Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people benefit from exceptionally well-planned, highly personalised care that promotes their needs effectively and leads to significant change and improvement in their lives. They benefit from the safety, consistency and stability that this home provides to them. Young people are kept safe and have a very strong sense of personal safety.  The home provides a safe haven for young people who become increasingly safer as a result of the actions staff take to support and protect them. Young people do not engage in dangerous risk-taking activities. Staff have an excellent understanding of young people’s specific needs and vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them.  Young people benefit from excellent relationships with staff and have trusted adults that they look up to and learn from. Staff consistently have aspirations for young people and work effectively with the providers of their

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

education to promote their educational attainment and achievement.  Young people are involved in key decisions so that they can influence and make a positive contribution to the running of their home. Their participation is central to all aspects of how the home operates and develops its practice. Young people feel empowered because they are valued, actively listened to and meaningfully involved.  The home benefits from enthusiastic, strong and effective leadership. Leaders and managers are consistently ambitious and energetic about sustaining improvement. They effectively prioritise the needs of young people and work proactively with young people’s social workers, schools and other professional agencies to promote the best possible outcomes for the young people.  Staff are passionate about what they do, and work effectively as a team to improve the progress and experiences of the young people. Young people

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

thrive and benefit from the best possible help, protection and all-round support.  There are no breaches in regulation. Consequently, there are no requirements or recommendations made as a result of this inspection.

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Information about this children's home

 The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three 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 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/11/2015 Full Good 22/01/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 30/09/2014 Full Good

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Outstanding

Young people benefit from exceptionally well-planned, highly personalised care that promotes their needs effectively and leads to significant change and improvement in their lives. The progress that young people make across all aspects of their welfare, physical, social, emotional and behavioural development is outstanding taking into account their individual starting points. There is evidence of significant behavioural change and improvement for young people. Staff make good use of research and they have a sound knowledge of attachment theory. They use this knowledge extremely well to inform their practice, which means that young people enjoy a stable, safe and secure environment in which they begin to form strong emotional attachments. Child-centred practice is a strong feature of this particular home. Staff make good use of person-centred books, ‘you said and we listened’ to develop young people's

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Outstanding

resilience and self-confidence. The home can demonstrate the positive difference it has made to the lives of young people who are kept safe and have a very strong sense of personal safety. Young people have excellent relationships with staff and benefit from stability and consistency in their lives. Young people report, ‘They love you and they care about you. It’s really amazing and I love all of the staff to bits. They keep you safe and they’re always there to listen to you. They support you with your education as well. They changed your life haven’t they?’ A social worker reports, ‘Although it’s not her family, it’s a family environment. It’s tailor-made for her. She’s come such a long, long way. They have taken complete ownership of her care.’ Young people benefit from excellent support and enjoy good health. They are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and have access to these services,

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Outstanding

when they need them. This includes access to therapy for as long as it is required to promote their emotional and psychological well-being. Young people’s medication is stored and administered safely, by well-trained and competent staff. Medical consent is in place and staff are clear about what health decisions and responsibilities are delegated to them. Young people are actively encouraged to lead and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Consequently, they make positive lifestyle decisions and take responsibility for their own health. They assist staff with the upkeep of the new vegetable garden and eat a healthy, wholesome and nutritious diet. The home maintains effective partnerships with all health professionals to maintain young people’s good all-round health. Young people have excellent attendance in school and college and attend regularly with good support and encouragement from staff. Staff are extremely supportive of

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Outstanding

young people’s education and have consistently high aspirations for young people. Staff attend parents’ evenings and school productions as a good parent would. They maintain highly effective partnerships with the providers of young people’s education to promote their educational attainment and achievement. A teacher reports, ‘The team has continued to provide exceptional care for the young person which has played a significant part in the positive promotion of his development and well-being. He has made excellent progress since he was placed at the home. They attend all parents’/carers’ meetings and come to watch him perform in our school productions in which he always plays a significant role and steals the show.’ Young people enjoy a broad range of enriching, stimulating and exciting activities both at home, school and in the wider community. They enjoy dance classes, music lessons, meals out, visiting the beach, theme parks, holidays and visiting famous

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Outstanding

towns and cities. As a result, they improve their social skills and develop their own specific interests and hobbies. A social worker reports, ‘She has done everything she has ever wanted to do. She is given every opportunity possible.’ Staff work enthusiastically and creatively with young people. Staff provide young people with effective, high-quality support. Young people benefit from effective one-to-one support that addresses their needs, feelings, concerns and anxieties. Staff have written value statements for young people and made a written pledge to nurture and protect them. These are powerful words of intent and have positive value and meaning to young people. Young people report, ‘There’s different parameters and that’s good because I don’t just talk to the one person. There’s lots of personalities. I like the variety. We are just like a family but with a rota, basically. I just don’t call them mum and dad… I

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Outstanding

wouldn’t change anything. What we said, they’ve done. I think with all the rules and regulations it would be over the top, but it’s not. They care just the right amount. It’s a fun atmosphere. It can be caring and it’s a measured environment. You can’t put it into three words. There’s different elements. You get good life lessons from staff.’ Young people are actively involved in key decisions and feel that they can influence and make a positive contribution to the running of their home. Their participation is central to all aspects of how the home operates and develops its practice. Consequently, young people feel consulted, empowered and meaningfully involved. Young people report, ‘This house is phenomenal. They help us and care for us and keep us safe. My old life’s behind me. I have a new life. They go above and beyond and treat the children as if they are their own. The best thing is we’re not judged.

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Outstanding

We speak and they listen and they do.’ Since the last inspection, some young people have become representatives on their school council. Other young people are involved with the ‘Children in Care Council’ and more recently, young people have also become involved with the ‘Who Cares Trust’. Young people report, ‘We got a place in the parliament group. We get to go to London four times a year… They want our opinion about being in care.’ Staff promote young people’s independence and help to develop young people’s practical skills in cleaning, shopping and cooking. Young people are taught how to keep themselves safe while being allowed to take appropriate risks to promote their growth and natural development. As a result, they develop the skills that they need for adulthood and the knowledge that they need to keep themselves safe.

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Outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of the specific needs and vulnerabilities of young people and take appropriate action to address them. Consequently, risks associated with young people are well known and effectively managed by staff. The use of clear risk assessment and proactive, safe working practice promotes the safety and well-being of young people. Young people feel safe and have a very strong sense of personal safety. Young people become increasingly safer as a result of the actions staff take to support and protect them. The support that staff provide is highly effective and ensures that young people are effectively safeguarded and protected. Staff actively promote young people’s positive behaviour and apply the home’s rules and boundaries consistently to keep young people safe from harm. Staff understand how strong feelings and emotions can be communicated through difficult and often challenging behaviour. They anticipate issues and identify triggers and strategies

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Outstanding

that help young people to manage their own feelings and behaviours. As a result, young people learn to resolve their conflicts positively. The use of restraint, if used at all, is only ever used as a last resort to protect young people from harm, accident or injury. The use of sanctions is kept to an absolute minimum. If used, sanctions are used fairly and proportionately. Young people have a great deal of respect for staff and the existence of mutually respectful relationships is instrumental to the safe and effective management of young people’s behaviour. Social workers report, ‘I know her behaviours very well and I started to think this has got the potential to work. Her behaviour is dealt with, it’s managed. Her behaviour has really turned around and this is her home. I have nothing but compliments for the home. It just works so well. We couldn’t move her now. We have gone from a child with no self-confidence to her sitting in her reviews with

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Outstanding

complete self-confidence.’ Staff practice is highly effective and this has led to a significant reduction in welfare concerns. For example, there are no issues, whatsoever, with crime or offending, young people going missing, child sexual exploitation, anti-social behaviour or other dangerous risk-taking behaviour. Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. There have been no complaints since the last inspection. The views that young people have about their home, their care and support are consistently and exceptionally positive. The home provides young people with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely environment. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively to ensure a safe environment for young people.

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Outstanding

Leaders and managers are passionate, consistently ambitious and enthusiastic about sustaining the home’s improvement. They effectively prioritise the needs of young people and maintain highly effective partnerships with young people’s social workers, schools and other professional agencies to ensure that they benefit from the best possible help and all-round support. Leaders and managers consistently have high expectations of staff and they channel their efforts and stimulate their enthusiasm effectively. The home meets the aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose, delivering a high- quality service for young people. The home can demonstrate the positive difference and value that it has made to young people’s lives. A social worker reports, ‘If I could pick this home up and bottle it I would place some of my other young people in it. I have nothing but compliments for the home.’ The home has met and addressed the recommendation from the previous

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Outstanding

inspection ensuring that specific risk assessments are kept under regular review with the placing authority, so that there is a joint agreement as to how these risks are reviewed and managed. Staff practice results in sustained improvement to the lives of young people, who thrive and have stability and consistency in their lives. Young people enjoy living at the home where they have developed a very strong sense of permanence and belonging. The home provides young people with a safe haven, in a highly supportive, caring and nurturing environment. Staff treat young people as individuals and with unconditional positive regard. Young people have grown to know and trust the adults who support them. Young people’s needs are championed effectively and they have access to advocates to make representations on their behalf. The manager escalates concerns and challenges other professional agencies if they believe that decisions are not in the

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Outstanding

best interests of young people. They work proactively with other agencies to meet young people’s specific needs. They understand the progress that young people make and ensure that young people receive the support that they need to achieve their expected milestones. The training needs of staff are effectively identified and met. Staff benefit from good-quality training to enhance their skills, knowledge, personal and professional development. Most members of staff are qualified and those who are not qualified are currently undertaking training to enable them to achieve a recognised qualification. Young people are involved in staff appraisal and staff receive good support through regular professional supervision. Young people benefit from a home that is consistently managed efficiently and effectively. The manager makes effective use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities. They have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and

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Outstanding

weaknesses and use development plans and feedback to secure improvement. There are no breaches in regulation. Consequently, there are no requirements or recommendations made as a result of this inspection.

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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 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 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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