Children's Home run by Keys Education Ltd in Warrington

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:

 Risks associated with young people are well known and understood by staff. Risk taking behaviours, such as going missing from care from long periods, the intensity and frequency of drug use, offending and anti-social behaviour have reduced considerably. Consequently, young people are less likely to suffer actual harm.  Young people become increasing safer as a result of the actions staff take to support and protect them. Young people report they feel safe and enjoy living at the home.  Since the last inspection there are new young people in placement. They have settled in quickly and are making good progress, taking into account their individual starting points.  Young people enjoy good relationships with staff and they sustain their positive attachments. They benefit from well-planned, highly individualised care that promotes their needs effectively.  The educational progress young people make, is either good or satisfactory,

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The children's home provision is good because:

taking into account their individual starting points. Staff promote young people’s education and encourage their regular school attendance. They work effectively with the providers of young people’s education to promote their learning and progress.  Young people benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. There are effective arrangements for monitoring the performance of the home to improve outcomes for the young people.  As a result of this inspection, there are a small number of recommendations made. These relate to, the home obtaining relevant plans from the placing authority, for those young people who require them; ensuring young people of compulsory school age work towards attending full-time education and the involvement of specialist services to help young people.

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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 children are in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plans states otherwise. The home must aim to support full time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (The Guide to the quality standards, paragraph 5.14, page 28)

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Recommendations

 ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. This relates specifically to a pathway plan/care plan for young people, who require them. (The Guide to the quality standards, paragraph 3.1, page 14)

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Recommendations

 play a full part in promoting the best interests of the child, proactively advocating for the child to ensure that others play their role and deliver the high quality support that is needed to engage young people in the services they need. This relates specifically to the involvement of specialist services to address, young people’s previous drug use. (The Guide to the quality standards, paragraph 2.4, page 11)

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Information about this children's home

 The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 3 young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The home is privately owned and managed. 

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

28/11/2014 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

31/01/2014 CH - Interim Inadequate Progress

p.5

good

Young people enjoy living at the home where they feel safe and have a strong sense of personal safety. They have good relationships with staff and they sustain their positive attachments. They receive continuity of care so they have consistency and stability in their lives. Staff are positive role models that the young people look up to and learn from. Young people report, ‘All of the staff are sound. I can talk to staff about anything.’

p.6

good

Young people benefit from well-planned, highly individualised care that promotes their needs effectively. They benefit from effective, good quality support from staff that results in positive change and improvement in their lives. Young people make good progress across all aspects of their welfare, physical, social, emotional and behavioural development.

p.6

good

Staff have a positive influence on the lives of young people. They understand their needs and particular vulnerabilities and take appropriate action, to address them. Young people report, ‘they help me and take me places. Since I’ve come here, I haven’t really had any involvement with the police, so it’s definitely helping me, being here.’

p.6

good

Young people are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and have access to these services, when they need them. They receive specialist support, if they require it, to promote their emotional and psychological well-being. Medical consent is in place and staff are clear about what health decisions and responsibilities are delegated to them. The storage, administration and safe keeping of young people’s medication are managed safely and effectively by staff. Staff provide young people with good support through one to one working. They advise them about key health issues and teach them how to take responsibility for their own health.

p.6

good

Staff maintain effective partnerships with health professionals to promote young people’s positive health. The manager is looking to involve specially trained workers to provide young people with friendly, professional advice about the dangers of using drugs. However, there are been difficulties in the home taking this work forward to ensure this support is available for young people. Consequently, a recommendation is made in respect of this issue.

p.6

good

Young people are actively encouraged to attend school or alternative educational provision. They enjoy regular attendance and are making good or satisfactory progress in relation to their starting points. However, not all young people are receiving at least 25 hours education and some young people are receiving their education on a reduced timetable on site. The home works effectively with the providers of young people’s education to promote their educational achievement. Young people are provided with the equipment they need to support their learning, such as reading materials, a study room and personal computer.

p.6

good

The home has requested relevant plans from the placing authority where they are outstanding. However, some young people’s records remain incomplete with missing care, education and pathway plans. This lack of information means that staff cannot completely address identified need.

p.7

good

Staff promote contact for young people and this enables them to sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Young people benefit from positive activities both at home and in the wider community. They improve their social skills and develop their friendships, interests and hobbies. Young people develop practical skills, such as shopping, cleaning and cooking to promote their readiness for independence.

p.7

good

Staff actively involve young people in the running of the home. They listen to them and act on their reasonable requests. By listening to young people they feel valued and by engaging them they are able to influence the running of the home. Young people report, ‘I like living here, its proper nice. It’s a homely environment. I can talk to staff about anything. I wouldn’t change anything here, it’s perfect. I really like it.’

p.7

good

Other young people report, ‘It’s good. We get to go out and everything. They help keep me out of trouble. They have given me a lot of support, like they speak to me when I’m down. It’s the best children’s home I’ve been in.’

p.7

good

Staff are trained in child protection so they know how to deal with allegations and report suspected abuse. Allegations of abuse are managed quickly and significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities charged with a duty to protect young people. The home maintains effective partnerships with the police, social workers and other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of young people. Young people are protected from abuse, bullying and child sexual exploitation and all other forms of significant harm.

p.7

good

There is evidence of behavioural change and improvement for the young people. The frequency and intensity of risk taking behaviours, such as drug use, anti-social behaviour and going missing from care for long periods have reduced considerably and young people are less likely to suffer actual harm. When young people are missing or are absent without authority, staff implement and follow the home’s procedures to promote their safe return. Return home interviews take place on young people’s return to ensure they are protected and supported. The police report, ‘My experience of working with the staff has only ever been positive. I believe that this home is one of the better care homes in the area and I would have nothing negative to state about the home or the staff from my experience.’

p.7

good

Young people know how to make a complaint and their rights are promoted effectively. They have access to professional advocates who can make independent representations on their behalf. None of the young people raised any issues, complaints, or concerns during this inspection.

p.8

good

Staff promote young people’s positive behaviour and where sanctions are used, they are mostly restorative in nature. This helps young people to reflect on the implications and consequences of their own behaviour and learn from their wrongdoings. The use of restraint is exceptionally rare and it is only ever used as a last resort to protect young people from accident, harm or injury.

p.8

good

Young people report, ’I enjoy living here, the staff are really nice. They go out of their way to do things for me. It’s a very welcoming place. I used to get in trouble a lot before with my behaviour. The way I think has changed.’

p.8

good

The accommodation provided for young people is warm, homely, comfortable, physically safe and appropriately secure. Young people’s bedrooms are highly personalised in accordance with their needs, feelings and wishes. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively to promote a safe environment for young people.

p.8

good

The Registered Manager has left the home since the previous inspection. The acting manager has now been interviewed for the vacant Registered Managers position and they await their registration with Ofsted. They demonstrate effective leadership of the home’s staff and operation.

p.8

good

The manager of the home is suitably experienced and they are currently working towards a recognised management and leadership qualification. The manager is well supported by a senior manager and two senior workers at the home. There are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, well trained and experienced staff to meet the needs of young people. Staff benefit from good quality training and have access to regular, professional supervision.

p.8

good

The requirement and recommendations from the previous inspection have been addressed and met. The recording of young people’s day-to-day records has improved and outstanding paperwork has been requested from the placing authorities. The manager now receives regular professional supervision, as do, new staff that have been recently employed. New staff confirm their induction and training was thorough, informative and useful.

p.9

good

The home meets the aims and objectives as set out in its Statement of Purpose. The home provides young people with good quality care that makes a positive difference to their lives. The manager prioritises the needs of young people and works in partnership with other professional agencies to meet their specific needs. As result, young people benefit from the best possible help and all round support.

p.9

good

The manager makes good use of the home’s monitoring activities to raise standards and improve outcomes for young people. They monitor the progress young people make and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The performance of the home is scrutinised independently and a written report is prepared, each month, on the home’s conduct. This enables the manager to address any shortfalls to secure improvement.

p.9

good

Combined with the managers own internal monitoring activities, there are effective systems for reviewing and improving the standard and quality of young people’s care. The manager escalates concerns, if they believe professional decisions are not in the best interests of young people. The manager contributes to young people’s reviews so they can influence key decisions and champion the needs of 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

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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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