Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd in Rossendale

Inspection report children’s home: SC024808 1 SC024808 Registered provider: Keys Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered for four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a large private organisation.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC024808 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people do not receive good enough care to help them to make positive progress.  Some young people whose first language is not English have not been helped well enough to express their wishes and feelings.  Young people receive care from staff who are not always suitably skilled or experienced.  Staff do not ensure that young people’s needs are adequately assessed before they arrive at the home. Young people are not always supported adequately when they leave.  Local authority care plans are not routinely provided or signed. This means that young people’s care needs are not understood.  Records of safeguarding referrals are not always clear. This could affect the safety and welfare of some young people.  Some young people do not receive the guidance and assistance of staff to ensure that they maintain a healthy diet. This could impact on their health and their future well-being.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are encouraged to develop their independence through a structured programme.  Young people know how to complain and are encouraged to share their concerns. This develops their confidence.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 31/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 19/01/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC024808 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and that the care is delivered by a person who has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care. (Regulation 6(1)(2)(iv)(3)(c)(i)) 31/08/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7(1)(a)(b)(c)) 28/07/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10(1)(b)(c)) 28/07/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14(1)(2)(a)) 29/09/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure they co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17(2)) 01/09/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response (Regulation 34(2)) 01/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC024808 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one young person has been admitted to the home and three young people have left. Three of these placements have been short-term and emergency placements. Young people’s overall experience and progress are mixed. The current young person residing at the home is presenting challenging and aggressive behaviours. His needs cannot be met in this placement.

p.4

improvement to be good

Young people will participate in activity-based one-to-one sessions with staff. However, these sessions are often recorded as informal ‘chats’, without clear aims. They do not focus on the progress and experience of young people or the areas of improvement. This means that young people do not receive individualised care. Staff do not help them to manage issues such as anger or increase their awareness in other areas, such as healthy eating. However, the registered manager is making improvements to these sessions.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do not ensure that they have access to all necessary historic information and documentation to support young people when they arrive at the home. For example, there is no statutory care plan on file for the young person currently residing at the home. This means that staff have not worked in collaboration with the local authority to identify appropriate aims and objectives. This impacts on the quality of care that the young person receives and means that his needs are not reviewed properly. A young person told the inspector: ‘It’s weird living here, as the staff don’t understand me. They don’t know how to deal with me verbally or physically. My bedroom is okay and I like it. I wasn’t given a booklet, I came and went to bed. I felt welcomed and had a phone call off my mum. I thought the room was good, but I do get angry and I get scared.’

p.4

improvement to be good

The registered manager ensures that she liaises with the headteachers of virtual schools to make short-term education arrangements for young people. Young people are encouraged to understand the importance of education and routine. However, due to the short-term duration of young people’s placements, the overall effectiveness of these interventions is unknown. Young people are encouraged to develop their independence through structured and creative programmes. This means that young people are helped and prepared to make the transition to adulthood.

p.4

improvement to be good

Young people are enabled and supported practically to remain in contact with their families. This ensures that young people feel emotionally secure and maintains their sense of identity. Young people are supported to access routine health appointments, such as with the optician and the general practitioner. However, some young people are not encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle and are not consistently challenged about consuming high amounts of junk food and energy drinks. This could impact on their health and future physical well-being.

p.4

improvement to be good

The registered manager does ensure that young people are consulted about their wishes and feelings in house meetings. In addition, young people know how to complain, and Inspection report children’s home: SC024808 5 do so in writing or verbally to the registered manager. This means that young people feel confident and are empowered to say what they are dissatisfied with. However, some young people whose first language is not English have not been helped to consistently share their wishes and feelings when living at the home. Therefore, some young people may not have settled well into the home and were not treated equally.

p.4

improvement to be good

Adequate risk assessment and planning meetings do not routinely take place when young people arrive at the home. Some placements are made in an emergency, and historical information, such as aggressive and challenging behaviours, is not correctly obtained or understood. As a result, some young people’s placements do not last, as staff are not able to meet their complex needs.

p.5

improvement to be good

Impact assessments are brief and do not analyse the ability of staff to meet the needs of young people. The effect of some young people’s behaviours and significant needs are not considered holistically. Because of this poor planning, young people could experience emotional or physical upset.

p.5

improvement to be good

Managers complete risk assessments to consider how to manage issues such as going missing from home and substance misuse. This helps to ensure that the potential harm to young people from these risks is minimised.

p.5

improvement to be good

Managers respond to and investigate allegations against staff. However, on one occasion, after a staff member had been assaulted and a young person was verbally assaulted as a result, the staff member remained on shift. There is no record of the advice given by the on-call manager or the decision making. This means that the young person was potentially at risk of harm and the staff member’s needs were not fully considered. Safeguarding processes need improvement and better transparency at the home. Some records of allegations, including the dates of incidents and referral outcomes, are not accurately recorded. In addition, logs are not kept of safeguarding conversations where advice has been required from the on-call manager. This means that there is confusion in the records and some young people’s needs may not be responded to swiftly.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has very recently been approved for registration and awaits her certificate. The manager has worked hard to make improvements to the home, such as by redecorating the kitchen and investigating and responding to complaints about staff. Processes and practices are being improved at the home, including the development of stronger relationships with the police. However, staff require further training and development to properly manage some young people’s challenging behaviours consistently.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Partnership arrangements with placing authorities are not strong. Accurate and up-to- Inspection report children’s home: SC024808 6 date information about young people is not routinely shared. The manager is not kept up to date about the care planning arrangements for young people. As a result, young people do not benefit from a planned welcome to the home and the suitability of placements is not accurately reviewed. This means that the needs of young people are not consistently met and their progress is hindered.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is supportive of new staff joining the team, and an induction is provided. Staff receive regular supervision and employment checks are in place. However, if more children were to be placed at the home, there would not be a stable and consistent staff team available. The majority of staff are in their induction period (or have just completed it). As a result, they lack the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the behaviours of some young people with challenging behaviour. This means that some young people do not receive a consistent level of care to help them to improve their behaviours.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is not ensuring that the care provided is in line with the statement of purpose. For example, some young people’s needs fall outside the statement of purpose, as the young person currently residing at the home has a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. In addition, door alarms are used. This is not mentioned in the home’s statement of purpose. Emergency admission procedures are not always followed as described, and one young person’s communication needs were not well met. This means that the manager is not ensuring that the quality of care provided is in line with the home’s aims and objectives.

p.6

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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

p.6

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: SC024808 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Education Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hurstwood Court, Laganwood House, New Hall Hey Road, Rossendale, Lancashire BB4 6HR

p.7

Inspector

Anna Gravelle, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC024808 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8