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

Good

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

p.2

The children’s home provision is good because:

 All young people make good progress from their starting points in relation to their education, their health, keeping themselves safe and their emotional well-being.  The young people are cared for by an experienced, skilled and stable staff team, which is knowledgeable about individual young people’s needs, and can clearly identify the progress they have made.  The young people are supported by staff to have enjoyable contact with their families, friends and significant others. The manager appropriately risk- assesses contact requests to enable some young people to have their friends and families to stay overnight.  The staff and manager have strong working relationships with external agencies. This is a benefit to the support provided to the young people.  The registered manager has a good awareness of the strengths and areas of improvement required for the home. This continually drives improvement to

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

the service that the young people receive.  The registered manager implements clear strategies that are effective to keep young people safe.  The young people describe their relationships with the staff as a real strength of the home. They feel that staff treat them with respect and help them to keep safe.  The manager and staff have a clear understanding of the home’s ethos, work together consistently and provide clear and consistent boundaries to meet the needs of young people.  The manager works effectively with placing authorities and professionals within and external to the organisation, to enable young people to have a holistic care package in line with their individual plans. This is a real strength of the home.  This inspection identified some shortfalls and areas for improvements. These are in relation to debriefs for staff following incidents, recording of measures of control used within the home, improvements to the

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

environment of the home and to checks completed on the company vehicle, and recording young people’s views and their part of discussions. These matters are not currently having an impact on the safety and well-being of young people.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationship standard, with specific regard to staff debriefs following negative incidents, the registered person must ensure that staff:

p.4

Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (ix) understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children (x) are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. 12 August

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes in regulation 35 (a)(b)(c). (Regulation 35(a)(i-viii)(b)(i-ii)(c)) 12 August

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure the children’s home complies with relevant health and safety legislation. This is with particular regard to the environment of the home, and to the company car being to a suitable standard. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Ensure that the importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, such as through undertaking life story work or other direct work. Staff in children’s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. This specifically relates to understanding young people’s cultural needs and helping them to stay in touch with their culture. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’, and support children to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

p.5

Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is managed by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for four young people of both genders, aged between 10 and 18 years, who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.6

Good

All young people achieve positive outcomes. They are provided with high quality care within a warm, caring and nurturing environment with firm and consistent boundaries. They make significant progress in all aspects of their lives and are increasingly becoming aware of how their choices and actions impact upon their lives. All young people’s achievements are celebrated through recognition by the staff team and in the organisation’s newsletter. One young person had feedback about the home: ‘The staff have helped me with my anger. They have built relationships with me, and made me really happy and helped my education.’ Another young person reported how staff have helped them to see how their behaviour before was placing them at risk, and how to change that behaviour so that they are safer now.

p.7

Good

Admissions to the home are mainly planned and where possible involve young people visiting the home, and staff visiting them, before they are admitted. This enables a robust assessment to be undertaken to gain a view of potential impact on other young people. As a result, young people meet staff and other young people, look around the home and are provided with information before coming to live at the home. This ensures that young people’s needs are clearly identified and are met by the staff.

p.7

Good

The young people benefit from positive relationships with staff. A stable, nurturing, dedicated and experienced staff team cares for them. Staff have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the complex individual needs of the young people in their care, which enables good tailored responses to individual young people. Young people who have experienced significant trauma and present with complex and challenging behaviours grow in self-confidence and can express themselves positively. They are treated with respect and are enabled to channel their skills and abilities into achievement and significant improvement. However, the staff’s responses to meet all of the young people’s cultural needs do not happen in a timely manner, and therefore do not ensure that all young people’s needs are met from their admission to the home.

p.7

Good

All young people are supported by staff to have enjoyable contact with their families, friends and significant others. The manager ensures that there are sufficient staff on duty to provide transport for young people to spend time with their families. The manager appropriately risk-assesses contact requests to enable some young people to have their friends and families to stay overnight. One parent said that their child had, ‘totally changed since she has been at the home. They are supportive, remain in touch, and I couldn’t ask for more.’

p.7

Good

The young people make progress with regard to their health. Staff work closely with the organisation’s therapist and external agencies to ensure that young people have specialist professionals they can talk to, to help them to manage their anxiety and anger in a different way and to provide staff with strategies to support young people. The organisation’s therapist attends the home to provide support through informal and formal sessions with staff. These inter- and multi-agency working systems help to meet young people’s emotional and psychological needs, and incidents reduce. Young people gain information, appropriate to their age and understanding, around keeping safe and making informed lifestyle choices.

p.8

Good

The young people’s educational attendance and achievement improves. Staff provide consistent boundaries and routines, and are efficient in encouraging them to attend education. They transport young people, and, where required, work in partnership with the young person’s educational provision to provide bespoke educational packages, which are regularly reviewed to support young people to achieve further. Some young people have had full attendance at their educational provision since living at the home, and others’ attendance and achievement has improved to enable them to complete their exams. All young people have positive plans for their future education.

p.8

Good

The young people influence the running of their home in various ways, such as through day-to-day conversations with staff, young people’s meetings and key work sessions. However, key work sessions do not reflect consistently the young people’s views and discussions or their comments regarding the sessions.

p.8

Good

Comprehensive care planning, risk management procedures and behaviour management plans are in place. They provide clarity about how staff are to support young people and reflect the positive staff practice. There is a robust assessment and review of plans, in which all professionals and parents are involved as a key part of this process.

p.8

Good

The staff support all young people to take part in a range of purposeful activities, such as trampoline activities, gym and playing games at the home. Some young people have embraced new hobbies and have dedicated their time after school to attend sessions consistently to improve their competence. Staff seek new possibilities, based on young people’s interests and fully support young people to try new activities and to broaden their horizons. This enhances young people’s personal and social development.

p.8

Good

The young people live in a home that is inviting and comfortable. Young people have been involved in choosing decor for some areas of the home. However, while the majority of the home is cleaned to a good standard, this is not consistent throughout, such as the showers. In addition, some of the woodwork of the windows appears weather-beaten, and is not in keeping with the rest of the home. While this has a minimal impact on young people, this does not ensure that the young people live in a consistently good environment.

p.8

Good

The young people make progress in learning skills such as budgeting, cooking, self-care skills and independence within the community. They enjoy and are keen to increase their independence, through daily responsibility for keeping rooms tidy, cooking healthy, cultural-based meals and shopping, which all increase their confidence and skills. These are skills they can carry into adulthood to provide them with an increased level of independence.

p.9

Good

The young people are safe living in this home. There is a robust approach taken to risk assessment. Staff are fully aware of each young person’s complex needs, and how these impact on their well-being and safety. The young people do not identify bullying as an issue within the home. The safety and well-being of the young people is at the centre of the work by staff. High levels of supervision, both inside and outside the home, are recognition that there are significant vulnerabilities.

p.9

Good

Safeguarding arrangements are good. Staff are trained and clear about their responsibilities for reporting concerns. When, on occasions, concerns regarding staff practice were raised, the organisation took immediate and appropriate action to safeguard young people. The manager immediately informed the designated officer and ensured that all appropriate authorities were aware of the steps taken and of the outcomes to investigations to safeguard young people. The designated officer confirmed that the manager implements the home’s safeguarding policy and that they respond appropriately to any concerns raised.

p.9

Good

The young people rarely go missing from the home, and where this has occurred, in particular when young people have left their educational provision, the staff have taken proactive, appropriate action, such as calling the young person and family members and driving to the area to locate them. This has ensured that young people are swiftly located. In addition, the manager has arranged multi- agency meetings, with all professionals involved, not only with the young person, but also professionals working with other young people who may be with the young person. Staff implement agreed strategies to safeguard children, such as reducing free time, and engaging young people in discussions about keeping themselves safe. The young people are fully aware of all actions that staff will take if they are missing, because they have individual documents informing them of how the staff will keep them safe. A social worker commented: ‘This is very

p.9

Good

detailed, not that they have to use it very often, but when they do the staff and the young person will be clear about what the staff need to do. I was very impressed.’ As a result, young people, who on admission to the home had been placing themselves at risk, have significantly reduced their incidents of missing.

p.9

Good

The staff monitor young people’s risk-taking behaviours effectively. Safeguarding strategies focus on good quality risk assessments, with practical risk management strategies having a positive impact on individual behaviour. Regular multi-agency meetings with the organisation’s psychologist, a psychiatrist, education and placing authorities ensure that strategies are focused and effective for young people. Through this action, the registered manager is able to keep young people safe.

p.10

Good

The staff spend quality time with young people. They implement behaviour management plans, promote clear expectations and positively reinforce and reward positive behaviours and achievements. A young person felt that staff respect his request to have some time alone, which helps him to manage his anger more appropriately. When there have been situations where young people have presented with more challenging behaviour, staff have appropriately implemented measures, such as reparation. On some occasions, staff have physically intervened appropriately. However, not all physical interventions have been recorded within the designated record. While there is minimal impact on young people, this does not ensure that there is a consistent record to identify any trends or patterns. In addition, the staff do not consistently have formal debriefs following a serious incident. This fails to provide staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice,

p.10

Good

or to consider why the young person may be displaying that behaviour.

p.10

Good

The young people are well informed about how they can make a complaint and are appropriately encouraged to do so. They are actively involved and informed of the process, including mediation meetings. In addition, the registered manager writes to the young person informing them of the outcome. This enables young people to be confident in making complaints and to receive prompt feedback.

p.10

Good

There are established systems and structures to maintain safe practices and to fulfil most health and safety obligations. However, the company vehicles have some faults, such as damage to wing mirrors. This does not ensure that young people are transported in well-maintained cars.

p.10

Good

The registered manager has been in post since August 2015, has over seven years’ experience of working with children and young people and is currently completing the level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

p.10

Good

The service does well in providing young people with a safe and motivational environment where there are good levels of care and support. The staff team is diverse. The members of the team have a range of life experiences and qualifications, are skilled in working with the young people, receive good training and are supported by their senior managers in their sometimes difficult roles. All members of staff spoken with gave positive comments about the manager’s and senior management’s supportive leadership of the service. Some staff have been nominated as staff member of the month, in recognition of their work with young people, such as for commitment to the home and consistency within the home. This helps staff to feel valued. Staff induction is robust, and new staff are given the time to familiarise themselves with the home’s policies and young people’s individual records. This ensures that they have some knowledge and understanding

p.11

Good

of the young people before they begin working with them. Regular staff meetings and supervision ensure that practice improves further and that the focus remains on young people’s needs and development.

p.11

Good

The registered manager has met the two requirements and two recommendations made at the last inspection. Young people’s individual risk assessments are detailed and up to date, provide guidance for the staff, and provide details of the action taken to reduce the risks to young people. The manager has improved young people’s records, through completing regular audits to ensure that all records are up to date, and providing information to contribute to the young person’s history. Staff have received training in identifying potential bullying, and there have been no further incidents. The manager has recruited staff to vacant positions, and a stable consistent staff team provides care to young people.

p.11

Good

Effective monitoring activities are conducted by the management and external monthly visits are carried out. These highlight shortfalls and act as a mechanism to identify action to improve the service in the interests of young people. Managers have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. As a result, managers are able to demonstrate the impact that living in the home is having on young people, coupled with continually driving forward improvements.

p.11

Good

The statement of purpose outlines the aims and objectives of the service. The home is operating in line with this statement, and the principles are understood by interested parties, including young people. Staff fully embrace the ethos of the home and view this as central to their work to provide young people with a child- centred approach.

p.11

Good

There are close working relationships between staff, other professionals, social workers and families. The manager’s communication processes are strong and effective. The close working relationships between the organisation’s schools, the therapist and the placing authorities are effective in supporting young people and developing their placements. A social worker said, ‘Communication is really good. I can easily pick up the phone and talk to the manager.’ Another social worker said the young person ‘likes the staff, and they have been very supportive, helped with his fasting and Muay Thai.’ These processes contribute to the good outcomes for young people and demonstrate that all staff are consistently concerned with their welfare and progress.

p.11

Good

Information relating to significant events affecting young people’s safety is notified to relevant agencies, including Ofsted and the placing authorities. This ensures that concerns about the young people’s safety are shared by the home to protect the young people.

p.12

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’.

p.13

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

p.13

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.13

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

p.14

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 .

p.14

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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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,

p.15

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.15

Information about this inspection

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

p.15

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

p.15