Children's Home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Shropshire

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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because:

 Young people are not making sufficient progress educationally or emotionally. Some young people are not accessing enough education.  Risk assessments are poor in relation to issues such as young people’s free time and mobile phone use.  Staff do not always take into account young people’s risk-taking behaviours or histories when assessing risk. This has placed young people at potential risk of harm.  There is a lack of planned work being completed with young people to help them make progress. Staff do not always complete work with young people after significant incidents in order for them to learn from them.  Young people do not have access to support that they need, such as tackling substance misuse or child sexual exploitation.  Safeguarding is not robust. Staff do not always follow young people’s risk assessments.  Partnership working is poor. The registered provider does not seek advice or information from relevant agencies, such as the police, when assessing risk

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because:

for some young people.  Management oversight is not rigorous enough to enable staff to learn from safeguarding incidents.  The use of poor monitoring systems means that it is not always evident that staff are implementing young people’s risk management plans around issues such as free time.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 There is a new manager in post who is committed to improving the quality of care provided to young people.  Staff have been through a traumatic time over the past 12 months and have remained committed to the young people in their care.  Young people say that they have positive relationships with some staff.  Young people are starting to become more involved with their plans.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard, the registered person must: (b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs 10/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure that: (1) children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 10/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that: (1) children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2)(a) 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; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. 10/02/2017

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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: (2)(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out 10/02/2017 in the home’s statement of purpose; (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; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/11/2015 Full Good 02/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/11/2014 Full Good

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Requires improvement

Young people do not make enough progress from their starting points. For example, some young people did not achieve the results that they wanted within their exams. The registered person failed to provide any additional support to young people to support them in their learning to enable them to achieve. Some young people are currently not accessing any form of education while they are waiting for their placing authorities to identify a school for them. There is a lack of evidence as to how the registered person has planned for the admissions of young people who do not have an educational placement. A committed staff team provides some level of individualised care to young people. New behaviour management plans are in place. However, staff have not yet embedded these into practice. Staff complete regular key working sessions with young people. However, there is a focus on young people’s immediate behaviours

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Requires improvement

rather than looking at the behaviours in the context of young people’s complex histories, risk-taking behaviours and needs. After significant incidents, young people do not always receive planned and purposeful debriefs. They do not have enough opportunity to learn or to reflect on their behaviours. Some young people who are new to the placement are still settling in. However, young people say that they enjoy positive relationships with most staff. Young people do not always enjoy positive relationships with one another and there is a lack of work with young people to enable them to develop more positive relationships. Currently, young people do not go on activities together due to potential risks that they pose to one another. This is not sustainable and does not meet their emotional or social needs in the long term. Transition planning is good. Young people have had positive and well-planned endings to their time at the home. They successfully moved on to semi-

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Requires improvement

independent settings. Staff provided individualised and supportive care to the young person during the transition. Young people enjoy taking part in activities such as horse-riding. The home is personalised and well maintained. It is homely and young people have invested within their home environment. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

Young people’s safety is not always promoted. The registered person does not thoroughly assess risk in relation to young people’s free time or mobile phone use. For example, they do not link in with agencies, such as the police, to assess the risks associated with locations where young people spend their free time. Some young people have been allowed to spend time at friends’ homes without it being assessed and without the consent of the placing authority. The registered person does not take into consideration young people’s emotional needs, such as tackling child sexual exploitation and substance misuse, and instead focuses on their immediate behaviours. They do not always follow young people’s risk management plans and they do not always share important information with placing authorities. This has potentially placed them at significant risk of harm. There is a lack of management oversight and guidance regarding safeguarding

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Requires improvement

incidents, which means that patterns and trends of young people’s risk-taking behaviours have not been picked up on. Consequently, young people have continued to be in potentially unsafe situations. Young people do not have enough opportunity to learn from unsafe situations, as they do not always complete work with staff around risks and keeping safe. When it has been identified that young people need specialist support, for example regarding substance misuse or child sexual exploitation, they do not receive this help in a timely way. This has had an impact on young people’s progress in relation to their risk-taking behaviours. Staff do not take into account young people’s histories or circumstances when assessing risk. Poor risk management and poor quality of care has resulted in some young people being able to go missing from the home. There is a lack of learning from such incidents or further training for staff so that they develop their

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Requires improvement

understanding around issues, such as missing behaviours, substance misuse and child sexual exploitation. For example, staff do not have debriefs after significant incidents to enable them to learn. Overall, when young people go missing, staff are quick to follow them and search for them. On the whole, young people return quickly and safely to the home. Return interviews are generally completed. However, the manager does not receive copies of return interviews or any information relating to them. Important information is potentially being missed. After young people have been missing, they do not have the opportunity to attend any relevant appointments that they may need to access, such as sexual health appointments or doctors’ appointments. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

There is a new manager in post who started in September 2016, and who is currently in the process of registering with Ofsted. She is qualified up to NVQ level 5 in leadership and management. The previous registered manager left in June 2016. This was a significant change for the staff team. Out of the 15 staff, 8 are qualified up to NVQ level 3 in residential child care. The staff team has experienced a traumatic and difficult period, due to the sudden and tragic loss of a highly valued and long-standing member of staff. Some staff say that they have not felt supported during this time and that the change in management has caused further instability to the team. The manager is aware of the strengths of the home, such as the continuing commitment of the staff team to the young people in their care. However, she is unaware of all of the incidents that have happened in the home. The manager does not have enough knowledge about some young people’s histories and recent

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Requires improvement

events to be able to assess what input young people need in order to be able to reach their full potential. Management oversight is not rigorous enough. There is a lack of systems in place for the manager to be able to monitor young people’s risk-taking behaviours or to progress effectively. Documentation does not always evidence that staff have followed young people’s risk management plans around issues such as free time. This does not promote young people’s safety and well-being and consequently the statement of purpose is not being delivered. Supervisions do not focus on equipping staff with the understanding they need of some young people’s behaviours. There is a lack of follow-up work with staff after safeguarding incidents. This means that staff have not had enough opportunity to learn from incidents and develop their skills. Partnership working is weak. The manager has not worked collaboratively with

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Requires improvement

other relevant agencies, such as the child sexual exploitation police team, to assess risk for some young people. Young people’s risk management plans have not been informed by up-to-date information from other agencies, and consequently they have potentially been placed at risk. The manager challenges placing authorities appropriately when they have not fulfilled their statutory responsibilities. For example, a young person does not have an adequate care plan and she feels confused and unclear about her placement and future plans. The manager has supported the young person to make a complaint and has appropriately involved the children’s rights commissioner. The manager is committed to the young people in her care. Although new in post, she has started to implement some changes into the systems and structures within the home.

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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 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, 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,

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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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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