Children's Home run by Keys Specialist Residential Children's Services Ltd in Worcestershire

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people make significant progress in all areas of their lives and enjoy positive day-to-day experiences.  Consultation with young people is prioritised in the home and embedded in practice.  Managers and staff care passionately about young people and provide a high level of warmth and nurture.  Relationships with families is excellent.  Feedback from young people, their families and professionals is exceptionally positive.  There are a few shortfalls. These include, the absence of detail in risk assessments, the registered manager not acting on the independent visitor recommendations and not all staff receive regular supervisions and appraisal.

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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

In order to meet the protection of children quality standard ensure that children are protected from harm, in particular that staff -

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Requirement Due date

2 (v) understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. 24/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 24/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The independent person's report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions (Regulation 44(5)) 24/11/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home's care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement (The Guide to Quality standards, paragraph 13.5, page 61)

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The service is operated by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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good

Young people love living in this home. On the whole staff are tenacious at building and maintaining excellent relationships with young people. Relationship between young people is very good. Staff are attentive to young people’s needs and their desire for attention; spontaneous affection is clearly evident. Staff have a genuine interest in young people. Young people develop attachments to staff which helps improve their self-esteem. For example, a poem written by a young person states: ‘I’ve changed so much, but for the best, I couldn’t have done it, without the help and support of the staff, a poem isn’t long enough, to say how much I’ve loved it here, so all I can say is, thank you for this incredible year!!’

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good

Young people make significant progress in their education attainment and attendance. When young people have difficulties at school, managers respond swiftly in working with teachers to help resolve any issues. This shared approach ensures young people know that adults are concerned about them and are working together to ensure they are happy and engaging in their school environment.

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good

Young people enjoy spending time with their families, staff advocate and support this. For example, staff help young people see their family after a significant period of absence. A mother comments: ‘The home is fabulous, if it was not for the manager I do not think I would be seeing my child again’. As a result, young people build on important relationships with their family giving them a sense of belonging coupled with an understanding of their heritage.

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good

Consultation with young people is central to the home’s ethos and staff embed this into practice. Young people have a say in how they would like their home to run and how they can improve it further. Young people have fun and enjoy themselves. They engage in many activities individually chosen and supported by staff. For example, deep sea fishing; go karting, enjoying meals out, guitar lessons, shopping and pamper days. As a result, young people are developing confidence and a sense of independence.

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good

Young people receive good healthcare that meets their individual physical and emotional needs. A health professional comments: ‘I think they have rescued this young person and helped them so much to find acceptance, care and understanding. They have nurtured them in many ways, including developing their talents, and are easy to contact and reliable with appointments. I’m so glad this young person was placed there.’

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good

Young people feel safe, they do not go missing and learn skills to manage their emotions and behaviours. Managers monitor physical interventions to try and identify any patterns and trends. This is effective as incidents of physical interventions are reducing and staff know how to ensure young people feel safe. There is currently no risk of child sexual exploitation.

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good

Staff receive regular training on safeguarding issues relevant to the young people. For example, staff respond to incidents of self-harm appropriately and receive monthly mental health consultations. Staff complete regular debriefs and learn from young people’s feedback to try to reduce further incidents. Risk assessments are robust and rigorous to reflect the individual needs of young people. However, not all staff members follow these risk assessments and implement the necessary safeguarding measures.

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good

The home environment is safe. Staff take significant care to make sure the home environment meets the needs of the young people. For example, staff have sourced plastic light bulbs that do not break. This reduces the risk of young people being able to harm themselves.

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good

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified and has been registered with Ofsted since August 2014. She provides strong leadership to staff; a deputy manager supports her. However, the registered manager has been fulfilling additional duties within the organisation which has had an impact on the close scrutiny of internal and external monitoring within the home. For example, the registered manager has not undertaken regular supervisions for all staff in their probationary period. She has not ensured all staff have received their annual appraisal. This has left staff without formal opportunities in which to reflect on practice. She has not actioned recommendations from independent monitoring and as a result has missed an opportunity to improve further the provision of care.

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good

The majority of the staff team are new. They are safely recruited to ensure that unsuitable people do not have the opportunity to work with young people. Staff feel supported and state managers are approachable all hours of the day and night. Training and development activity is effective. The registered manager identifies gaps in skills and knowledge and takes steps to try and ensure they are equipped with the tools they need to effectively care for the young people.

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good

Managers ensure young people are central to their care plans and they are individualised to their needs. Managers understand the needs of young people and prioritise them. Staff have all relevant documentation that enables them to provide appropriate care for young people. Home records contain up-to-date information that fully reflects the individual needs, experiences and events young people have achieved. Young people are observed to naturally seek out cuddles and appropriate touch with managers and staff. Young people feel cared for and consider the home to be ‘better than outstanding.’

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good

Managers and staff work effectively with established networks of external agencies and professionals ensuring they are meeting the holistic needs of young people. The home is welcoming, well-equipped and well decorated with young people’s photographs and achievements proudly on display.

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good

There were no previous requirements and recommendations.

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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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