Children's home run by Keys Direct Care Limited in Southend-on-Sea

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:

 Children are making very good progress because they live in this home. Attendance and attainment at the school have improved. Some of the children had been absent from school for long periods prior to living here.  Staff develop resilient and caring relationships with the children. They interact with children in a composed and caring way. This promotes the children’s self- esteem.  Children have positive relationships with staff and are stable in this home. Consequently, they have a trusted adult with whom they can voice their wishes and views.  Staff help children to regulate their emotions through considerate and thoughtful key-work sessions.  There are good-quality risk assessments, which inform staff about the needs of the children and how to manage these on a day-to-day basis.  There is an in-house psychology service, which provides counselling directly to the children. As a result, children receive a service quickly.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Children do not go missing from this home. Staff have developed positive relationships with the children so that that the children do not want to leave the home. Staff are aware of the risks of exploitation that these children could experience in the community.  Staff incentivise positive behaviour, and children are encouraged to be calm and to maintain appropriate relationships with peers and staff.

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Information about this children's home

This home provides accommodation for four children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. A private provider owns and operates this home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

21 January 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Children make very good progress because they live in this home. There is strong and effective joint work between the staff in the home and the on-site education provider. This has supported the children to attend school regularly. Some of the children had previously been absent from school for long periods. Attendance at the school is now over 95% for all of the children. As a result, staff have supported children to engage in their schoolwork and to develop skills and knowledge that will help them to make the next step in further education or work experience. Some of the children are completing course work and planning to sit GCSE examinations. Others are progressing well with their education plans. The on-site provision delivers the full curriculum through individual and innovative plans. For example, the school uses one child’s passion for football as a vehicle to encourage participation in mathematics. Another child’s interest in computer gaming is used

p.5

Good

to develop not only information and communication technology (ICT) skills but also art and design.

p.5

Good

The manager works effectively to help staff to develop resilient and caring relationships with the children. Observations made during this inspection are of staff interacting with children in a composed and caring way. The manager completes good-quality impact risk assessments, which detail the presenting issues for the child. These also show how staff will manage these needs within the current group of children. The manager shares these assessments with the placing social workers and staff group before any new placement. Consequently, the staff can adapt to the children’s needs and, by referring to up-to-date care plans, they work consistently with the children, which has helped the children to settle. Placing social workers consider that the staff have positive relationships with the children. One commented: ‘The staff work very flexibly and really hard to build up the relationship with her. They also provide good, consistent boundaries which she

p.5

Good

Children have established stable routines in this home. Some arrived following numerous placement breakdowns and with behaviour, which challenged the carers’ ability to keep them safe. Staff have developed skills to meet the children’s individual needs, which has reduced these incidents. Consequently, they are able to build good, positive relationships with staff, which promote their self-esteem. A placing social worker commented: ‘Her progress has been really good. Prior to coming here, she was frequently missing from home, but she has not been missing since she has been in this home. She has thrived on the emotional support that the staff provide.’ Key-work sessions take place regularly with staff who focus on current behaviours or concerns that children may have. A child commented: ‘My key worker is lovely. We spend time talking about my emotions, my feelings, and how I am getting on in the home.’ The manager reviews the recordings of these

p.5

Good

sessions to ensure that they are in line with the children’s care plans and are helping them to make all possible progress.

p.6

Good

Regular meetings take place in which children and staff discuss issues in the home. These meetings help to plan for activities such as trips out to the beach, meals with friends, or going to the cinema. This gives the children the opportunity to have their views heard, and for staff to include their ideas in the day-to-day running of the home. These meetings also focus on how the children are feeling. There is a discussion about any concerns or issues children may have. Staff also use these meetings to highlight positive behaviour and to praise the children when they have done well.

p.6

Good

The staff are extremely flexible in managing contact. Recently, in order to make these sessions more successful, staff have regularly transported a child back to his home town. Staff work successfully with the placing authority to maximise the positive contact that children have with their families. This promotes this child’s understanding of his cultural background and of his home area.

p.6

Good

Staff have good relationships with healthcare providers and encourage children to attend clinics and appointments as needed. This means that children are in contact with those professionals who can keep them healthy. Activities such as going to the gym, playing football and going ice-skating also support their overall well- being. Staff prepare nutritious meals in the home and discourage unhealthy snacks.

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Good

The provider has an in-house psychology service that provides counselling directly to the children and acts as an adviser to staff on issues that staff are managing. As a result, children can receive a service quickly, and staff understand children’s needs better. A child commented: ‘ I have seen a specialist counsellor and this has helped me to make plans for the future.’

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Good

Children do not go missing from this home. Prior to living here, a number of the children had a significant history of going missing. Staff work hard to develop positive relationships with the children, which means that they do want to leave the home. The staff are aware of the risk of exploitation that exists for these children. They are able to talk, in detail, about the safeguarding practices in the home. The manager has completed group supervision with staff to clarify the policy and procedure that staff have to follow if a child goes missing from the home. This has led to further, formal training with regard to this issue and has supported the work that staff complete. Children feel safe in this home. One commented: ‘I feel safe in the home. I have been able to understand some of my behaviour better than I did at home.’

p.6

Good

The manager reviews and updates risk assessments that staff use to complete their work with the children and include the presenting issues. These are included in the care plans and help staff to minimise the risk factor and implement safe-care practice. These plans and assessments have resulted in staff understanding the children’s needs and acting in ways that have helped them to develop their skills in moderating the children’s emotions and behaviours. Because of this, concerning incidents have reduced. Staff reward positive behaviour, and incentives mean that children are encouraged to be calm and behave positively. Staff monitor relationships between the children, and action taken by staff to promote good interaction between them has reduced anti-social behaviour.

p.7

Good

Trained staff intervene if children are placing themselves or others at risk. Since the previous inspection, staff have developed skills and experience in managing the children’s behaviours without the need to restrain and, as a result, there has been a reduction in restraints. When they have restrained, staff have tried to de-escalate situations before intervening physically. The manager reviews and reflects with staff on the well-documented incident records to see if they can learn from these occasions.

p.7

Good

The manager has been in post for 15 months having been a registered manager previously. He holds a national vocational qualification level 3, and is working towards completion of the level 5 qualification. He skilfully motivates the staff to focus on meeting the needs of the children. Staff regularly receive good quality supervision. During these meetings, the manager considers the safeguarding processes and the training needs of the staff. He routinely monitors the performance of staff and their records to ensure that the children are making positive progress. This monitoring also ensures that the home is achieving its aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose.

p.7

Good

Children are progressing well because they live in this home. Staff help them to regulate their emotions through considerate and thoughtful key-work sessions. As a result, the children are building positive relationships with staff. Their behaviour has improved because of the attentive approach that staff use. As a result, restraints have reduced, as have concerning incidents, and positive rewards encourage better behaviour.

p.7

Good

Placing social workers have no concerns about the quality of care and comment on the successful progress that children have made because of living here. A social worker commented: ‘Staff have built up his confidence and trust to enable him to have greater free time. They have really worked hard with him, and this has been the most settled period of his time in care. He has been through a number of previous placements prior to this one and his needs are well matched.’ The manager has a good understanding of the strengths of the service. In particular, the staff have a desire to make time for the children. He believes that the staff’s energy and their willingness to participate in activities with the children encourages the children to take part and builds trust and confidence. He has a strong commitment to staff development and training and all relevant members of staff complete the national vocational qualification level 3 within the required

p.8

Good

timeframe. There are strong and open relationships with placing local authorities, police and other agencies involved in working with these children. Social workers praise the commitment of staff and the quality of the weekly reports that they receive. These reports help the authorities to ensure that care plans are appropriate. They also inform them how these plans are helping the children to make good progress. The manager ensures that all agencies play their role in meeting the children’s needs. Recently, he has been in touch with external agencies to remind them of their duties to the children. For example, he has contacted one authority to ensure that a personal education plan is in place. Because of this, the school has the most up- to-date information to meet the child’s needs.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 whom 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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