Children's home run by Keys Care Limited in Belfast

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

No young people have left the home since the last inspection. There have been no new admissions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have mixed experiences. Some continue to make significant progress in many areas of their lives. One young person said, ‘It’s going alright. I’m coming home, not going missing and am in school now.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team’s encouragement and practical support has led to some improvement in young people’s engagement in education. There is increased attendance at school and young people are participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme. This helps to reinforce young people’s confidence and self- esteem. Staff work with professionals to maximise young people’s educational potential. This leads to more opportunities for young people to obtain exam qualifications.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people continue to have good, trusting relationships with most staff and benefit from improved relationships with each other. This has been influential in the development of peer friendships, and young people’s friends now visit them at the home. Young people have improved social skills and the good relationships that they establish make significant contributions to their emotional well-being and sense of identity.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have challenged young people about their food choices. They encourage young people to eat well-balanced meals but receive mixed reactions to this. Young people still prefer eating processed food. Staff are persistent in promoting a healthy lifestyle. They encourage attendance at medical appointments, but young people sometimes refuse to attend.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been no need for physical intervention and there have been very few incidents of negative behaviour. The manager has been proactive and has recognised inconsistencies in practice in respect of incentives and consequences. A new system has been put in place to offer consistency and fairness to young people, who had voiced they were being treated differently. This also encourages positive behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people are now at a reduced risk of child sexual exploitation. There are fewer missing-from-care episodes, as young people negotiate extensions on their agreed time out with friends instead of being absent without warning. Staff are proactive in ensuring that they know young people’s whereabouts and their peer groups. They have also empowered young people to keep themselves safe in the community by remaining in contact with the home. Staff protect and keep young people safe through their vigilance and their role in the development of young people’s self-protection skills.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support young people to develop independent living skills but receive mixed responses to this. The reward system that is implemented by staff is effective in encouraging some young people to develop essential practical skills for when they leave the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff provide young people with numerous opportunities to voice their views and opinions about the running of their home. Young people know how to make complaints. External managers deal with these effectively. Complaints are resolved in a timely fashion. This independent involvement provides transparency. Young people feel listened to and independent advocates ensure that their voices are heard within care planning processes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person has disengaged from the home and from education. She spends all her free time away from the home, only returning at night. This young person voiced that she wants to live independently. Staff are actively working to re-engage this young person with the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is still effective in running the home, but has had some recent absences from the home. There are good recording and monitoring systems in place. The manager has met the good practice recommendation from the last inspection by providing more localised information in the locality risk assessment. She has also been proactive in tackling unsafe staff practice. The level of analysis and the evaluation of the care delivered and its impact on young people is excellent. The independent visitor also provides good external scrutiny.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been a period of instability due to the fact that a number of significant staff have left the home. Some of these staff left their jobs following an assessment of staff practice. The manager no longer has a senior staff team, although a long-standing core staff team remains. New staff have been recruited. Young people suffered loss because of staff members leaving. Remaining staff and young people have faced instability because agency staff were employed to fill gaps in rotas. One young person said, ‘It’s hard to trust people you don’t know.’ As a result, there is a requirement relating to staff employment.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/07/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/01/2016 Full Good 16/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(2) In order to meet the leadership and management standard, specifically in respect of ensuring that the home has enough suitably trained staff on duty and that every effort should be made to achieve continuity of staffing, the registered person is required to – (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care for each child. 31/01/2017

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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