Children's Home run by Keswick Care Limited in Wakefield

Inspection report children‟s home: 1183197 1 Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation operates and runs this home. It provides care for children and young people whose plan is for them to live in a medium- to long-term residential setting. The experienced manager has previous registered manager status in a number of children‟s homes and until December 2017 was managing two homes for this organisation. She has been managing this home since October 2015 and is completing her level 5 leadership and management qualification.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: Outstanding

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit was undertaken on 5 March 2018 in response to concerns raised mainly in relation to restraint practices and staff training. One compliance notice was issued as a result of the visit. A further monitoring visit was undertaken at the same time as the full inspection on 23 April and 24 April 2018 to assess the improvements under Regulation 13. The compliance notice was found to be met. Inspection report children‟s home: 1183197 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2017 Full Outstanding 03/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children‟s home: 1183197 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‟s or a relevant person‟s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‟s needs are met in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans, (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager escalating concerns promptly to the placing authority when they are not getting a suitable response to concerns about deficits in the children‟s care planning arrangements. 08/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager should have a strong oversight of the children‟s care files to ensure that the information is clear and accurate and take prompt action to tackle any deficits. They should implement robust systems to ensure that the home is furnished, decorated and well maintained throughout, in order to provide high-quality accommodation. 15/06/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: 1183197 4 The registered provider must appoint, at the registered provider‟s expense, a person (“the independent person”) to visit and report on the children‟s home carried on by the registered provider. Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), the registered provider may not appoint the following as an independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is not a local authority, a person who is employed for payment by the registered provider.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. 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

This is specifically in relation to ensuring up-to-date, risk management plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most young people feel happy and settled in the homely and nurturing habitat that promotes positive family life. A recently established, dedicated staff team strengthens young people‟s sense of security and familiarity with staff caring for them. Consequently, young people enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff understand the young people‟s personalities and focus on their strengths. Staff role model positive behaviours and treat the young people with respect. This makes young people feel valued and they thrive. The registered manager said, „My team and my kids are all I care about. Our young people make us proud every day. We have fantastic relationships. It makes the staff want to do more.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff talk to young people about the importance of education. This is because they understand the benefits of a good education for the young people‟s future prospects. Half of the young people are attending and progressing well in school. Home tutors support young people whose education falls well below the legal requirements until a suitable education provision is agreed. Inspection report children‟s home: 1183197 5 A range of activities ensure that young people have good opportunities to meet friends, have fun and develop appropriate social skills that build their confidence. Young people‟s contributions in charity fundraising activities promote empathy towards other people, as they give back to the community. Young people develop independence skills that prepare them for being adults. Skills in baking, meal preparation and taking responsibility for their grooming and personal space all contribute to their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good partnership working between staff and the primary, specialist and therapeutic health professionals contributes to young people‟s prompt access to services that support their emotional and physical well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support young people to engage in family contact. Some young people are experiencing difficult family issues that are having a negative impact on their behaviour. Staff provide care and support using de-escalation techniques to ensure that young people going can express themselves within safe boundaries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people‟s involvement in their care plans and influence on the day-to-day running of the home show that they are listened to. Staff act as good advocates, ensuring that young people‟s concerns are articulated to professionals. However, the registered manager does not escalate her concerns to the placing authority with sufficient speed when it falls short of meeting young people‟s care plans.

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

The staff invest in the young people‟s safety and welfare. They instil clear routines and boundaries and monitor young people‟s whereabouts. Staff understand the whistleblowing policy and they are confident about reporting any potential safeguarding concerns about their colleagues to the management team. This transparent practice promotes a healthy safeguarding culture for young people, thus keeping them safer.

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

One compliance notice was issued following a monitoring visit in March 2018. This was in response to concerns raised about the use and recording of physical interventions and about training issues. The home is now compliant with the regulations following a robust management review of the shortfalls. The improved management oversight of safeguarding, physical interventions and their documentation and de-brief with all involved is evident in the one physical intervention used since the monitoring visit.

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

Young people are not subject to child sexual exploitation or radicalisation. Missing from home is not a common feature for the young people currently living at the home. However, if it does happen, staff are proactive and follow young people‟s missing-from- home protocol and report to all relevant safeguarding agencies with which they have effective links.

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

The staff team understands the young people‟s therapeutic needs and how negative feelings can manifest into challenging behaviours. The staff team is working collaboratively with the dedicated therapist to either directly or indirectly help young people to manage their emotions. Inspection report children‟s home: 1183197 6 Although staff understand and act on the presenting risks with respect to individual young people, not all written risk assessments are up to date to reflect the current situation.

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

The registered manager is very experienced and she is completing the level 5 leadership and management diploma. She is a resilient manager with a strong track record of excelling children‟s outcomes. She is highly child focused, leads by example and has a full understanding of the young people‟s needs and risks. She is very supportive to the staff, who hold her in high regard.

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

The registered manager has reflected on the previous turbulent time at the home and the impact this had on the operation of the home and subsequent compliance. She feels confident that managing one children‟s home instead of two, with a consistent staff team, will provide better management oversight and support her realistic „back to basics‟ action plan.

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

However, not all of the young people‟s care records are scrutinised to ensure that they are clear and accurate. For example, medication records are confusing. The contents of health needs assessments have not been challenged when they provide inaccurate information about young people‟s attendance at health appointments. Although improvements have been made to the impact risk assessments, they do not show the presenting risks to all young people.

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

The registered manager has not acted promptly to repair the damage around the home to ensure that the home maintains its high standards. This does not promote a consistently pleasant environment when repairs and damage are left for uncertain amounts of time.

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

The role of the independent visitor is a conflict of interest because the registered manager also receives supervision and training services from them. This does not promote transparent practice.

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

Staff come with a wide range of experience and add value to the team dynamics. Most staff are appropriately qualified or studying towards the approved level 3 qualification. Staff feel well supervised. They welcome the well-being support delivered by the therapist. Staff express high satisfaction with their training, which supports them to care for the young people with confidence. Inspection report children‟s home: 1183197 7

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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: 1183197 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1183197 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 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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