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

Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 1 SC363403 Registered provider: Broadwood Education Services Full 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 four young people who have social and/or emotional needs. The home is privately owned and managed.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 21/09/2016 Full Good 24/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 3

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Recommendations

 Any external agency staff should meet the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications and the registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)  Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are generally very happy. A young person said: ‘Staff are like family.’ An education psychologist said: ‘She seems happy there and the staff seem nurturing, reflective and proactive.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled and competent. They care about the young people and want them to succeed. They know the young people very well. A member of staff described her work, saying: ‘We try and plant seeds of positivity that they may use in later life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

 settle quickly  build strong and warm relationships with staff  feel secure  make significant progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work therapeutically with young people, demonstrating a deep understanding of why young people behave as they do. Therapeutic work is supported by the company therapist who regularly visits the home and talks to staff and the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social modelling is considered important. Staff are open and honest with young people. This means that young people are more inclined to be open and honest with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are listened to and regularly asked about their wishes and feelings. For example, young people have been consulted about activities and the redecoration of the home. The registered manager spends time with all the young people every day after Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 4 school and chairs their weekly meetings. This means that young people know that their wishes, feelings and concerns are taken seriously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Enabling young people to build and sustain relationships with their peers is a priority for staff. Friends visit the home and have sleepovers. Young people sleep at their friends’ houses. This provides the young people with a sense of normality. Furthermore, young people are proud of their home and are happy for their friends to visit. Staff encourage and support young people to rebuild relationships with their family when this is appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people want to be in a school. Those who have a school placement regularly attend and are doing well. Staff strongly advocate for young people who are not on a school roll and have been waiting for an education placement for a long time. However, young people do not have enough structure to their day when they are not engaged with a tutor. This will not help young people when they return to school life.

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

Risk-taking behaviour has significantly reduced. Young people rarely go missing because they feel safe and secure. Staff understand trauma and attachment difficulties and so they manage incidents sensitively and calmly. This means that incidents do not escalate. Staff rarely use any form of restraint. There are very few incidents involving drugs or alcohol.

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

Young people say that the rules are fair. They are asked what they think the consequences should be for breaking house rules. For example, young people brought alcohol into the home. The young people agreed that their consequences should be supervised spending, to engage with a charity that supports people with alcohol-related issues, additional chores and to write an essay on the effects of alcohol. This had a very positive effect on young people and they are engaging well with the charity worker.

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

Staff understand how to keep young people safe. They follow good procedures when young people make a disclosure or go missing. Staff understand what to do if they are concerned about the conduct of a colleague.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is very experienced and qualified. She is passionate about providing good care and support to young people. She perseveres with young people. This means that young people make positive transitions to independent living, foster care or back home to their parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She has good plans to address identified shortfalls and to move the home forward. She provides good support to staff who appreciate the support given. Support often takes the form of reflection. This helps staff to develop their skills further. Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 5 There is an established team of staff whose members work well together. They are either qualified or completing an appropriate qualification. They have access to a good training programme that equips them to meet the needs of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Agency staff are used regularly. Usually, the same workers are used to offer the young people continuity and consistency. However, the registered manager is not updated about the training that agency workers have completed or whether they have gained an appropriate qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals are complimentary about staff. Staff engage regularly with external professionals to ensure that young people get the care and support that they need.

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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: SC363403 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Broadwood Education Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, 2nd Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Inspector

Joanne Vyas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 7 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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