Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd in Rossendale

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Staff do not implement young people’s risk management plans. Staff have failed to promote young people’s welfare and this has placed the young people at risk of harm.  Staff do not always listen to young people or act on their wishes and feelings. Young people’s plans do not contain their views. They lack personalisation.  The manager does not keep young people informed of the outcomes of their complaints.  Young people experience poor peer relationships. Some young people experience bullying from their peers. Staff do not consistently intervene when young people are behaving inappropriately with one another.  Key-working sessions are poor. They do not robustly document the work that staff complete with young people to help them feel safe.  After young people have been missing, they do not have return interviews with an independent person.  There is a lack of learning from safeguarding incidents. Managers do not use

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

opportunities to learn from safeguarding incidents.  Important statutory documents are missing from young people’s case files. The manager has failed to challenge placing authorities in order to obtain them.  Staff do not hold the relevant qualifications needed to work with young people in a residential setting.

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The children's home strengths

 Leaders and managers have started to implement new systems for monitoring and evaluating safeguarding incidents. However, it is too early to see the impact of these systems.  Staff are committed to making changes. They acknowledge the previous inspection concerns.  Leaders and managers have provided training for staff in important areas, such as safeguarding, missing episodes and substance misuse. Staff are not consistently implementing their learning into everyday practice.  Young people speak positively about their relationships with staff.  Leaders and senior managers are committed to making sustained improvements to the service and are providing support to the acting manager and staff.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered person/s meet/s 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard, the registered person must, and must ensure: (a) that staff seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans; and (c) that if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans. 21/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must ensure that staff: (2)(b)(ii) protect and promote each child's welfare; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect; (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background; and (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. 21/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

7: The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard In order to meet the children's views, wishes and feelings standard, the registered person must ensure that staff: 21/11/2016 (1)(b) engage with them; and (c) take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must ensure: (1) that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults. (2)(a) that staff (a) meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans; and (xi) de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. 21/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure: (1) that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe; (2)(a)that staff (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 21/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must: (1) enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children's home that (b) promotes their welfare. (2)(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with 21/11/2016 the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure: (1)(a) that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; (2)(b)(ii) that arrangements are in place to manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and (f) that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. 21/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification, the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’), by the relevant date. (Regulation 32(4)(a)) 21/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 21/11/2016

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home runs a 12-week programme, which focuses on engaging young people with activities. As part of the programme, young people spend periods of time away from the children’s home either camping or in bunkhouses.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

14/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Staff do not provide good enough individualised care to young people. Behaviour management plans lack individualisation and do not give clear guidance to staff on how to provide good-quality personalised care to the young people. Young people are not involved in their plans. This means that staff lose sight of the young people that they care for. On occasions, staff do not follow young people’s behaviour management plans in respect of behaviours such as play fighting. For example, young people have engaged in harmful behaviours with one another, and there has been little, if any, positive intervention from staff. Staff do not always document whether or how they intervene and de-escalate situations. As a result, staff do not learn from incidents in order to prevent future occurrences, and young people do not learn about acceptable, appropriate and safe behaviours. Due to poor record-keeping, the progress that young people make from their

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Requires improvement

starting points is not always evident. Young people’s files do not contain important statutory documents, such as looked after review minutes. This demonstrates that young people’s progress is not adequately monitored. Young people do not attend education regularly. Although the focus of the placement is on young people achieving greater stability during times of crisis, they are missing vital stages of their educational development. There is a school on site, which is not registered with Ofsted. Young people have individual education plans in place. However, it is not always clear whether staff are meeting these plans and ensuring that young people are receiving sufficient opportunity to learn. Young people say that they have good relationships with staff and feel that they listen to them. Staff are committed to the young people in their care. However, staff have failed to consistently listen to young people. For example, when a young

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Requires improvement

person requested to speak to out-of-hours children’s services and make a complaint after a physical intervention, staff did not support them to do this. When young people make complaints, staff do not always keep them informed about what actions they are taking. This contributes to their not being involved in their care. Young people have opportunities to engage in outdoor pursuits, such as canoeing, paddle boarding, geo-mapping and rock climbing. On the whole, the young people spoke positively to the inspectors about the activities. Young people do not always experience positive relationships with one another. There are occasions when young people bully one another. Young people spend a lot of time away from their peers, camping or in bunkhouses, taking part in activities. When they do spend time together, there are incidents of aggression towards staff and each other. Recording systems for documenting these incidents

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Requires improvement

and the ways in which staff have managed them are poor, although the acting manager is making attempts to improve the recording of incidents. Consequently, meaningful work is not always completed or followed up. Since the last inspection, some young people have moved out. Although young people visited their new placements prior to leaving, their transitions lacked robust planning. This demonstrates that young people are not having good enough preparation for their new placements or their futures. Leaders and managers have started to make changes to the condition of the home. They have bought new pictures and furnishings, such as cushions, bedding and lamps, for young people to personalise their bedrooms. There are plans in place to further improve the personalisation and warmth of the home. Senior managers have reviewed the bunkhouses and have put into place a new policy. This details the expectations for the improved conditions of accommodation. Thus, young

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Requires improvement

people are provided with a better standard of living than at the previous inspection.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection, management oversight of safeguarding incidents has improved. Leaders and managers have noticed and followed up any significant safeguarding incidents more quickly and have been able to provide further guidance to staff on how to manage such incidents. However, the ways in which staff follow young people’s risk management plans are inconsistent. They are not proactive at assessing risky situations and, consequently, do not take preventative measures to keep young people safe and to prevent incidents from happening. For example, young people have been able to access car keys, aerosols and lighters, which has placed them at significant risk of harm because of their presenting risk- taking behaviours. Staff focus on de-escalation of incidents, and the documentation of such behaviour management strategies is improved, although it is not yet embedded into everyday practice across the staff team. Leaders and managers provide guidance to staff on

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Requires improvement

how they should document the strategies that they use to keep young people safe. Nevertheless, on occasions, these recordings are poor and do not effectively describe what staff do to de-escalate a situation. Staff continue to use floor restraints, but the documentation of the reasons they are used is inconsistent. However, leaders and managers are quick to follow this up and they engage staff much more in reflecting on the intervention. Furthermore, young people have opportunities to share their views on the physical intervention, and leaders and managers complete debriefs with staff after incidents. Although some improvements regarding the monitoring of safeguarding incidents have been made, staff have not yet embedded safeguarding into their everyday practice. For example, staff do not always refer safeguarding incidents. After incidents of self-harm, young people do not always have access to health support

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Requires improvement

and intervention. After missing episodes, young people do not have return interviews with someone independent from the home. These examples demonstrate that young people’s welfare and safety are not consistently promoted.

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Inadequate

There is a new acting manager in post. The registered manager has placed an application to resign with Ofsted. The acting manager is qualified up to national vocational qualification (NVQ) level 5 in leadership and management. He is experienced and was previously the deputy manager of the home. The operations manager is supporting the acting manager on a day to day basis. The responsible individual continues to visit the home monthly. A director of the organisation has been heavily involved in the implementation of an improvement plan and visits weekly. The senior management team acknowledges that the improvement plan is in its early stages. There continues to be a very substantial amount of work to do to ensure that new manager is meeting the aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose, and to make sure that young people are consistently safe. 21 of the 44 staff members are qualified to NVQ level 3 in residential childcare.

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Inadequate

Some of the staff have not achieved their qualification, despite having worked in the home for a considerable period. The acting manager is currently taking action to rectify this. The acting manager is committed to changing the ethos and running of the home. New systems are in place to equip staff with the skills to manage young people’s complex behaviours, as well as to improve management oversight of the care that staff are providing to young people. Despite the new systems, there are still occasions when staff’s responses to young people in times of crisis do not safeguard them, and management oversight has sometimes failed to identify poor practice. This has resulted in young people’s welfare and safety not being promoted and, consequently, the home not delivering its statement of purpose. There is a lack of accountability in the home, and leaders and managers have failed to challenge other professionals appropriately when young people are not receiving

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Inadequate

the input and services that they need. For example, they have failed to challenge placing authorities when young people’s care plans or looked after reviews are not completed. Poor recording means that young people’s progress is not easily identifiable. Although young people are engaging with activities, the number of incidents, such as physical interventions, is high. Leaders and managers are in the process of supporting staff to document de-escalation techniques and improve their recording of incidents, in order to learn effective strategies for behaviour management. Leaders and managers encourage staff to refresh their skills in safeguarding, child sexual exploitation and missing behaviours. They have provided staff with recent training in these areas, and there is a plan in place to provide staff with ongoing training in areas such as recording and reporting. Leaders and managers have started to draw on the expertise of other professionals such as the local authority

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Inadequate

safeguarding officer and the looked after children’s nurse. The impact of this is not visible in staff’s everyday practice or in management oversight. Staff said that they feel well supported and that they acknowledge that changes are needed to their practice. Staff engage in regular supervision and debriefs after incidents. This helps staff to learn and to develop their practice. The impact of this is not yet evidenced in the quality of care that staff provide for 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 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 that 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

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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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