Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 1 SC363422 Registered provider: Broadwood Education Services

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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 registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people. It provides care and accommodation for young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is one of a number of registered children’s homes operated by a large private provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 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

 This is the second full inspection for the home this year due to an inadequate judgement at the first full inspection. The home currently provides a solo placement, so the impact of action taken to address concerns about bullying are difficult to assess.  The home still does not have a registered manager, but an application to register has been submitted recently to Ofsted.  Bullying behaviour, including assaults, continued until a young person moved out of the home. The safety of young people has improved with the decision to make the home a solo placement.  Young people did not attend school prior to the summer holidays. Attendance for the school year was very low. Staff have worked closely with external agencies, including school staff, which means that there is a plan to help return the young person to school in the autumn term.  The young person is offered a range of activities, but often prefers to stay in

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Key findings from this inspection

her room. Staff are encouraging, but struggle to motivate, the young person to leave her bed until late in the day.  Consequences are given to young people if they go missing from the home. These consequences are confusing, may encourage young people not to attend school, and do not take into account the emotional trauma a young person may have been experiencing at the time of the behaviour.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The acting manager is supportive and provides clear direction to staff. She is being very well supported by senior leaders. The acting manager has brought stability to the staff team. Staff are responding positively to her. They are enthusiastic about providing good care to the young person and say they are working much closer as a team now.  The young person likes the staff and knows that they care about her. Her health is improving, as she attends most healthcare appointments and is starting to engage with the company therapist.  Staff are working well with external professionals to ensure that good planning takes place for the young person. Communication has also improved. A social worker said: ‘Staff give me weekly updates around health, education, identity, social and emotional issues.’ Care planning documents are detailed, accurate and up to date. This means that the young person is now receiving planned and

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Key findings from this inspection

effective care.  All requirements made at the previous inspection have been actioned. As this is currently a solo placement, it is difficult to assess the impact of some of the Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 3 action taken.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/06/2017 Full Inadequate 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 31/08/2016 Full Outstanding 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 4

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities, both inside and outside of the home (where appropriate), and are encouraged to participate in those activities. Staff should support children to take part in school trips, out of school and other clubs, volunteering and leisure activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to

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Recommendations

help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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improvement to be good

This home has recently become a solo placement. This is due to the complexity of the young person, which makes it difficult for her to live with another young person at this moment in time. The young person says that the home is much better now she is living on her own. She says that she did not get on with the other young person. Prior to moving out, the other young person was assaulted regularly, despite a high staffing ratio. Young people did not attend school prior to the school summer holidays commencing. Staff have communicated well with other agencies, including school staff. They have a plan for the young person to return to school after the summer holidays. This will include a buddy to support her back into school and a phased return. The young person says that she does not like the school, but will go as the staff want her to go. The young person does not participate in many activities inside or outside the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff offer a range of activities, but very little interests her. The young person says she likes to go to the cinema, going out for meals, bowling, walks and the gym. However, she mostly stays in her room. This is something staff need to continue to work on with her. Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 5 Care planning is now individualised and detailed. It provides clear, accurate and up-to- date information for staff, enabling them to effectively care for the young person. The emotional and physical health of the young person is improving. She has recently started to engage well with the company therapist. She has attended most healthcare appointments. She is trying to give up smoking and is doing very well. The young person benefits from improving contact with her family. Staff facilitate and support contact with her family. This will help the young person to maintain important links and provide a network of support when she leaves care.

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improvement to be good

The safety of young people has improved with the decision to make the home a solo placement. However, a young person continued to be assaulted, verbally and physically, until she was moved to another home. This was despite high staffing levels. Staff endeavour to encourage positive behaviour. The young person has an incentive chart that shows she is making good progress in the identified areas. Staff say that they are upholding rules and boundaries, and providing a consistent approach. Consequences for unwanted behaviour are given to young people. They are also given to young people who go missing from the home. These consequences are confusing, may encourage young people not to attend school, and do not take into account the emotional trauma a young person may have been experiencing at the time of going missing. The young person does not go missing from the home anymore, and has stopped taking illegal substances and drinking alcohol. She no longer assaults staff or other young

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improvement to be good

people as she now lives in a solo placement. Despite this, staff regularly talk to her about the dangers of going missing and other risk-taking behaviour. She is knowledgeable about the risk of grooming and sexual exploitation, for example. She also says that staff talk to her about online safety, appropriate relationships and abusive relationships. She says talking about these issues is helpful and they go over them every week. She likes talking to staff and says: ‘They’re not always serious, they are also funny.’ Risk management plans clearly identify risks and provide good information for staff regarding how to reduce risks. Staff have warm and nurturing relationships with the young person. She knows they care about her. She likes that they say she is their ‘priority’. The young person feels safe because she has secure and trusted relationships with staff. Staff have a good understanding of child protection procedures and the whistle-blowing

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improvement to be good

policy. Safeguarding concerns are reported appropriately and managed effectively. Appropriate vetting procedures help to prevent unsuitable adults from working with young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 6

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

There have been a number of management changes since the registered manager left in October 2016. The present manager is on maternity leave, so the deputy manager is the acting manager at this time. She has submitted an application to Ofsted to register. The acting manager appears to have provided some stability to the home. She provides clear direction and good support to the staff. Staff say that she is a positive influence on the home and they feel well supported. The acting manager lacks management experience, but is very well supported by the operations manager and other senior leaders. She does not yet hold the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare, but she is completing this qualification. Staff are responding positively to the new manager. They are enthusiastic about providing good care for the young person and say that they are working much closer as a team now. Very few staff are qualified, but most are either completing the relevant

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

qualification or are still in their probationary period. Staff have undertaken further training, including responding to complaints, counter- bullying and behaviour management. Staff supervision has improved. This is now more reflective and includes elements of training. Staff meetings are also used for training and support. This has helped staff to gain the skills and knowledge that they require to start to provide good care for young people. No complaints have been received since the last inspection. However, staff are working much more closely with external agencies and, therefore, any complaints are more likely to be acted on appropriately. All requirements made at the previous inspection have been actioned. As this is currently a solo placement it is difficult to assess the impact of some of the action taken.

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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: SC363422 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Broadwood Education Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Hall Hey Road, Rossendale BB4 6HR

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Inspector

Joanne Vyas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 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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