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

Inspection report children‟s home: 1247776 1 Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education 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

The home is owned and managed by a limited company. The home provides care and support for up to three young people who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been at the home since October 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 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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: 1247776 2

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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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(2)(a)(c)(h)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child‟s placing authority. 28/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: 1247776 3 (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iii)) The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify the HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(a)(b)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Nothing in paragraph (5) or regulation 46 (review of premises) requires or authorises the registered person to contravene or not comply with any conditions in relation to the registered person under part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000. (Regulation 16(5)(6)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the home must ensure that it operates within the conditions of registration. 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all records are updated regularly, and that the paperwork reflects the correct company logo. 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children; 28/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: 1247776 4 the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person has a workforce development plan which can fulfil the workforce requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should detail the necessary staffing structure, the experiences and qualifications of staff currently working in the home and any further training required for those staff to enable them to deliver the home‟s statement of purpose. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by the staff and used to record the ongoing training needs of the staff and registered manager. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are thriving in a child-centred and nurturing environment. Staff invest considerable amounts of time with young people, listening to them, helping them to make choices and taking part in activities. Staff have high but reasonable aspirations for young people and want them to achieve and exceed their personal goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have a voice about how the home operates. Therefore, young people are increasing in confidence in making choices, such as about what they would like to eat and wear. This successfully fosters their self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are good communicators who skilfully adapt their communication style to meet the diverse needs of each young person. Social workers and parents are pleased with the Inspection report children‟s home: 1247776 5 wide range of activities provided that continue to promote young people‟s progress across all areas of their development. A parent said that it was „brilliant‟ that her child was now going out into the community. This is opening the world to the young person, and the parent said that the staff „really understand‟ her child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into the home are carefully planned and managed. This means that young people settle quickly and begin to build positive relationships with staff. However, the transition process is not as effective for young people moving into adult services. For example, one young adult does not have a formal transition plan in place. This has been delayed because of changes of social worker, and he does not have a confirmed new placement some 12 months later.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a strength of the service. Staff were proactive in securing an education placement for a young person who had been out of education for some time. He is now enjoying school. Young people‟s school reports are positive and demonstrate the good progress that they are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are becoming more independent. Several young people are taking more responsibility for their personal care needs such as showering and brushing their teeth. Each young person is treated with the utmost dignity and respect. Staff work hard to help young people be mindful of their own privacy, for example not undressing in public.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are becoming much less anxious in a variety of social situations. This is because of the trusting relationships that they have with the staff. They are more confident to go to shops, browse for items and then pay for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people‟s healthcare needs are supported well. Staff are intuitive about when the young people are unwell, and seek appropriate medical attention for them. Staff are confident to challenge other professionals when they feel that a young person‟s needs are not being met. A social worker commented positively about the specific support provided to their young person, which resulted in a clear diagnosis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Contact with families is supported very well. During the recent staffing shortages, the registered manager ensured that each young person maintained their visits with their families. Parents are very complimentary about the home and staff. They said that they trusted the staff and knew that their children were happy and safe here.

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

Child protection and safeguarding are priorities for staff. The home has improved its response to any safeguarding concerns. Staff are well versed in the company‟s policy and procedures. Consequently, they can act if they have a concern about a young person.

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

Young people do not go missing. This is because staff understand their individual risks and vulnerabilities. Young people are supervised well in the community, which reduces Inspection report children‟s home: 1247776 6 the risk of young people going missing effectively. Staff are clear on the action to take should this happen.

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

Staff are aware that the internet can pose a risk to young people and have appropriate safeguards in place in the home. However, they have carried out limited work with a young person about using social media and educating them about friends in the online world. Some staff say that they are not „computer or online savvy‟ and they would therefore benefit from training in this area to enhance the safety of the young people.

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

Some young people are more aware of their own safety and how to keep themselves safe. A young person explained how he gives people the „right hugs‟ and that he does not run away because that would be „silly‟. This is a big achievement for this young person.

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

Staff are positive role models. They understand the diverse communication styles of each young person, whether this is through hand signals, pictorial images or spoken word. This allows the staff to gain young people‟s views and helps young people to make good choices. The staff plan well and are proactive in responding to young people‟s anxieties. As a result, physical interventions are rarely used.

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

Staff know that some situations can be extremely stressful for young people, such as when they are settling into their new home. Staff provide sensitive support that enables the young people to explore and settle into their new surroundings at their own pace.

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

Young people live in a warm and welcoming environment. They are actively encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. Consequently, the bedrooms all reflect the uniqueness of each young person. Communal spaces are well designed and provide ample opportunities for young people to spend time together or by themselves. The rear garden is a safe space.

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

The home is led by an experienced and qualified registered manager, but the home has several staffing vacancies. Recruitment has taken place, and new staff are due to start over the forthcoming weeks. Shortfalls in staffing have resulted in the manager undertaking additional shifts to support the staff, especially as she is the only person able to drive. Consequently, administrative work such as updating young people‟s records and documentation has lapsed.

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

The registered manager and staff acknowledge that the paperwork is not current, but emphasise that the care of the young people was their priority. A high proportion of the paperwork in the home still refers to the previous company. Several documents contain conflicting information, and this means that there may be inconsistencies in the care and support provided for young people.

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

Staff have not received professional practice-based supervision, and this will be the third Inspection report children‟s home: 1247776 7 consecutive time this requirement has been made. The registered manager is having daily discussions and informal supervisions with staff to ensure that they are fully aware of the young people‟s ever-changing needs.

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

The statement of purpose contains incorrect information. It refers to the former company‟s policies, reflects the new company‟s previous address and contains out-of- date staff information. The last statement of purpose received by Ofsted was in October 2017. Consequently, the home may be operating outside of its statement of purpose.

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

The home is currently caring for a young adult. However, the home failed to notify Ofsted of this change to its registration. This does not promote transparency or compliance with the Care Standards Act 2000. Therefore, due to this oversight, the home was in breach of their conditions of registration. This issue was addressed immediately.

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

Monitoring by the independent person is sound as they are identifying the shortfalls in record-keeping. However, they have not identified that the young people‟s placement plans, behaviour management plans and other records do not reflect their current day- to-day needs. The registered manager has not sent a copy of her monitoring report of the home to Ofsted at six-monthly intervals. The last report received by Ofsted was in September 2017. This limits the registered manager‟s ability to drive forward continuous improvement.

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

The registered manager works well with social workers, schools and partner agencies. A social worker said that she is very child focused and is not afraid to challenge them if she feels that the young person‟s needs are not being met.

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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: 1247776 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie McGuinness

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Inspector

Chris Scully, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1247776 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 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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