Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Rossendale

Inspection report children's home: SC474041 1 SC474041 Registered provider: Keys (Child Care) 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

This is a privately owned children‟s home registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC474041 2

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Key findings from this inspection

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

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff do not follow up outcomes from safeguarding referrals rigorously enough. This means that the young person continues to be placed in unsafe situations.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Management oversight is poor. Leaders and managers have failed to monitor safeguarding referral outcomes.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person is not making enough progress. Staff have failed to ensure that enough effort has been made to meet her cultural, social or emotional needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff do not ensure that the young person has access to the services/agencies that she needs to promote her emotional well-being.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person does not have enough opportunities to learn about socially acceptable behaviour. Staff do not put appropriate consequences in place after significant incidents.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Key-working sessions are poor. Staff do not help the young person to understand about risk or unsafe adults. They do not understand the young person‟s behaviours and complex needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home is in a poor state of repair. It does not look or feel like a home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that agency staff have been safely recruited.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers do not escalate their concerns regarding the placing authority to senior managers quickly enough. This has left the young person with inadequate support and access to services.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There has not been a registered manager in post for over 26 weeks. Consequently, staff have lacked any managerial direction and there has been a significant lack of management oversight.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There is a new manager in post who had identified the weaknesses prior to this inspection, and has started to take action. Inspection report children's home: SC474041 3  The new manager has started to redecorate the home with the young person and staff. This is helping staff and the young person to invest in their home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person has started to engage in education.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 13/09/2016 Full Requires improvement 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/12/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children's home: SC474041 4

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child‟s needs, with particular reference to young people‟s emotional, and health needs. (Regulation 5(b)) 14/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that if they consider, or staff consider, a placing authority‟s or a relevant person‟s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‟s needs are met in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 14/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential, and that they use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to –

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child‟s welfare, 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 they provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b) and (2)(b)(ii)(iv)(vii)) 14/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills, with particular reference to ensuring that young people‟s cultural needs are being met. (Regulation 9(1)) 14/08/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC474041 5 The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, paragraph (1) requires the registered person to -

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child, and that the effectiveness of the home‟s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i) and (e)) 14/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to -

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a) and (b) and (2)(f)) 14/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety, with particular reference to agency staff. (Regulation 32(1)) 14/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”) has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(i)) 14/08/2017

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improvement to be good

The young person does not receive good-enough, individualised care. She does not engage with activities and staff do not consistently try creative ways of encouraging the young person to engage with and invest in the placement. There are very few opportunities for the young person to engage socially with other young people. The placement does not meet the young person‟s cultural needs and staff have made very little effort to do so. Behaviour management strategies are not always implemented or reviewed in terms of their effectiveness. This has impacted on the young person‟s progress. Inspection report children's home: SC474041 6 The young person‟s emotional health needs are unmet. Following the young person‟s refusal to engage with therapeutic services, staff have made no further attempts to try to secure the services the young person needs. For example, staff have not had consultations with mental health or therapeutic professionals to get some guidance

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improvement to be good

regarding how to support the young person‟s emotional well-being. Key-working sessions are poor and there is an inconsistent response regarding significant incidents, with the focus tending to be on practical aspects rather than risk management. Staff do not link in with other professionals in order to complete preventative work with the young person.

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improvement to be good

Neither staff nor the young person have invested in the home. It does not feel like a home and it lacks personalisation. The new manager in post is starting to redecorate with the help of staff and the young person. However, the home is in need of a vast amount of redecoration. For example, the garden is unkempt and is not used.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the young person has formed some positive relationships with some staff members. Despite the young person‟s trepidation, she has invested in some of the relationships with staff. For example, after safeguarding incidents have happened she does tell some staff members. This is positive. Staff have secured an advocate for the young person, whose support she confidently uses. Currently, the young person‟s long- term plan is unclear, which causes her significant anxiety and is unsatisfactory. Staff advocate on the young person‟s behalf by communicating with her placing authority regarding issues such as seeing her family and education. However, on occasion they have not given enough consideration to potential risks and how they will be managed.

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improvement to be good

Education is a strength. The young person has been out of education for a significant period of time and has refused to engage until very recently. Staff have worked consistently with her regarding the importance of education. A tutor has been identified and has started to work with the young person at home. While engagement has been inconsistent, this is significant progress for the young person.

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improvement to be good

The young person‟s safety and welfare have not been promoted, and at times have been compromised. Staff have not always acted rigorously enough to find out the outcomes of safeguarding referrals. For example, after concerns have been raised regarding the young person‟s peer relationships, staff have continued to allow her to have contact with them. They have failed to find out if there is any further action needed to keep the young person safe. Staff do not always fully understand the young person‟s risks and so have failed to support her emotional needs fully. For example, staff do not appear to have enough understanding regarding complex behaviours, such as child sexual exploitation, and how to manage the risks. Risk assessments are not frequently reviewed or updated. Staff do not effectively work with other agencies to ensure that the young person has access to the services that she needs to promote her welfare and safety.

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improvement to be good

Inspection report children's home: SC474041 7 Potentially, the young person has continued to be in unsafe situations.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management strategies are inconsistent. There is a lack of learning after significant incidents. For example, staff do not always put into place consequences or reparation after damage has been caused to the home. There is not enough preventative work completed with the young person. For example, debriefs after incidents do not fully consider future strategies to promote the young person‟s safety and welfare and prevent future occurrences.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the young person‟s risk-taking behaviours have reduced. Physical interventions are rare. When they do occur, staff speak to the young person to find out her views and feelings on the intervention itself. Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have had an opportunity to speak about the physical intervention. The young person rarely goes missing. On occasion she has not returned from contact. Staff have followed risk assessments and liaised with the placing authority regarding this.

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improvement to be good

There is a new manager in post who is reviewing the young person‟s risk assessments. She is working with staff to support them in their understanding of the young person‟s risks. Staff successfully engage the young person in discussions regarding risk-taking behaviours. The young person tells staff about occasions when she may have been at risk. This is positive and evidences the positive relationships that she has with her staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management is poor. There has not been a registered manager in post for over 26 weeks. This has had a significant impact on the home. Out of the six members of staff, three have the appropriate qualifications. The other three members of staff are enrolled on the relevant course. All six of the staff have a first aid qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inadequate management oversight has led to the young person not making enough progress and not fulfilling her potential. A lack of management oversight of safeguarding referrals has continued to place the young person at potential risk of harm. Managers have failed to review the effectiveness of child protection procedures. There is a lack of learning from safeguarding incidents. For example, when there have been concerns regarding the placing authority‟s lack of response to safeguarding referrals, leaders and managers have not escalated their concerns quickly enough to senior managers. This has compromised the young person‟s safety, welfare and progress. Staff have not had enough guidance around behaviour management strategies or understanding the young person‟s complex needs. This has hindered the progress of the young person and compromised her well-being. Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that they are

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

delivering the aims and objectives as outlined within the home‟s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Poor management oversight of staff recruitment has resulted in inadequate checks being made on some agency staff. Leaders and managers have failed to follow up any potential safeguarding information with the agency. This has potentially placed the Inspection report children's home: SC474041 8 young person at risk of harm. Partnership working is poor. There has been a lack of consultation with other professionals. Consequently, the young person has not had the input that she needs to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to learn from shortfalls identified in previous inspections. They have not actively and consistently sought the young person‟s views regarding her placement. When the young person has shared with staff her views, staff have not followed up with any actions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not taken rigorous action to satisfy themselves that the placement is meeting the young person‟s needs. For example, the placement continues to not meet the young person‟s cultural needs and there has been no management input to guide staff in doing so. Prior to the new manager coming into post, there was a lack of management accountability, which resulted in poor staff practice and the young person‟s welfare not being promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a new manager in post who has a wealth of experience in managing children‟s homes. She is aware of the areas for development and significant shortfalls in the home, and had identified them prior to this inspection. The new manager has started to take action to improve staff practice. For example, she has implemented fortnightly team meetings and focused supervisions. She has identified key gaps in staff‟s knowledge base and has started to plan training sessions, including guidance on the role of a key working and effective key-working sessions. Supervisions are being completed. Staff say that they feel much more positive and are committed to improving their practice.

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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: SC474041 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys (Child Care) Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Hannah Bates: social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC474041 10 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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