Children's Home run by Keswick Care Limited in Wakefield

Inspection report children’s home: 1183197 1 Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited 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 managed. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: 1183197 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are thriving. They make outstanding progress in their emotional well-being and stability due to the excellent care that they receive.  Young people feel safe and protected. Staff have an excellent understanding of the risks associated with each child. High-quality robust care plans and risk assessments contribute to keeping young people safe.  Young people are empowered to contribute to their care planning. They have a clear voice and they are listened to.  Restorative justice and innovative de-escalation techniques ensure that physical intervention is at a minimum.  The manager provides excellent leadership. She is committed to achieving the best outcomes for young people. A strong and capable management team leads by example and ensures high-quality outcomes for young people.  Staff, inspired by the manager and deputy manager, constantly progress the best outcomes for young people. The robust and structured recruitment process

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Key findings from this inspection

ensures that staff have the right values and abilities to work with young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1183197 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people say that they feel happy and safe at their home. They feel valued and settled. One young person said, ‘I’m happy here. I know the staff really care about me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people enjoy living in a spacious detached home located in a quiet area. The home is decorated to a high standard, with photographs of young people, their families and staff. Young people are actively involved in all aspects of the home and have individualised bedrooms, decorated to their own taste. As a result, they take pride in their home, enhancing their feelings of well-being and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people grow in confidence and self-esteem as a result of feeling that they belong. Young people receive high-quality individualised care from a dedicated and devoted staff team. There is a feeling of genuine affection at the home. The diverse mix of staff provides children with a range of positive role models.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The innovative and creative staff use effective ways to communicate with young people. For example, one young person, who struggles to communicate directly, uses letters to communicate with staff. In return, they write back to her. This makes the young person feel safe to share her thoughts and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from creative and restorative key-working sessions. Staff are imaginative and resourceful, using a dynamic approach to engage young people. Because of this, young people learn new and relevant ways to manage their emotions. An education professional commented: ‘I can see the restorative work that they (staff) do with them (young people) impacting on their school day. They can identify and talk about issues that they’ve dealt with at home and apply them to situations at school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s academic progress has significantly improved from their starting points. Young people flourish because of the consistent care that they receive. Staff work hard to progress good outcomes for young people. Consequently, young people have 100% attendance and fully engage with their education. They have future goals and a genuine desire to achieve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Exceptional care planning and a strong focus on listening to young people ensure that their diverse needs are identified and met. The manager and staff team show genuine care for them. The resulting trusting relationships that young people have developed empower them to accept care and boundaries. A staff member said: ‘They (young people) are making such brilliant progress. I am so proud of them. We are a family and we work together.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Close partnership working with generic and specialist agencies and strong links with the police provide young people with consistent and reliable support. Consequently, children’s emotional and psychological well-being is much improved, allowing them to flourish. Inspection report children’s home: 1183197 4 Young people are empowered to choose and enjoy a wide range of social activities within their local community and further afield. Their growth in social and life skills gives them the confidence to make positive relationships with their peers, further enhancing their life opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The excellent relationships that the home makes with family members allows young people to maintain or, in some cases, repair family bonds. Staff advocate strongly for young people in their wish for increased contact. This contributes to their sense of identity and belonging. One family member said, ‘Since (young person) has been at (name of home), she is a different person. She is polite and kind. She shows understanding and empathy, her progress is amazing and our relationship is great.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person has recently moved into the home since the last inspection. Careful planning ensured that this move met their needs. Due to the positive behaviour modelled by the staff team, young people support new admissions and understand how unsettled they may feel. There is a real sense of inclusion and concern from young people, who learn compassion and sensitivity.

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

The manager and staff work proactively with local police and safeguarding agencies. This ensures the staff team’s full awareness of potential risks to young people in the community. The manager’s excellent communication with other homes in the area means that there is a cohesive and uniform response to local risks, making sure that young people remain safe and protected.

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

Comprehensive and individual risk assessments provide further safeguards while achieving a balance in relation to allowing young people to take some managed risks. Proactive restorative work with them around risk enables them to understand dangers and promotes their ability to safeguard themselves. Young people value individualised care plans and the sense of stability and boundaries that they provide. There have been no missing from home episodes. For one young person, this a significant improvement from previous placements.

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

Consistent use of excellent restorative practice enables young people to develop appropriate ways of managing behaviour. Young people enjoy the positive rewards that they receive. Consequently, there is a decrease in the use of sanctions. This teaches them the benefits of treating each other with warmth and respect. One young person said, ‘I have a positive box and I can choose treats from it. I am doing really well here. I feel settled.’

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

The enthusiastic staff team are excellent role models. Consistent care and measured approaches demonstrate respect for everyone. Young people learn from this and make outstanding progress in tempering and managing their behaviour. As a result, there has been no need for physical intervention. Staff use humour effectively to de-escalate situations. Young people respond well to this and they care about the staff. Incidents are Inspection report children’s home: 1183197 5 minimised due to strong relationships and mutual respect.

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

Complaints information is readily available and is detailed in the children’s guide. Young people know how to complain and are supported to do so. There has been one complaint in this inspection period. A young person expressed frustration at the behaviour of others. The manager responded to this swiftly, leaving the young person feeling listened to. A young person said, ‘When I’m not happy about something, I tell them (staff), and they listen and sort it out for me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has over 26 years of experience working in a residential setting with young people. She has held registered manager status at the home since October 2015 and has dual registration at another home within the company. She is supported by an equally strong and dedicated deputy manager and, between them, they manage both homes effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager inspires staff to provide the best care opportunities for young people with her positive attitude. Because of this, the staff team displays an equally assured approach that, in turn, influences the young people. There is a real sense of happiness and enthusiasm at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There were no requirements or recommendations made at the last inspection, and no breaches of regulation were identified at this inspection. A robust and thorough external monitoring system is carried out by an independent person and complies with legislation. This contributes to young people’s safety and promotes well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A systematic and thorough recruitment procedure ensures that well-qualified and experienced staff are the correct match for young people. Young people are actively involved in the recruitment process. This demonstrates how important the views of young people are to the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A comprehensive six-month induction programme and regular, good-quality restorative supervision ensure that staff maintain and build on their skills. A staff member said, ‘The support here is excellent, not just in supervision but all the time. I feel that I can say what is on my mind.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff team have built excellent relationships with partner agencies. This ensures that young people receive consistent, targeted care packages, allowing them to make continuous progress. A powerful advocate for young people, the manager appropriately and effectively challenges partner agencies when required. Consequently, young people know their value and importance, and trust the staff to promote them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s statement of purpose states, ‘We will seek to promote the well-being of the children and young people in our care by providing a family-orientated atmosphere where positive relationships are built on mutual respect, trust and understanding.’ The manager and her staff team achieve this. Inspection report children’s home: 1183197 6

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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 whom 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: 1183197 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited

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Inspector(s)

Abby Maspero, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1183197 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.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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