Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd

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 have not ensured that care plans reflect young people’s cultural needs.  Not enough is done to encourage young people to engage in education.  Staff have a limited range of experience and knowledge.  Staff do not use their established links with social workers to make sure that they receive up-to-date information.  A lack of information-sharing within the organisation has resulted in a young person being admitted outside of the home’s admission criteria.  The manager has not ensured that the quality of care report is submitted to Ofsted and contains the views of young people.  The manager does not ensure that staff rotas accurately reflect the actual hours worked.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people live in an environment that promotes their emotional well- being.  Young people have a positive relationship with staff.  Staff promote family contact.  Staff ensure that young people are offered a broad range of activities.  The staff team has a good balance of male and female staff.  Staff promote young people’s physical health.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must: (1) ensure that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a)(x) that staff help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. 11/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must (with specific reference to risk assessments): (1) ensure that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a)(i) that staff 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. 11/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

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— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose; 11/01/2017 (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 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; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1(a)(b)(c)) 11/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they maintain in the home the records relating to Schedule 4 in relation to: a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home; and a record of the actual hours worked. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)) 11/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality and must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (2)(b)) 11/01/2017

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Information about this children's home

This is a private children’s home, which provides care and accommodation for up to three children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home’s statement of purpose indicates that the age range will be between 10 and 17 years of age.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/06/2015 Full Good

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Requires improvement

The home has undergone substantial refurbishment during a period of closure, reopening in September. The house is well furnished, and there are signs of personalisation around the home. Since reopening, one young person has moved back into the home and two other young people have been admitted.

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Requires improvement

Shortfalls in the company’s internal referral process have meant that vital information has not been shared with the manager and staff when placing a young person in the home. This has compromised the protection of young people and staff. For example, during an internal transfer, insufficient information was shared with the manager. This resulted in the manager taking a young person without being able to carry out a rigorous risk assessment that took into account historic risk-taking behaviour. This meant that staff were not sufficiently informed and did not have the skills or training to meet the young person’s needs.

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Requires improvement

Staff use keyworker sessions and young people’s meetings to ensure that all young people are aware of the resources available, and to gain and act on vital information regarding the young people’s wishes. However, the home’s care plans do not reflect the cultural needs of young people. Consequently, staff are failing to evidence in records how they respect the cultural needs, despite this being well- embedded practice.

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Requires improvement

Staff do not use their relationships with young people to encourage them to become more motivated in their learning. Young people are in the process of being enrolled into school placements. However, delays have not sent a positive message about the importance of education, and have hindered young people in reaching their full academic potential.

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Requires improvement

When staff use their relationships with young people effectively, this has a positive impact on outcomes for their health. For example, through staff support, young people have reduced their smoking habits and stopped their drug misuse.

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Requires improvement

Young people are able to participate in a variety of activities that enable them to pursue their interests and develop their confidence. These include going ghost- hunting and playing ice hockey. The staff have recognised that one young person has a real talent for ice hockey and wants to play for a well-known team. The staff have acted swiftly to pursue this interest further, to enable the young person to follow their wish and to maximise their talent.

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Requires improvement

Staff encourage young people to acquire the necessary skills that help them prepare for adulthood. This includes helping young people to find employment, manage a budget, complete food shopping and prepare their own meals.

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Requires improvement

Staff give young people every encouragement to stay in contact with their family and friends. Staff ensure that every contact is meaningful, including putting in place any practical support necessary to enable contact to happen.

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Requires improvement

Staff do not use their established links with social workers to gain the most up-to- date information regarding young people. This hampers their ability to work in line with the local authority’s care plan.

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Requires improvement

Health issues that relate to risk-taking behaviour, such as using cannabis and smoking, quickly reduce because staff actively encourage young people to take an interest in looking after their health, and promote healthy ways of living.

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Requires improvement

When young people go missing from care, the staff team implements the missing from care protocols and staff are aware of how to safeguard young people from going missing. Staff use their established positive relationships with the police to implement plans, and to share information. Parents comment that they feel supported by the staff during times when their child is missing. A parent told the inspector, ‘[Staff] have been really caring. They ask how I am, give me lots of advice and support me. The home has kept me up to date. They call me most days to keep me in the loop.’

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Requires improvement

Staff ensure that young people receive information on their admission about how to make a complaint. Young people told the inspector that they would be happy to talk to a staff member if they had any problems. They are also confident that staff will take their concerns seriously.

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Requires improvement

Health and safety of the home’s environment is given careful consideration by the staff team. Checks are routinely carried out on fire equipment, and fire drills take place on the arrival of a new young person. These measures help to keep young people and staff safe.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post since 2015. The registered manager has considerable experience in residential childcare and is currently working towards her Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare.

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Requires improvement

The manager strives for improvement, and uses a development plan to set out her actions that are aimed at enhancing outcomes for young people. This has been evidenced well in changes made to the team meetings, where young people are now invited to attend and have their voice heard. However, the manager has not ensured that her six-monthly quality of care report is submitted to Ofsted, and that it includes the views of young people. This leaves gaps in how the manager formally demonstrates to the regulatory how she is improving outcomes for young people in her care, including demonstrating how their views are integral to her assessment.

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Requires improvement

Staff receive a thorough induction-training programme, alongside regular supervision. Staff report that they have the full support of the manager, and feel that their views and opinions are listened to and respected.

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Requires improvement

Staff work overtime to cover vacancies in the home. This helps to ensure continuity of care for the young people. However, the rota does not accurately reflect the actual hours worked by staff. This hinders the manager in monitoring the working patterns of staff.

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Requires improvement

Staff are either qualified in the Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or are working towards the award in the required period. However, the same level of investment has not been given to ensuring that the staff have the necessary skills to meet young people’s needs.

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Requires improvement

There is a clear statement of purpose in place that details the aims and objectives of the home. The document is specific with respect to the criteria for admission. However, a lack of information-sharing within the organisation has meant a young person was admitted who fell outside of the home’s admission criteria.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has some good links with professionals from a wide range of agencies, including the police, youth-offending teams and parents. However, the manager has not used this partnership sufficiently to secure information from social workers.

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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 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

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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