Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Rossendale

Interim inspection report children’s home: SC474050 1 SC474050 Registered provider: New Horizons Childcare Ltd Interim 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 up to one young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been no new admissions or transitions. The young person who had just arrived at the home during the last inspection is settled and has made progress.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and the staff have addressed the considerable number of requirements from the last inspection, and improvements have been made.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team ensures that the young person’s complex and challenging needs are well managed. There are clear risk assessments in place to keep the young person safe. However, on one occasion, one member of staff did not follow the risk assessment, which states that there should be two staff to support the young person. Because of this, the young person had to be restrained for his own safety. Overall, physical interventions for the young person are low, and de-escalation strategies are successful, although on occasion, one staff member was not debriefed within appropriate timescales. The recording of incidents in relation to physical interventions is not always Inspection report children’s home: SC474050 2 clear. The manager has not always signed them off within timescales. The manager and staff monitor and review the risks regularly and make the required changes immediately. Staff are vigilant in recognising potentially harmful items and remove these. This keeps

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff ensure that the care plan for the young person meets his needs. As a result, there have been no missing from home incidents. This was a risk at his previous placement. The structure of a daily routine and firm boundaries give the young person the emotional security he needs. Staff have not ensured, however, that the statutory local authority care plan is on the young person’s file.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has redecorated the house and it is homely. Further plans are in place to replace the kitchen area, so that it is in keeping with the rest of the home. The young person’s bedroom wall required painting because he had recently peeled off the paint. He told the inspector that he liked his home and room and was deciding on the colour he wanted the wall painted. He later went out with staff and chose yellow paint, which he was really pleased with, and proudly came to show the inspector the purchase.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff help the young person develop independence skills. The young person’s room was clean and tidy, and he told the inspector that he is responsible for chores, doing his own laundry and helping out with most of the daily household tasks. Doing this helps the young person be equipped with skills for the future.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff ensure that the young person has regular reviews for all his physical and emotional health needs. These reviews are all up to date. The young person is encouraged to make his own appointments, which builds his confidence and prepares him for his future independence.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff encourage the young person to engage with activities outside the home. He is now skilled at fishing, spending hours enjoying this activity, as well as with horse riding. This gives the young person a sense of contentment and of achievement.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support twice-monthly meetings with the young person’s family. This ensures that connections that are important for the young person are maintained.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team has supported the young person with his education, and he has had 100% attendance at college. He enjoys attending college, and being there has enabled him to develop valuable positive peer relationships. However, due to an incident a few days before the inspection the young person was excluded from college. The personal adviser from the virtual school told the inspector that the staff support the young person, who is exceeding expectations in maintaining a college placement in what has been a very difficult year. They said that the staff at the home ‘support young people in all areas of life, including accessing education, specialist services and working towards independence. They empower children and young people to achieve their full potential.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager promotes staff development and practice-based research. The deputy manager is taking the lead on training. The staff team will be developing their Inspection report children’s home: SC474050 3 skills further in communicating with young people who have autistic spectrum disorder. This will be through the use of the picture exchange communication system (PECS). The staff team has developed colour charts for the young person, and this has helped him to address his feelings using a different method of communication. The young person’s key-worker sessions are specifically related to helping him understand risks.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has maintained excellent working relationships with all the key agencies. The police care home coordinator told the inspector that there has been regular liaison and there are no issues or concerns, and that, ‘The relationships are good and strong.’ In her feedback to the home, a social worker stated that communication was good and the registered manager’s strategies to support the young person’s needs were in place and reviewed regularly.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Support to staff and reflective practice within supervision has improved, but the frequency of staff supervision dropped significantly for two months. While this shortfall has been acknowledged, the issues leading to this still need to be addressed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager’s development plan for the home is specific and focused on ensuring that the young person’s needs are met and that his experience is positive. There have been improvements in senior management oversight to monitor internal effectiveness and support the plan that is in place.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has met the 10 requirements from the last inspection. One requirement from the last inspection has been raised again, although this has been raised in different circumstances to the last inspection. There are three further requirements and one recommendation. The requirements are in relation to: ensuring that all staff provide consistent responses to the risk assessment, and to behaviour management plans; that all staff receive regular and appropriate supervision; that the young person’s statutory care plan is in his file. The recommendation stated that all recording should be clear, with confirmation that there has been managerial evaluation and oversight.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/17 02/03/2017 Full Interim Requires improvement Sustained effectiveness 03/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 11/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC474050 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

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, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff –

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) and (2)(a)(i)(v)) 23/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17 (1)(2) 23/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff receive practice- related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(4)(b)) 23/03/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

In particular, the manager to ensure that records are reviewed and signed within the appropriate timescales. Inspection report children’s home: SC474050 5

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys Attachment Centre, Hurstwood Court, New Hall Hey Road, Rossendale BB4 6HR

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Inspector

Balsinder Jaspal-Mander, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC474050 6 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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