Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Nottinghamshire

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 very good progress as a result of living here and can identify the positive influence of staff and managers. One young person commented: ‘Being here has changed my life’.  The achievement of young people in education, given their starting points, is very good. The range of activities provided also encourages learning and provides an opportunity for young people to enjoy their childhood.  Young people are kept safe because staff really care about them, have built excellent relationships with them, and understand how to reduce and manage risk.  Staff feel supported and enjoy working here. One member of staff said: ‘This is the best job I have had’  Recruitment has resulted in a stronger leadership team providing direction and seeking improvement in the care of young people. Additional care staff bring a range of experience and skills to the team.  Two minor shortfalls have been identified. These relate to the lack of action

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The children's home provision is good because:

taken to address concerns identified in the registered managers’ review of care.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The design of the home should provide staff that sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 17, paragraph 3.26)

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Recommendations

 The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned and is registered to provide care and accommodation for five young people with 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

05/03/2015 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

p.5

Good

Staff and young people have worked well together to come through a difficult time in this home. Young people have focussed on achieving their aims and staff have remained very committed to providing very good care for them. As a result, young people have made very good progress, especially in education, health, emotional well-being, and independence.

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Good

Young people make very good, and in some cases exceptional, progress in education given their starting points. One young person, on arrival at the home, could barely read or write. With the support and encouragement of staff she has successfully completed an English examination and is now at college. The registered manager said: ‘I am so proud of her.’ Staff communicate well with education to ensure there is consistency in the care of young people. Where there have been issues, staff have been tenacious in ensuring resolution. Staff work tirelessly to identify appropriate courses and opportunities for young people when they leave education. One young person has successfully completed a Princes Trust course that staff had promoted. Staff from the programme praised her attendance and commitment to the course.

p.6

Good

All young people are registered with a full range of health professionals. In addition, they are supported by the Looked After Children Nurse who provides information on various subjects such as sexual health. Some young people have stopped or reduced their smoking as a result of attending smoking cessation support. They enjoy a range of varied and nutritious meals which they help shop for, prepare, and cook. This provides them with useful skills as well as healthy food. Staff work hard to help young people understand why they are in care and help them to deal with their feelings and emotions. They are committed to providing a range of good, positive memories for young people, which enable them to develop confidence and improve their self-esteem. Memory books and photo albums provide a lasting reminder for young people of their time here. One young person, who has recently moved on from the home, wrote to the staff saying: ‘I

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Good

just wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You have helped me through some of the darkest moments in my life’.

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Good

Young people take part in a number of activities and clubs. These include ice skating, youth club, swimming, dance, and music festivals at the nearby large park. Some young people have volunteered in the community, working in local animal rescue centres and volunteering in an old people’s home. They are also encouraged to undertake ‘adventures’; an ‘adventure scrapbook’ suggests a number of activities for young people to do before they reach the age of 18. These include such relatively old-fashioned activities as skimming a stone, flying a kite, camping out and cooking on an open fire. This provides the opportunity for them to experience positive childhood activities that they might otherwise have missed.

p.6

Good

Contact arrangements are clearly identified in young people’s plans and staff work hard to ensure contact is safe and enjoyable. Some young people have benefitted from increased contact with their families as a result of staff support.

p.7

Good

Young people are prepared well for independent living. Staff work with them on a range of practical skills and also the emotional aspects of living alone and how to keep safe. A social worker commented that the independent living programme is, ‘really positive.’

p.7

Good

Staff clearly get the very basics of care right. They establish and maintain excellent relationships with young people, engage young people at every opportunity and provide a very caring and nurturing environment for them. They help them to feel good about themselves and to feel safe.

p.7

Good

Very good care plans detail the aims and objectives of the placement and identify the young person’s individual needs. These are clearly reflected in the daily living plans and routines. Key work sessions focus on subjects that need to be addressed in order to help young people achieve their potential. Progress is recorded and shared with young people which enhances their confidence and self-esteem.

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Good

Young people meet regularly to discuss plans for the home, menus, behaviour and any issues they have. During really difficult times these meetings have continued and have provided support for young people, enabling them to discuss their concerns. As a result, their views have been heard and taken into account.

p.7

Good

‘Staff deffo keep me safe, we all know they love us.’ This comment by a young person demonstrates how the warmth and care provided by staff helps young people to feel safe.

p.7

Good

Some young people, who are older, sometimes choose to stay away from the home for long periods. When they go absent staff are very quick to locate them and maintain regular contact whilst they are away from the home. They visit, take essentials such as toiletries and take them out for a meal. One member of staff said: ‘it is not about condoning where they have chosen to be, it is about showing them we still care and maintaining their engagement.’

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Good

Staff maintain very good relationships and communicate effectively with a wide range of partners in order to keep young people safe. There is a very good relationship with the local police force, missing from home officer and sexual exploitation team. This ensures young people are well informed about the risks of going missing from the home and there is consistency in implementing procedures in the event of any absence. Staff appropriately share information in order to protect young people. An independent reviewing officer stated: ‘They follow protocols and communicate really well.’ This helps keep young people as safe as possible.

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Good

Very detailed risk assessments including missing from home, self-harm and bullying, ensure the risks for vulnerable young people are reduced as far as possible. Risk assessments are reviewed and updated with positive comments and progress as well as any incidents. This helps young people reflect on their progress in keeping safe.

p.8

Good

Staff have dealt with some very challenging behaviours and managed incidents very well. They have notified all relevant parties of any serious incidents. Staff took action to address racially abusive language in the home, involving other professionals to help young people understand the legalities and consequences of such behaviour. Behaviour has improved significantly recently. Positive behaviour is encouraged through a rewards system and any poor behaviour is addressed through sanctions. These are seen as opportunities for reparation and learning. Physical intervention is rarely used and when it is it is recorded in good detail and staff and young people have the opportunity to discuss the incident. This ensures everyone learns from the intervention. One young person, reflecting on her past behaviour, identified that she had made really positive progress. She commented that staff had helped her. She aspires to be a good role model for other young

p.8

Good

Young people are protected by a range of safeguarding policies and procedures. Staff are trained in safeguarding, managing allegations, medication practice and first aid. Allegations are managed swiftly and robustly ensuring young people and staff are appropriately safeguarded. Staff are aware of the risks posed by terrorism and extremism and resources are available to support their understanding. In addition, a training course has been identified to enable staff to enhance their knowledge and protect young people.

p.8

Good

The provider has invested a significant amount of money and time to improve the maintenance and décor of the home. It is now well maintained, warm and welcoming. This has met a requirement made at the previous inspection. Young people have made choices about décor, especially in their bedrooms and this encourages them to keep the home nice. Regular health and safety and fire checks ensure the building and equipment remains safe. Staff and young people take part in regular fire drills so they know what to do in the event of a fire.

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Good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and very experienced. She is ably supported by a very good deputy manager who has worked in the home for a long time. In addition, recent recruitment has increased the senior team with an addition of a further deputy and two senior workers. This has resulted in a very strong leadership team and afforded the registered manager time to reflect on the service and care provided and make plans for the future.

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Good

The strengths and weaknesses of the home are understood by the registered manager and she has plans to improve the service. A detailed development plan provides an overarching framework for improvement and this is broken down into smaller activities which are reviewed by the registered manager every three months. This allows for flexibility in the developments and ensures improvement is on track.

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Good

Very good partnership work promotes positive outcomes for young people. For example, although the young people are educated off-site, the staff work closely with the on-site school teacher, in order to get support for educational progress.

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Good

Several new staff have been recruited, bringing a wealth of life experiences to the team. Training is very good, and the use of more in-house training has provided learning specifically related to the need of the young people. Staff share their knowledge and expertise with their peers. For example, one member of staff with experience of autism and associated behaviours, provided a workshop to help staff understand how to effectively support young people with autistic traits.

p.9

Good

Staff feel supported through individual and group supervision, peer support, incident debriefs, team meetings and a very good handover process. Staff reflect that the recent difficult times have provided an opportunity for learning. One member of staff said: ‘It has brought us together as a team. We have shared information on what works.’

p.9

Good

The registered manager and staff have learned from previous placements where there have been issues. As a result, the referrals process, admissions information, and statement of purpose have been revised to ensure future placements are better planned. The registered manager has also identified in her review report that behaviours often peak when a fifth young person is placed in the home and this has a significant impact on the other four young people. She has also identified that the sleeping arrangements for staff are not entirely appropriate when there are five young people resident. These findings have not been taken forward by the organisation to improve performance and therefore two recommendations are made to ensure the views of the registered manager are taken into account.

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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. 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

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.

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Information about this inspection

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 .

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Information about this inspection

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, 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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