Good

Young people make good progress in education, which is based on their individual needs and future career options. All young people’s attendance at their education provisions is very good. This is significant progress for most young people given their starting points, and gives them a more positive outlook for their futures.

p.8

Good

Young people become healthier. Staff support them to live healthier lifestyles, learn about healthy eating and the importance of regular exercise. Young people take part in lots of physical activities, for example, swimming, football and going to the gym. Young people have routine health appointments as well as accessing specialist health services, for example, the child and adolescent mental health service. Staff are tenacious in working with young people to help them overcome any phobias they may have about medical treatments, for example, dental treatment.

p.8

Good

Staff provide excellent emotional and practical support to young people to maintain, and in some cases re-establish, their relationships with their families and people who are important to them. Staff work closely with families to support them as well as their children.

p.8

Good

Refurbishment of the home has continued since the last inspection. Young people’s en-suite bathrooms have been refurbished, which has addressed the previous requirement. However, some young people continue to damage their rooms, which mean maintenance is ongoing. Communal areas are pleasant and comfortable.

p.8

Requires Improvement

Staff know young people well and fully understand their complex emotional and behavioural needs and the triggers that affect their behaviours. Each young person has a behaviour management plan and a range of risk assessments. Risk assessments do not always give clear details of actions to take to minimise risks. This has the potential to affect the safe delivery of care, especially when agency staff and staff from the organisation’s other homes are used.

p.8

Requires Improvement

The recording of behavioural incidents is fragmented, as there is a range of forms to complete. Staff do not always record the outcomes of the incident in the forms, which makes it difficult to assess the impact of the incident and if staff have taken appropriate action. Most young people make good progress in changing their risk-taking behaviours. This is because they know and trust staff and are clear about what is expected of them. Physical intervention is rarely used. Sanctions are used, but for some young people whose behaviour has recently deteriorated, these are ineffective. The types of sanctions imposed are very limited; they tend to be punitive and not restorative. Consequently, some young people are not learning to take responsibility for their actions.

p.8

Requires Improvement

Keeping young people safe is a priority. Staff are clear about their responsibilities in reporting any child protection concerns. They work closely with a range of agencies, including the police, to protect young people from the risk of harm and to help young people change their inappropriate behaviours. Staff receive a range of training, including child protection, fire safety and behaviour management, although not all staff have received training on self-harm or child sexual exploitation. This has the potential to affect the delivery of safe care.

p.9

Requires Improvement

Young people’s safety improves given their starting points. They told the inspector they feel safe and that they know that staff care about them. They know how to access the complaints procedure and that their complaints will be dealt with. Records of complaints confirm that the registered manager takes all complaints seriously and deals with them in a timely manner. The registered manager consults with the local authority designated officer about all complaints made against staff, regardless of the nature of the complaint. This helps to protect young people from the risk of harm and abuse.

p.9

Requires Improvement

Young people said bullying is not an issue and that they feel staff would sort it out. Bullying is discussed regularly in young people’s meetings, and staff intervene promptly where there are any hints of bullying, including any name calling.

p.9

Requires Improvement

Young people become safer as they rarely go missing. This is significant progress for some young people who had a history of going missing in their previous placements. Staff work in line with local joint protocols, and young people’s risk assessments include details of what to do in the event of a young person going missing.

p.9

Requires Improvement

The management of health and safety is good and helps to keep children, young people and staff safe. Installations and equipment are serviced as required. Staff undertake frequent fire safety tests, and fire evacuation drills are held regularly.

p.9

Requires Improvement

The registered manager carries out safe recruitment checks, which helps to protect young people from the risk of harm and abuse. She is committed to finding the right person for the job. This helps to ensure young people receive care from staff who are suitably experienced and staff who can work effectively with the existing team. Agency staff do not work at the home unless the agency provides documentary evidence that appropriate checks have been undertaken. Judgement grade

p.9

Requires Improvement

There have been a number of staff changes since the last inspection, resulting in staff shortages. The existing staff team and the registered manager have covered these shortages, which demonstrates their commitment to providing consistent care. Staff from the organisation’s other homes and agency staff have been used on occasions. Recruitment for new staff is ongoing. There is no evidence that staff shortages have affected the quality of care provided to young people. However, shortfalls identified during this inspection indicate that, on occasion, staff have had insufficient time to complete records thoroughly or had time to consider new developments.

p.10

Requires Improvement

There is a clear induction programme, and new staff receive regular supervision. However, routine monitoring of new staff’s progress in completing the induction is not taking place. Some of the mandatory training, for example, safeguarding, first aid and food hygiene, have not been provided in a timely manner for new staff. New staff have not been able to attend some arranged training due to staff shortages.

p.10

Requires Improvement

Care plans are a good standard. However, some associated care records are not always signed by the author and others lack details of discussion held which does not help with following up issues. For example, a record of a key-work session stated that staff and the young person discussed how to manage the young person’s anger but it did not give details of what strategies they discussed.

p.10

Requires Improvement

The registered manager has been in post since 2007 and has many years’ experience of working with children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. She has the Registered Manager’s award and attends regular training to inform developments in the home.

p.10

Requires Improvement

The registered manager is a strong leader and the staff team hold her in high esteem. They told the inspector that she is approachable, always ready to listen and will help on shift. Staff are clear about what is expected of them. They receive regular supervision, and staff meetings take place regularly, which gives them the opportunity to discuss young people’s care. However, the registered manager’s ability to continue to develop the service has been affected due to her having to work directly with young people to cover staff shortages. This has also affected management monitoring systems in some areas.

p.10

Requires Improvement

The registered manager and deputy manager check and sign records and complete audits of records. An independent visitor undertakes monthly visits and sends copies of their reports to Ofsted as required. Monitoring activities have not identified the shortfalls found during this inspection and this therefore calls into question the effectiveness of these monitoring systems.

p.10

Requires Improvement

The staff team are committed to continual improvement but staff shortages have impacted on their ability to identify new areas for development. Although young people contribute to the day-to-day running of the home, there are no formal systems for obtaining feedback from key stakeholders.

p.11

Requires Improvement

The statement of purpose contains all the required information and gives young people and key stakeholders clear details of services provided. Practice is in line with the statement. For example, robust admission procedures are implemented; the registered manager obtains all relevant information to inform a suitability decision and a 72-hour planning meeting is always held.

p.11

Requires Improvement

Partnership working is a key strength; staff have forged good working relationships with other professionals and agencies. This means that young people get the best all-round support, including accessing appropriate resources to meet their different needs. Feedback received from placing social workers is very positive about the care provided. One social worker stated that staff are very good at multi- disciplinary working and information sharing.

p.11

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.

p.12

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

p.12

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.12

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

p.13

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 .

p.13

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,

p.14

Information about this inspection

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

p.14

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.14

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

p.14