Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Lincolnshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness . One requirement and three recommendations were made at the last inspection. The manager has failed to meet the requirement and one of the recommendations. The manager’s internal monitoring identifies clear areas for improvement. However, it does not consider the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. Therefore, these opinions do not contribute to the review of the quality of care. This requirement is restated. The manager has not met the recommendation to ensure that children who are physically restrained have the opportunity to express their feelings within five days of the incident. On one physical intervention record, the views of the child were not added until nine days after the physical intervention. This does not enable the children to express their feelings about the intervention in a timely way and does

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

not support their emotional needs. The manager has met the recommendation in relation to staff supervision, which is taking place monthly and is effective. A staff member said that she sees this as supportive and that supervision takes place regularly. This ensures that the staff are able to access consistent advice and support to enhance their day-to-day care of the children. A child spoken to during the inspection confirmed that she is aware of how to complain. She said, ‘The staff are alright’ and that she is able to identify a trusted staff member, who she feels she can to talk to. The children are able to access advice and assistance and are confident to use this. Since January 2017, the deputy manager became the acting manager. The registered manager has moved to manage another home in the organisation temporarily. The organisation did not advise Ofsted of these changes. The future management plans for the home are still unclear. Failure to inform Ofsted of these

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

significant changes does not enable Ofsted to retain a current view of the home. The changes to the management structure do not provide the children and the staff team with consistent leadership. The children continue to adjust to this significant change as they miss the manager and the senior staff member who are no longer working in this home. This does not help the children to trust and learn to build consistent, positive relationships with important adults in their lives. There have been two recent errors when administering medication to the children. There have been no significant health issues to date; however, this has the potential to compromise children’s health and well-being. Internal investigations are continuing and the likely cause is human error. Therefore, the current practice is not sufficiently robust to ensure safe administration of medication. One child regularly smokes cannabis in the home. This behaviour is evident within

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

the child’s individual risk assessment. However, it is not included in the fire risk assessment. This does not ensure that all potential risks have been considered and assessed in relation to the other children and the staff in the home. Two children are not accessing education, despite being in placement for several months. One child has not accessed education since October 2016. It is not known when education provision will be in place. There are insufficient education plans to meet the child’s needs, and she is at a crucial age when this will have a significant impact on her outcomes and future options. The staff have worked hard to engage with the placing authority to progress the child’s plans; however, she remains without education. This is not conducive to her social and educational development. The children are making progress in some areas. One child who has been at the home for a significant period is progressing well with her education. Her tutor said,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

‘She is doing fantastically. Her work is outstanding and her maturity is blossoming. She is an excellent student.’ One child was previously at significant risk of child sexual exploitation and was involved in a high number of missing-from-care incidents. This has reduced. However, there are concerns that she has a significant addiction to cannabis. The other children are aware of this. A child said, ‘I can smell weed in her room’ to the inspector during the inspection. The strategies to address this effectively are unclear, with inconsistent arrangements in relation to her free time, which is removed and then reinstated. In addition, there is no clear strategy for room searches. This does not enable the staff to manage the issues effectively, or to promote the welfare of the children in the home. It exposes them to substance misuse on a daily basis. There is a delay when dealing with complaints from children. A child made a

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

complaint in relation to a physical intervention on 1 November 2016; she received her outcome letter on 31 January 2017. The child advised the manager that she is not happy with the outcome. The complaints process is not currently effective, because issues are not progressed in line with the organisation’s guidelines of 28 days. This is not good enough for children and does not help them to feel listened to and taken seriously. The children have complex needs and, at times, present with challenges to the staff. The work is, at times, emotionally and physically demanding. One staff member said, ‘We work together as a core staff team, we are a decent team’. Another staff member said that there are a number of staffing issues. They said, ‘Staff are demotivated and feel pressured. It is very difficult at the moment; it is like a sinking ship.’ During one shift, there was only one core staff member on duty. This was in

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

addition to a new staff member from overseas, a new agency worker and another agency worker on shift. This meant that, when a child was absent without consent during the shift, there was significant pressure on the core staff member to complete the majority of tasks. This does not promote children’s safety or good staff morale. The staff have supported children to transition from the home successfully. There is support in place for the children to assist with gradual and increasing visits to their new placements, as well as telephone calls and ongoing contact after their moves. The children are able to access positive emotional support during this difficult period of their lives. Unfortunately, two of the foster placements have broken down since the children have moved. However, another child continues to reside with her family and continues to engage with education sourced by the manager and staff in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A psychotherapist undertakes monthly consultations with the staff. These consultations include discussion about the needs of the children and current behavioural issues. Local authorities are able to commission direct work with the children as part of the children’s care packages. This service provides an additional layer of support for the children because the staff are able to access regular expert advice. There is good evidence of effective multi-agency work. A social worker said, ‘Communication is good and I feel as though they [the staff] are able to manage the day-to-day decisions. Communication is key as, without this, she [my child] could manipulate and this could be difficult to manage.’ The social worker is happy with the care provided for her child and said, ‘It is early days, but I feel that they know her well.’

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns and operates this children’s home. It is registered to offer care and accommodation for four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

18/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure that staff: (2) (a)(i) help each child to achieve their education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

(iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

(viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as possible. 13/03/2017

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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 inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that:

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Requirement Due date

(1)(a) helps children to aspire to fulfil their potential;

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 13/03/2017 The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 13/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) and regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 13/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, within 5 days the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 13/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a review of the quality of care provided for children, the registered person must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 01/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

If the person who is in day-to-day charge of the children’s home proposes to be absent from the home for a continuous period of 28 days or more, the registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI of the proposed absence. (Regulation 48 (1)) 20/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if a person other than the registered person carries on or manages the children’s home. (Regulation 49 (a)) 20/02/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children are able to take up issues or make a complaint. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.13) This is with particular regard to progressing complaints in a timely way, in line with the organisational policy.

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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 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 0300 123 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 at: 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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