Children's home run by Keys KIN Ltd in Adur

Inspection report children’s home: 1226266 1 Registered provider: Kingdom Care Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six girls who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private organisation runs the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers are ambitious for the young people. They plan carefully for each young person. Inspection report children’s home: 1226266 2  Leaders and managers have fully addressed the shortfalls identified at the last inspection.  The management team provides effective leadership which enables staff to create a nurturing, family environment where young people receive consistent care.  The level of support from staff and specialist external agencies to address risk- taking behaviours is high.  Senior leaders have responded to heightened levels of challenging behaviours by providing staff with very good-quality additional training in areas such as bullying and gang-related behaviours.  Young people are provided with every opportunity to access education and are supported to achieve successful outcomes.  Staff consult and listen to young people and make sure that their views and opinions are taken into account in the running of the home and in the care that

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Key findings from this inspection

they receive. Young people are able to access independent advocates when needed.  The staff team has excellent relationships with a range of professional agencies. The team works collaboratively with the young people’s social workers and local safeguarding agencies to keep young people safe. In particular, the team works very closely with the local missing person police team, child exploitation professionals and mental health professionals.  Leaders and managers will challenge professionals and advocate strongly for the young people.  Young people have quick and direct access to a range of health professionals, including a psychiatrist and psychologist.  Through close, individualised support, the young people establish trusting relationships with the staff. Staff respond thoughtfully to young people’s needs.

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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 review and analysis of the effectiveness of referral procedures and staff training has not been sufficiently rigorous.  Maintenance staff have not undertaken child protection training.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 22/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1226266 3

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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

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continued professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) In particular, ensure that the maintenance team receives suitable child protection training. 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(g)(h)) Specifically, ensure that systems are in place to fully analysis the effectiveness of the referral and admission process and staff training. 30/11/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has been through a period of managing very challenging behaviours. These behaviours have not always been anticipated at referral stage through the pre- admission information gained from placing authorities. These serious and challenging behaviours have resulted in the ending of a number of placements. In response to this, the senior leaders and managers have commenced to undertake a review of this period of time. However, a more detailed review and analysis of referral procedures and staff training needs to be carried out. Despite the challenging behaviours and ending of placements, young people who had their placements ended were beginning to show good progress in some areas of their lives. Overall, the leaders and management team have responded well to the events that occurred during this turbulent period. Inspection report children’s home: 1226266 4 Current young people appear settled at the home and are making good progress. The

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

staff deliver individualised care within a nurturing environment where young people develop, have the opportunities to learn to manage their emotions appropriately and decrease their risk-taking behaviours. Current young people are responding well to staff’s guidance and support; their placements are stable. One young person said, ‘I love it here. The staff are like a family to me; I can talk to them about anything and they really listen.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff show interest and care for the young people, sharing positive interactions and experiences. This supports the young people to recognise their own strengths and abilities and raises their self-esteem and self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is strongly valued by the staff. Managers and staff actively promote young people’s educational progress by working closely with school staff and the virtual school to ensure that all young people have positive educational opportunities The staff are effective in liaising with educational establishments to provide information and updates which may affect the young person’s behaviour in education. They share behaviour management strategies, which has led to consistency of care and positive outcomes for the young people. The manager is confident in challenging the local authority to ensure that young people’s views about their education are taken into account.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people have a strong voice in the home. They confidently express their views, knowing that the staff will listen and value their opinions. One young person said, ‘The staff are brilliant; they listen to me and give me good advice.’ One social worker said, ‘The staff have done extremely well in getting a young person to express their views in a more positive way.’ The young people experience warmth and attentiveness from the staff and develop trusting relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Close monitoring of the young people’s physical and emotional health ensures that the staff identify specific needs and that they are clear about what young people need in order to be healthier and happier. The close contacts that the staff have with external health professionals, such as the sexual health service and child sexual exploitation professionals, provide a high level of expert intervention. The recent employment of a nutritionist has seen a very positive change in staff’s understanding of relationships between food and trauma, how food can have an impact on behaviours and the importance of promoting healthy eating. Changes to how food is presented and delivered have had good results.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people receive valuable support to maintain and improve the time that they spend with families and friends. The management is persistent in engaging with families and in building relationships with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All professionals met during the inspection spoke very positively about the care that young people receive and how well the staff team works to ensure that young people are kept safe, despite challenges presented. Young people welcome new arrivals and offer newly admitted young people helpful support to settle in. Inspection report children’s home: 1226266 5

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

Policies, procedures and training provide the staff with knowledge of safe practice and guidance. Young people live in a safe environment and begin to understand the negative impact of their previous unsafe behaviours and lifestyles.

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

Staff are competent in the implementation of child protection procedures. They follow correct procedures in the event of a disclosure or a concern. The registered manager consults with the designated officer for safeguarding in the local authority if necessary. She works with others, including the police, to ensure that all referrals are managed in a timely manner. All staff are suitably trained in child protection and safeguarding except the maintenance team. Verbal guidance given to the maintenance team is not supported by more detailed training.

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

Young people speak positively about their key workers, who they feel they can talk to and trust. The staff take what young people say seriously and help young people to work through their difficult emotions. Key-working sessions give young people time for problem solving and reflection on the life of the home. External professionals, such as an easily accessed clinical psychologist, provide young people with purposeful therapeutic insight into their emotions and behaviours. Behaviour management strategies advised by a range of professionals, including the clinical psychologist, are put into action and achieve good outcomes.

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

The staff are very aware of the vulnerabilities and risks of sexual exploitation, especially when young people go missing from care. In particular. they are knowledgeable about the negative impact of gang culture and its relationship to child exploitation. The staff follow agreed protocols if young people go missing, including following and encouraging them to return. Staff work very closely with a wide range of professionals if a young person is missing. Individual risk assessments provide guidance and strategies for staff to use to lessen the risks. For some young people with a previous history of going missing, they have not done so since being at this home. Other young people who continue to go missing now make contact with the home or have decreased the incidents and time of being missing. The staff also teach the young people about appropriate relationships, including those with adults, and how to recognise when they are being

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

Risk management is generally of a high standard. The staff work with other professionals to ensure that there are responses in place to any known risks. The staff are aware of and follow planned responses to incidents where young people may be at risk. The staff are consistent in their responses to risky behaviours.

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

Detailed behaviour management plans guide staff to provide effective support. The young people receive thoughtful and sensitive support to manage their behaviour. The staff use physical interventions only as a last resort. The staff will use refocusing techniques rather than restraint whenever possible. Inspection report children’s home: 1226266 6 Young people have their own mobile phones and receive guidance and support from staff about their safe use. Senior leaders have responded to the increased risk related to e-safety and social media use by increasing the focus of the internal information sharing systems in place. Staff have access to a wide range of up-to-date information and can access training from external agencies. The young people understand that the systems in place protect them from risk, such as access to inappropriate films and websites.

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

Young people live in a safe environment, with all necessary health and safety checks in place. Young people experience fire evacuation drills and know what action to take in the event of a fire.

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

Recruitment procedures are of a very high standard. Applicants for childcare posts undergo three interviews alongside all required checks. This helps to ensure that staff recruited are right for the job.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is qualified (level 5 diploma) and has a vast range of relevant experience. The staff team has seen minimal change since the home was registered. The current staff team members have a good range of experience and qualifications, many have exceeded the recommended level of qualification. The registered manager is passionate and committed, and her approach is very young-person focused. She knows the young people well and her presence is highly visible to them. One young person said, ‘The manager is a great person, she is honest with us and always around to talk to.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meetings take place on a regular basis, and these are used to discuss young people’s progress and the work undertaken by staff to support this. They are also used as a time for reflection. The clinical psychologist attends dedicated child-focused meetings to offer his expertise, for example in behaviour management strategies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring of the home is very good. Recent changes made to the monthly independent visitor’s reports have resulted in improved analysis of how well young people are safeguarded and about the quality of the care delivered in the home. In addition, the registered manager demonstrates a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. A detailed six-monthly review highlights the areas that she has identified for development over the next six months. She works very closely with the responsible individual and director to ensure that the home continues to develop and address shortfalls identified through inspection or internal monitoring systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from a thorough training programme, including a structured induction programme. Training includes specialist areas such as around sexual exploitation, gang culture, bullying and radicalisation, in addition to mandatory topics. Processes in place to analyse the effectiveness of training delivered are not fully embedded. Staff speak positively about the training and have received appropriate courses relating to the young people’s needs. Staff receive a good standard of supervision on a regular basis. Inspection report children’s home: 1226266 7 Young people’s records are clear, and provide good analysis of their progress. The staff complete care plans to a very high standard. Referrals are detailed and careful consideration is given to all placement matching, although the referral and decision making relating to the recent placement endings need to be more fully analysed.

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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 differences 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: 1226266 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kingdom Care Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kingdom Care Children’s Homes Limited, 30/34 North Street, Hailsham, East Sussex BN27 1DW

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Inspector

Liz Driver: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1226266 9 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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