Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Windsor and Maidenhead

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:

 The young people are making good progress. Staff understand the needs of the young people and are committed to them.  Young people benefit from carefully laid out individualised care plans that they contribute too and understand. The staff attend and contribute to the review meetings held on behalf of the young people.  Positive relationships are formed with the young people and they can identify a staff member they can trust.  Young people that historically were not attending education now have good attendance and show an interest in education.  Young people are able to acquire age-appropriate skills that contribute to their independence while successfully gaining employment.  The views of young people are obtained consistently and given serious consideration by the staff. In addition, they have a good understanding of their rights.  The safeguarding of young people is outstanding by the management and staff

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The children's home provision is good because:

team. A strength of the home is the ability of the staff to understand and respond to the behaviours of young people.  Young people develop a good insight into their behaviours; resulting in the lack of physical interventions used by the staff. Risk assessments are detailed and comprehensive.  There has been a robust response to young people going missing by the staff, resulting in fewer incidents of young people going missing.  The management of the home is experienced and stable with a good understanding of the young people.  Training for the staff is offered throughout their employment. Team meetings and regular supervision contribute to staff development how they work with young people.  The monitoring of the home by management contributes to a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home.  There was one requirement made because of this inspection, the circumstances leading to it did not place the young people at risk.

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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

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, with a particular reference to ensuring that young people have read and understand any documentation about their care prior to obtaining their signature, the registered provider must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(ii) help each child to express views, wishes and feelings (iii) help each child to understand how the child's views, wishes, and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child (iv) regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the homes care. 05 December

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Information about this children's home

 SC438624  This home is privately owned home is run by the Keys Group  The home is registered for two young people who experience with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2015 Interim improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

22/01/2014 Interim Satisfactory Progress

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good

The young people are making reasonable progress particularly due to the commitment of the staff in understanding and meeting their individual needs. The records evidence that the staff have been patient and supportive while keeping them safe, which has influenced their ability to achieve positive outcomes.

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good

Individualised and culturally focused care plans are in place for young people. Young people understand and contribute to their plans enabling them to have a good awareness of all that is expected of them. The care plans are reviewed and updated accordingly; the staff attend the review meetings with the young people while supporting them to express their views.

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good

Consistent and focused key working sessions have assisted the young people in developing a trusting relationship with at least one member of staff. The young people do enjoy positive relationships with all staff but named their key worker as the member of staff they trusted and talked to the most. The strong rapport with the staff team helps the young people understand the importance of relationships and how to develop them.

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good

Health and well-being for young people is well promoted and monitored by the staff. Their physical and emotional health needs are well met. They benefit from the in-house therapeutic support available and prompt referrals to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services if needed.

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good

There is a commitment to the education of the young people that has led to positive progress. Some young people despite their historical issues with attending and sustaining in education are now successfully attending college with excellent attendance. The confidence of young people is now building as they plan for their future and career aspirations.

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good

There has been considerable improvement in the young people being prepared to transition from the home to living independently. Young people are able to obtain employment in the community while actively undertaking viewings of potential places to live. A young person spoke confidently about the independent skills they have obtained with the support of staff such as cooking, and managing money.

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good

Young people are able to maintain their relationships with parents and significant others when they reside a considerable distance from home. Successful contact arrangements are taking place that have been risk assessed and involve the staff transporting and collecting the young people. The staff are good at identifying when contact may not be safe for young people and they quickly intervene.

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good

Young people understand their rights and know how to complain. Their views are obtained formally in weekly young people’s meetings, key working sessions and during informal conversations with staff. Their ability to express their views has been essential to their progress thus far.

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good

A young person was requested to sign a blank document and informed the member of staff will complete the document later. This senior staff member overlooked the importance of teaching the young people the importance of reviewing documents thoroughly before approving it with a signature. The deputy and operations manager understood the concern for the staff practice and addressed this immediately. Judgement grade

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outstanding

Young people feel safe and experience fewer significant incidents due to the existing safeguarding policies that are in place and routinely followed by the staff. A placing social worker said, ‘they are very pleased with the progress of a young person whilst placed at the home. The young person is kept safe and if they were at any other place, the young person would not have been safe’. This highly valued opinion and the evidence clearly supports the meticulous manner in which young people are kept safe.

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outstanding

The behaviours of young people are fully understood by the staff and is a strength of the home. The excellent safeguarding practices have provided a foundation for positive relationships between staff and young people. This proves highly effective in helping to manage and improve behaviour. As a result, there are fewer behaviour management challenges in the home as evidenced by the lack of physical interventions on record. The staff only undertake physical interventions when necessary to preserve the safety of the young people.

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outstanding

The young people have individualised, comprehensive risk assessments in place. They are regularly reviewed; contain careful and measured responses for all the risk associated to the young people while enabling them to take reasonable risks as part of their growth and development.

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outstanding

The staff have evidenced a robust response to young people going missing. When young people do go missing, the staff work in partnership with the police, sharing information that has led to their successful return. This has led to young people becoming aware of their behaviour due to actively engaging with their key worker resulting in a reduction of missing incidents that are of significant concern.

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outstanding

Young people continue to be protected by an extensive procedure for the recruitment and selection of new staff. A DBS is undertaken, employment history is verified and all references confirmed written and verbally in accordance with safer recruitment practices. Young people benefit from this process and its contribution to a safe environment.

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outstanding

The home continues to be furnished and maintained to a high level. Repairs are undertaken very swiftly when identified and recent decorations with the input of the young people has enhanced the safe secure environment. Fire safety and other household checks are conducted at frequent intervals. Judgement grade

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good

The registered manager is qualified, experienced and has been in post for several years but was on annual leave during the inspection. The deputy manager is currently undertaking a level five qualification to be completed next year and has good insight into the young people and the staff. She has been in post less than two years and is confident in making day-to-day decisions in absence of the registered manager who manages two children’s homes.

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good

Scrutiny of the home is undertaken by the independent visitor who assists in helping to maintain high standards for the young people. The management and the staff act promptly to address any concerns raised during the monthly- unannounced visits. The independent visitor ensures that she speaks with the young people providing an additional resource for them to express their views.

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good

In addition to the previously mentioned monthly visits, the management puts together a comprehensive quarterly report capturing the strengths and weakness of the home. The reports clearly captures the daily lives of the young people and sets targets for improving the service. All monitoring reports are sent to Ofsted in timely manner.

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good

The home's Statement of Purpose reflects the recent changes in regulations and clearly lays out the services and support available to young people. An inventive development plan contributes to the service and feeds into the statement of purpose upon being accomplished by organisation for the home.

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good

Staff are very committed to their work with young people. They are skilful in their practice ensuring that young people experience a strong quality of care. Staff have a positive view of the support they receive, citing regular supervision and team meetings as positives. The organisation invests in its staff by offering good quality training and opportunities for promotion. The staff seldom leave for alternative employment outside of the organisation. This provides young people with very high levels of consistency and stability.

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good

Professionals have nothing but positive comments regarding the staff and their impact on the young people and their ability to communicate on their behalf. A placing social worker said, ‘the staff communicate very well, and I speak to a member of staff weekly regarding the young person.’ There are a broad range of professionals that the staff have evidenced to having good quality relationships that include the police, local authority and health professionals. These relationships continue to support positive outcomes for the young people.

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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

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

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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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