Children's home run by Keys Direct Care Limited in Southend-on-Sea

Inspection report children’s home: SC430587 1 SC430587 Registered provider: Direct Care Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and managed by a private company and provides services to local authorities.

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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 good 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

Children make excellent progress. They are supported to feel safe and stable, and this enables children to make good progress in all aspects of their development.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection, one recommendation was made in relation to children’s engagement in education. The manager and staff team have addressed this fully and all children are now engaged in education. The manager and staff recognise the importance of this. Staff have high expectations regarding educational engagement and attendance. For most young people, education has been provided within two weeks of moving to the home. In addition, staff at the home fully support children’s educational transitions. For one child this included staff supporting her at school for the first five days at her new educational provision. Inspection report children’s home: SC430587 2 Staff care for children in a very warm, nurturing and playful manner. Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of the children and their individual needs. Clear boundaries and routines are in place. Children are respectful towards staff and have excellent

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Key-work sessions are comprehensive and cover a number of issues that are pertinent to the individual child. Over time, children develop trusting relationships with staff and they can feel safe enough to be able to begin to address historical traumatic experiences.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children receive good support regarding their emotional health and well-being. Children have access to child and adolescent mental health services and the organisation’s psychologist, and they have regular key-work sessions focusing on aspects of emotional well-being. The structures, routines and clear boundaries at the home promote children feeling safe. For example, all children have different bedtimes and a routine that is assessed dependent on their age and stage of development. Children and staff respect this routine and adhere to it.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children experience stability at the home and are supported to develop strategies to regulate their behaviours. Incidents of self-harm, missing from the home and challenging behaviours significantly reduce over time. Staff are well trained and are able to respond to incidents as and when they occur.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has excellent monitoring systems in place to track the progress of children and to monitor behaviour. The manager has devised a system for tracking independent return home interviews to determine whether these have been offered and have taken place. The manager has recently introduced this system to ensure that local authorities fulfil their duties in relation to independent return home interviews, despite having a minimal number of incidents of children being missing from the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are aware of who they need to speak to if they are unhappy. The manager takes clear and decisive action and children are left feeling safe and secure. Children are confident in the knowledge that staff take their concerns seriously. Children are at the centre of planning at the home. Their participation is excellent. This is evidenced, for example, by the inclusion of children in a team development day. Staff and children have been on holiday and children regularly attend at the end of staff team meetings. In addition, there are well-attended weekly children’s meetings, regular key-work sessions and the use of children’s consultation forms. The manager also promotes opportunities to seek feedback directly from the children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children’s ages and stages of development are sensitively taken into account. The manager advocates on their behalf to ensure that the children’s needs are fully considered. This was evidenced by a situation in which the manager requested a police interview take place at the home rather than at the police station, and also arranged ‘meet and greet’ meetings with the police officer prior to the interview. The home is excellent at promoting person-centred practice for children. Inspection report children’s home: SC430587 3 The manager reported that staffing is stable at present. She said: ‘This is the best place the home has been at in some time.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team is established. New staff receive an induction through the company. Staff training has improved within the service. The manager has a training qualification and is able to provide training in-house on certain subjects. An agency member of staff commented that the home is ‘good’. Staff have a shared ethos and commitment to providing high-quality care.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2017 Full Good 16/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 10/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC430587 4

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Goldwyns, Rutland House, 90-92 Baxter Avenue, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6HZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rebecca Ouellani

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Inspector

Bev Allison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC430587 5 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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