Children's home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Birmingham

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 The staff are excellent role models and provide an outstanding level of support and guidance to each young person.  Each young person’s attendance and engagement in education has considerably improved.  Staff work creatively and innovatively to ensure that young people gain the knowledge and skills they need for adult life.  Risk management by staff is extremely effective.  Young people significantly reduce their risk-taking and harmful behaviours.  The registered manager’s monitoring of the home is of an exceptionally high standard.  Young people experience a continuously improving service.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person must ensure that the policy on the protection of children from abuse and neglect should include arrangements in relation to dealing with e-safety and to counter risks of self-harm and suicide. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)  The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process in particular ‘consultation with appropriate local services’. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides 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 01/09/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/10/2015 Full Good 29/12/2014 Interim Not judged

p.5

Outstanding

Young people live in an extremely nurturing and supportive home environment, which provides them with consistency, structure and routine. The staff are excellent role models and provide an outstanding level of support and guidance to each young person. As a result, the young people feel valued and cared for and commit to their plans of care; they feel more confident and equipped to take on new challenges. Consequently, they are achieving extremely positive outcomes.

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Outstanding

Staff promote an environment where education is valued. The staff work closely with education professionals and placing authorities to ensure that each young person attends an educational establishment that is suitable for their needs and ability. This ensures that young people access the support they require to achieve their education capability and enhance their future life opportunities. The guidance and constant encouragement of staff has enabled the young people to understand the importance of education and to recognise the possibilities that lie ahead. From their starting points, each young person’s attendance and engagement has significantly improved and each is aiming to achieve qualifications and go on to further education. One young person who had previously not attended school for some time advised that she was now attending college because, ‘Staff had pushed me to go, they encouraged me… no one had done that for me before.’

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Outstanding

Young people make substantial progress in their level of independence skills, allowing them to take on more responsibility for themselves. As a result, young people are being prepared for the opportunities and challenges of adult life. Staff support the young people to reflect on their progress and identify goals in areas they feel they need to develop. These goals are set alongside targets identified by their key worker from a thorough assessment of the young person’s abilities. The registered manager and the young person’s key worker work closely to ensure that clear plans are in place to support young people to meet their targets through achievable steps. The staff regularly evaluate and adapt the young people’s plans to ensure that they remain effective. Detailed records enable both informed analysis of the young people over time and provide opportunities to assess the value of particular interventions. These are used to good effect to maximise the

p.6

Outstanding

young people’s progress. Consequently, young people are taking responsibility for their shopping budget, meal preparation and are travelling independently. Through developing these skills, the young people gain a sense of achievement and are growing in confidence.

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Outstanding

Staff work creatively and innovatively to ensure that young people gain the knowledge and skills they need for adult life. The staff have developed workshops, which are interactive and engaging to help young people to learn about topics such as the costs and implications of learning to drive, renting or owning a property and budgeting. These have been well received by the young people and have provided opportunities for them to develop their social skills and respect for other people’s opinions. The content of these workshops has been well researched and reflects the commitment of the staff to ensuring that each young person has the best support and guidance to successfully make the transition into adult life.

p.6

Outstanding

Extremely positive and meaningful relationships are shared between the young people and their staff. Staff know the young people exceptionally well and are supportive and responsive, providing young people with a secure base of stability and trust. Staff’s highly individualised and consistent support has ensured that young people feel safe and valued, they grow in confidence and their self-esteem thrives.

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Outstanding

Young people develop greater self-awareness, and a more positive self-view. They have higher self-esteem and feel more able to manage and regulate their emotions. Consequently, there has been a significant reduction in the young people’s challenging and risk-taking behaviours. These improvements have had a profound, positive impact on the young people’s relationships with their families and have enabled the young people to rebuild and renew these relationships. Young people now regularly go home for overnight stays and the success of these visits has enabled some young people to return to their respective family’s home once their education is completed. This represents a significant achievement.

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Outstanding

Risk management by staff is extremely effective. Excellent risk assessments ensure that strategies are in place to protect young people and enable them to reduce their harmful behaviours, such as running away, substance misuse and self-harm.

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Outstanding

Communication with young people’s parents and professionals is excellent. One young person commented that, ‘Staff always keep my parents up to date with what’s been happening with me’. The home also provides a regular newsletter to keep parents and professionals up to date with achievements and developments within the home.

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Outstanding

Transitions into the home are positive and well planned. The manager completes an extremely comprehensive and thorough assessment of young people’s needs and risks and consider their compatibility with existing young people, the skills of staff and the aims and objectives of the home. As a result, any adverse impact on young people from living together is recognised and well managed. The staff inform and prepare existing young people for any imminent new admission to support a successful transition.

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Outstanding

Young people have a real voice in the running of the home and their plans of care. They have been able to shape their care and know their views are valued. As a result, the young people express themselves openly and with confidence. Young people use formal and informal occasions, to share their views. Each young person is able to have a meal of his or her choice on a daily basis. They have also had the opportunity to contribute questions to the interviews of potential new staff as well as providing feedback for the staff’s and the manager’s appraisals. This is excellent practice.

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Outstanding

Young people feel listened to and know that their opinion matters. They are confident that any concerns will be dealt with to their satisfaction and as a result, there have been no complaints.

p.8

Outstanding

Medication arrangements are sound and safe, and young people are encouraged to take more responsibility for their own health. For example, staff are offering excellent support to a young person to enable her to use her epi-pen independently.

p.8

Good

Young people report feeling safe in the home. They trust staff and feel able to tell them their worries, including whether they are feeling low and are likely to self- harm. Staff actively engage with the young people to let them know if they have any concerns and provide sensitive guidance and support to help the young people to reduce their engagement in risky or harmful behaviours.

p.8

Good

Staff are very alert to any potential risks and have an excellent understanding of each young person’s specific vulnerabilities and the actions they must take to protect young people. Staff liaise with relevant professionals, such as the child and adolescent mental health service, to ensure that appropriate risk management plans are in place.

p.8

Good

Risk management plans are comprehensive and include different levels of risk management depending on the level of risk perceived by staff at any given time. These assessments have been effective for young people who self harm, as they allow staff to regularly assess and change their strategies accordingly. As a result, young people are kept safe while avoiding overly protective measures when the risk of self-harm is low. As a result, incidents of young people self-harming have significantly reduced.

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Good

Staff use their positive relationships with the young people to promote the behavioural expectations of the home. They provide strong, consistent boundaries while encouraging young people to reflect on their behaviour and the consequences it has for them and others. Staff have encouraged young people to seek the support of other agencies to address harmful behaviours, such as smoking or substance misuse. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in incidents of young people going missing and using harmful substances. A social worker of a young person, whose previous placement had broken down after frequent missing episodes and substance misuse, commented: ‘Since moving to this home, the young person has only been missing on a handful of occasions for a limited amount of time and has stopped misusing cannabis and alcohol.’ The social worker went on to reflect that this has been a ‘massive’ improvement for the young person.

p.8

Good

The manager has an effective monitoring system in place, which demonstrates a significant reduction in the frequency that young people go missing from the home. If a missing incident does occur, staff respond immediately and follow individualised plans in place for each young person. Staff’s swift response has helped to reduce the number of incidents of missing and kept the young people safer.

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Good

Safeguarding concerns and allegations against members of staff are recorded and referred to other professionals appropriately. Managers act on concerns quickly, with substantial investigation and exploration. Records of concerns and subsequent investigations are of a good standard and allow the manager to oversee and monitor incidents. The home’s current safeguarding policy has been updated to cover child sexual exploitation. However, it still does not advise of female genital mutilation, online safety, self-harm or suicide, as is required by guidance.

p.9

Good

Staff are effective at defusing and de-escalating incidents of challenging behaviour without having to resort to the use of physical intervention. As a result, there have not been any physical interventions since the previous inspection. Sanctions are restorative in nature and focus on young people paying a proportion of the cost to repair any damage they may have caused. This encourages young people to reflect on their behaviours and recognise the consequences of their actions. As a result, there has been a significant improvement in young people’s behaviours.

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Good

The home’s location risk assessment provides sufficient detail on the risks presented by its location and nearby amenities and how these can be reduced or mitigated. However, there is limited evidence that the manager has consulted external professionals to inform the assessment.

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Good

Excellent health and safety measures protect young people and staff from the risk of harm. All checks are up to date, and appropriate fire safety measures are in place. The environment is well maintained, attractively decorated and offers a high level of comfort. This helps young people feel valued and appreciated. Judgement grade

p.9

Outstanding

An outstanding standard of leadership ensures that the home is managed in an efficient and effective way. The registered manager is acutely aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and areas for further development. She is a reflective practitioner who reviews all incidents and uses the learning from each experience to improve practice. The registered manager is extremely passionate about placing the specific needs of young people at the forefront of her practice and as such is an excellent advocate for the young people she supports. The manager is extremely aspirational for the home and the quality of care provided to young people. Such drive and determination to want the best for young people is translated throughout the whole staff team, resulting in a vibrant and caring atmosphere.

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Outstanding

The registered manager’s monitoring of the home is of an exceptionally high standard. The manager has successfully developed the ‘key worker’ role to ensure that it is meaningful and that documentation reflects the support provided. She works closely with the young people and their key workers to ensure that relevant and achievable targets are set for each individual. The registered manager regularly evaluates the progress that each young person makes to ensure that plans are reviewed and strategies remain effective, to support young people to reach their potential. The registered manager’s scrutiny of practice and documentation means that any shortfalls are soon identified and messages are communicated clearly to promote consistency for young people.

p.10

Outstanding

All those involved in the service, including young people and their parents, have regular opportunities to provide feedback on the quality of care provided by the staff. This means that young people, their families and their professionals are actively involved in defining and measuring the quality of the service and are able to contribute to the future planning of the home.

p.10

Outstanding

The home’s development plan reflects a manager and staff team who are extremely child-focused. It demonstrates that staff are ambitious for young people and the quality of care provided. It is detailed and comprehensive, outlining both areas that have been developed and areas in need of further improvement. This ensures that young people receive a responsive service that is based on continuous quality improvement.

p.10

Outstanding

The registered manager has developed staff responsibilities, and ensured that there are clear coherent processes in place so that staff can cover and act up when necessary to ensure the smooth running of the home.

p.10

Outstanding

The staff team communicates effectively to ensure a strong consistent approach in supporting young people. The staff receive regular and effective supervision that supports their practice and professional development. Team meetings also provide for effective support and are used as an arena to discuss individual young people and their needs and goals. Staff’s continued professional development is a key factor in the good quality of care provided within the home. All who do not already hold a relevant level 3 qualification are undertaking this and are due to complete it within the time required.

p.10

Outstanding

The manager has an excellent understanding of where the skills of her staff team lie and where their knowledge and practice may need updating. This is evidenced in her detailed training plan, which identifies the need for further self-harm and ligature training as well as updates on the risks presented by technologies and social media.

p.11

Outstanding

Staff are extremely passionate about the young people. Their perseverance and commitment to the each individual has supported young people to make exceptional progress.

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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 looked after children 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 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, 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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