Children's home run by Keys QTC Limited

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 sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This service continues to prioritise young people’s safety and well-being. It provides bespoke packages of care, with stimulating outward-bound activities that help young people make significant progress across many aspects of their lives. It is led and managed effectively by a competent registered manager, who is well motivated to support young people to make positive changes and to reach their full potential.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to benefit from a range of stimulating and adventurous activities, such as water sports, hill walking and fishing, and trips to places of interest. Activities are specifically designed to challenge and help young people to learn ways of managing risk. There is clear evidence that young people develop good relationships with those who are there to support them. Staff are attentive to the young person’s individual needs, and show great respect and dignity. A carer confirmed this, and said, ‘Staff here are very caring and compassionate people. I know that [name of young person] is happy; he would tell us if he wasn’t.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff use a range of learning resources to help educate young people about the dangers associated with their past behaviours. Because of this, most young people gain a better understanding of how to avoid and withdraw from those activities that are likely to compromise their safety. One social worker commented, ‘Staff have worked really hard with my young person. There were lots of associated risks when he arrived at the home, but these have reduced now. I am really happy with the care he receives, and he is kept safe.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

High staffing levels ensure that young people receive the right level of supervision and support in order to feel protected and safe. The staff make every effort to maintain these levels of supervision at all times. This includes following the young people when they choose to leave the accommodation without permission. There have been nine missing from home episodes since the last full inspection. For many of the young people, this indicates a significant reduction. When young people go missing, staff make a concerted effort to locate them as quickly as possible. While good practice is noted in relation to staff action, missing records are less robust and not completed with sufficient rigor. Not all episodes have been recorded in detail, and records lack clarity in relation to what action has been taken. This is a breach of regulation, and does not accurately reflect the action taken by staff in practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three requirements were made at the last full inspection. All three have been successfully addressed. The statement of purpose has been updated and is now less ambiguous regarding the education resources available to young people. Supervision records demonstrate that the process is more effective, and more robust performance management tools are in place to address practice concerns. Finally, the registered manager has made suitable attempts to ensure that young people’s case records are complete and up to date. She is proactive in contacting the placing local authority to request any outstanding statutory documents. Consequently, case files are well ordered and up to date.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Internal and external monitoring is regular and consistent. Monthly visits by an external visitor are undertaken to ensure independent scrutiny of the quality of care provided. The visitor also gives clear recommendations at each visit, which helps to drive improvement. The manager completes a review of the quality of care every six months. However, this report offers little analysis and evaluation of the quality of care young people receive. Furthermore, the current system for evaluating the views of the young people, relatives and professionals is ineffective. This does not help the manager to understand the effectiveness of the home’s approaches to securing improved outcomes for young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The internal monitoring of records is not consistently robust. On occasions, staff have used judgemental and opinionated language in incident records. The manager accepted this as an area for improvement during the inspection, and has identified systems to ensure that all recording is completed in a factual and non-judgemental manner.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

To conclude, overall the home continues to make good progress. The manager has taken action to address the previous requirements, which demonstrates her ability to learn from inspections. There is clear evidence that young people’s overall experiences and progress within the home are positive. Where shortfalls have been identified, the manager accepts responsibility and is focused on developing systems to ensure these are addressed promptly.

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home accommodates young people for up to three months, but this can be for up to six months if appropriate. The home is managed and operated by a private provider. The home runs a programme which focuses on engaging young people with activities. As part of the programme, young people spend periods of time away from the children’s home in temporary accommodation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 21/09/2016 Full (aligned) Good 09/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/08/2015 Full Good 25/11/2014 Interim Declined in 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

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. Specifically, ensure robust records are maintained of all incidents when a child goes missing from the home, including any information relating to the child's whereabouts during the period of absence, and action taken by staff. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(14)) 17/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person 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)) 17/03/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact and opinion. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', paragraph 14.4, page 62)

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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 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

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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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