Children's home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: 1249031 1 Registered provider: Keys 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

This is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children or young people who have learning disabilities. The manager was registered with Ofsted on 2 December 2016.

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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

Date of last inspection: 8 February 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1249031 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/05/2017 Full Good 23/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 1249031 3

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Statutory requirement

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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(2)(c)) In particular, ensure that there is a thorough system in place to track what is considered as non-mandatory training, and provide staff with the training that they require, especially with regards to training around self-harm. 16/07/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs. Staff should act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. The registered person should consider the use of an independent advocate if the child’s needs are not being met. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 12, paragraph 2.8) In particular, ensure that local authority care plans are in place for each child and, if need be, escalate concerns within the local authority if any delay occurs.  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety

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Recommendations

legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that the kitchen area is free from staff instruction notices. Inspection report children’s home: 1249031 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in this home is making good progress in all aspects of his development. Staff know him well and have developed positive relationships with him. Consistent care has helped the child to develop his self-confidence and self-esteem. His health and self- care have also significantly improved. Staff enable the child to influence his own day-to-day care experiences. They listen to him and give him opportunities to talk about his care, such as his preferences for recreational activities and food choices. The child particularly enjoys playing golf and swimming. Both of these activities have not only increased his weekly exercise, but have also helped him with his co-ordination and lower leg strength, which previously were weak. Education attendance is 100%. Staff find out the barriers to learning. They work with education staff and devise plans that include strategies to support the child’s behaviour

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

prior to and after school. This enables both staff teams to have a co-ordinated and consistent response to challenging behaviour. Furthermore, staff provide opportunities for the child to improve his reading skills. They have a variety of books, which are age appropriate for the child’s assessed reading age, to help and support the child. This approach has resulted in the child’s most recent school report stating that he is ‘making steady progress’. Staff provide a nurturing environment. They recognise that routine and boundaries provide stability and security. This has been vital in helping the child to manage his anxieties and frustrations in a calmer way and has led to a reduction in incidents. The home presents as a lived-in family home. It is warm, welcoming and comfortable. The quality of furniture and decor is very good. However, notices for staff which are stuck to the kitchen cupboards distract from the homely environment created in the rest

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

Staff working in the home are clear about the procedures that are in place should they need to respond to concerns about the safety of a child at this home. The child has not gone missing from the home. This is due to the high staffing ratio. Staff keep the child busy, supporting him to pursue his interests and hobbies. They follow his care plan and supervise him in the community. Staff teach the child how to keep safe and support him to access community-based activities safely. The child receives praise and rewards for his positive behaviour. This encourages a constructive and nurturing environment and helps to build strong relationships between him and staff. Staff manage challenging incidents well and use de-escalation techniques effectively. This has significantly reduced the number of restraints required to keep the Inspection report children’s home: 1249031 5 child and others safe from harm. Risk assessments and behaviour management strategies are well planned. Staff know

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

what to do when the child gets angry and frustrated. Staff provide consistent care and encourage the child to talk about his emotions. The child commented, ‘The staff know when I’m angry and they help me.’ Staff have enabled the child to feel safe and secure in the home. He has built trusting relationships with his staff team and is starting to talk to them about his past experiences. This helps the child to develop his emotional resilience. The manager and staff have a good understanding of the child’s emotional needs and they work productively with therapists and social workers to provide the right level of care. Staff personnel files include the required information, and there are good recruitment and selection processes in place that confirm that the child is cared for by a safe and competent workforce. The physical environment is safe and secure and is checked regularly. These checks, along with thorough risk assessments that are reviewed and updated frequently,

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

help to ensure that the home is a safe place to live and work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a permanent, suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. He leads by example and is actively involved in all of the home’s operations. This enables him to monitor everyday practice at the home as he works alongside colleagues and children. The child and staff spoke highly of the manager. Case records are clear and detailed and reflect the work that is undertaken with the child. The registered manager routinely monitors, evaluates and analyses the work undertaken by the staff. Daily, weekly and monthly monitoring takes place and has enabled the registered manager to identify weaknesses and to take remedial action. The staff and the manager have established strong working relationships with a range of agencies and professionals who are involved in the child’s care. Staff work closely with schools, social workers and health professionals. Feedback from stakeholders is positive,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

praising staff’s commitment, children’s progress and the effective communication with the manager and his team. Team meetings occur regularly and are well attended. The manager is proactive in ensuring that other professionals, such as those from the child and adolescent mental health service, attend team meetings so that staff have a full understanding of the child’s needs. All mandatory training has been completed. However, some staff have not received training in all areas that is required to meet the specific needs of the child, and which was identified at the point of referral. This lack of training means that not all staff can meet the known or emerging behaviours of the child currently living in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 1249031 6 The manager and staff are generally strong advocates for the child. However, when there was a delay in receiving the child’s local authority care plan, the manager did not

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

escalate his concerns beyond the social worker. The registered manager is clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the staff team and has plans to address these. Staff commented that they feel supported by the manager and are encouraged to bring new ideas to him. This demonstrates that the manager and staff remain focused on supporting the child to continually progress and have positive experiences.

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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: 1249031 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Laganwood House, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5NW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie McGuinness

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Inspector

Elaine Allison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1249031 8 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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