Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC454901 1 SC454901 Registered provider: Broadwood Residential Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and is registered to provide care and accommodation for five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 18 October 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC454901 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children make good progress in all areas of their lives.  Risk-taking behaviours such as going missing and substance misuse have reduced or stopped.  Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to the children, which shows children that staff care about them.  Children feel safe in this home. Staff follow good procedures to keep children safe. Staff work well with external professionals to ensure that children receive a good service that promotes their health, safety and well-being.  The staff team provides continuity and stability for children. Staff are qualified, are completing an appropriate qualification, or are registered to do so. Staff have access to good training opportunities.  The registered manager is qualified and very experienced. She provides strong and supportive leadership and has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She has good plans to address shortfalls and move

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The recording of medication is not completed properly and is confusing.  Staff have not had training on female genital mutilation. This is something currently required to enable staff to meet all of the needs of the children.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC454901 3

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Recommendations

 Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Ensure that records are not confusing. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person must ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to: respond to the health needs of children and help children to manage long-term conditions. This specifically is with regard to female genital mutilation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.12)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person said that she would judge this home to be outstanding and another said it was just ‘perfect’. This is a massive contrast to the last inspection and demonstrates how far staff have come, especially with regards to sustaining positive relationships with children. Staff speak positively about children and have a good understanding of them. A social worker said: ‘They have a really good insight into her complex needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into the home when they arrive. They are given the information that they need a little at a time so that they can take it all in. This helps not to overwhelm them. A child said: ‘When I first came I got £200 just to spend on me. I got a lot of new clothes and things for my room. I felt welcomed when I first came by the other young people and the staff. We all have a right laugh.’ A social worker said: ‘She didn’t want to go but she settled really quickly.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are starting to make good progress in all aspects of their lives such as education, confidence, maturity, reducing risk-taking behaviours and independence skills. An independent reviewing officer said of a young person: ‘She shows more maturity and willingness to engage.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel listened to and know that staff care about them. A young person said: ‘Staff treat us like we’re family and we always have a shoulder to cry on and someone to talk to. Staff are here to listen and I know they care a lot as they do way too much for us!’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education has become important to the children. They have made good progress with their studies and their attendance is good. Children who are not in education or training are being encouraged to apply for college courses. Those not in education due to a recent move to the home are looking forward to getting back to school. Inspection report children’s home: SC454901 4 The health of children is promoted. Children attend all of their healthcare appointments. They have access to all relevant healthcare professionals, including mental health services. Additionally, the company has its own therapeutic service that children can access. A therapist is assigned to each house and will discuss therapeutic strategies with staff to enable them to work more therapeutically with the children. Medication is stored and administered safely. However, records are not always completed properly and are confusing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities such as going to the cinema, to the boxing club, bowling, swimming and to the gym. Children have also enjoyed trips out to seaside resorts and theme parks. These activities help children to integrate with the local and wider community as well as promote their fitness, confidence, self-esteem and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to have high aspirations for themselves. One child said that she wants to be a lawyer or a heart surgeon while another said she wants to go into childcare. She said: ‘Staff keep pushing me to do well.’ Children said they practise independent living skills such as cooking, household tasks, budgeting and shopping. One child was looking forward to getting her own flat in the near future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently been redecorated, which has given it a more homely feel. Children have helped to choose the décor and furnishings, and therefore feel invested in the home. Children have individual rooms, which they say they like.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children, external professionals and parents say that the home is a safe place for children. Staff follow good procedures to keep children safe. For example, a worker from a charitable trust working with children in the home said: ‘A member of staff met me in the car park, the first time I came, to verify who I was to ensure I didn’t get near the house until they knew who I was.’ Children who make disclosures about their past lives are fully supported, listened to and believed. Staff take appropriate action and report disclosures and any other safeguarding concerns to the appropriate agencies.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Most children no longer go missing from the home. This is because they feel safe and secure. Staff have warm, nurturing relationships with children. This means that children who are at high risk of sexual exploitation are less vulnerable to this risk as they are not going missing. A child said: ‘Staff just cheer you up.’ A worker from a charitable trust working with children in the home said: ‘Staff have a very good rapport with the young people living there. They are very relaxed, supportive and nurturing. They are extremely friendly.’ Staff will go the extra mile to keep children safe. For example, a member of staff spent a long time during the night talking and listening to a child who walked away from the home, until the child felt able to return. This demonstrates a strong commitment to the children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Positive behaviour is encouraged, and children are generally responding well. Staff are all trained in physical intervention including de-escalation techniques. Staff have positive Inspection report children’s home: SC454901 5 relationships with children, which helps them to effectively de-escalate most situations. Consequently, incidents where physical intervention is required have dramatically reduced and are now rarely used. When used, staff hold children for the shortest amount of time using the least restrictive holds.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Some children have experienced some bullying-type behaviour. Staff have helped children to understand what constitutes bullying and have a better understanding of what it feels like to be bullied. Furthermore, the number of children living in the house has reduced. As a result, bullying behaviour has also reduced. Children say that they get on better now and feel able to talk through any problems that they have with each other during their weekly meetings.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of the risks to the children in their care. They are proactive in their response to risk by getting other agencies involved with the children. Staff work closely with charitable organisations who work with the children about building positive relationships and issues such as sexting and sexual exploitation. They also work closely with the looked after children’s nurse about smoking cessation and sexual health. Children who have previously smoked, taken illegal substances and drunk alcohol no longer do these risk-taking activities. This means children are healthier and safer.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Vetting procedures help to keep children safe from unsuitable adults. Health and safety procedures help to keep children safe from hazards in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides strong, supportive leadership. She is very experienced and appropriately qualified. She has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has plans to address shortfalls and move the home forward. She has high expectations of both staff and children. She works very well with external professionals to ensure that children are provided with a good service that helps promote their health and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider has taken the decision to keep the number of children in the home to four rather than five, currently. This is working well because children are getting on better with each other. The environment is less crowded, therefore leading to less agitation between children. There are enough permanent staff to look after four children which means that fewer agency staff are being used and, therefore, there is better continuity for children and consistency of practice. Resources such as cars are not as stretched as they were previously, which also leads to less agitation between children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are qualified, are completing a relevant qualification, or have been registered onto a relevant qualification. Additionally, staff retention has improved. This means that children are looked after by a more experienced and qualified team of staff that offers continuity and stability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a good training programme. They described recent courses that Inspection report children’s home: SC454901 6 they have attended and enjoyed on topics such as gang culture and substance misuse. However, staff have not yet attended all courses relevant to meeting the needs of the children, such as female genital mutilation. This training has been requested but as yet no date has been provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the registered manager, each other and the visiting therapist. They have regular supervision and team meetings, which are just starting to be reflective to help support and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All requirements from the previous inspection have been completed.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other, and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC454901 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Broadwood Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys Attachment Centre, Hurstwood Court, New Hall Hey Road, Rawtenstall, Lancashire BB4 6HR

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Inspector

Joanne Vyas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC454901 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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