Children's home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Rossendale

Inspection report children’s home: SC034944 1 SC034944 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of a number owned and managed by a private organisation. The home specialises in caring for children with attachment difficulties who may have experienced multiple placement breakdowns. Children are of primary school age on admission. The home is registered to care for four children or young people. The registered manager has managed the home for two years.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: SC034944 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2017 Full Good 02/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/09/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC034944 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)  Ensure that staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9) In particular, help children to understand the risks of gang membership and drug and alcohol misuse.  Ensure that the registered manager, who is responsible for good employment practice, has access to all the required information on staff prior to them working in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All of the children who live at this home are settled, with the last admission being almost two years ago. Children receive consistent care from a largely stable staff team whose members clearly understand the implications of children’s early life experiences on their current behaviour and presentation. Living in this home has a positive impact on those who reside here, and all of the children are making good progress. Positive and respectful relationships were observed between staff and children during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is warm and welcoming. Most of the home has been redecorated since the last inspection and it is bright and attractive. There is plenty of space for children to play alone or together. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and reflect their hobbies and interests. Consequently, children are proud of their home and they want to spend their time here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children attend school regularly. Some children attend the organisation’s school, while others attend school in the local community. They all achieved 100% attendance in the last school year, which is commendable. Children are making good educational progress. It is commonplace for them to receive recognition for their hard work and progress. They are proud of the awards that they have received. Staff support positive behaviour in school and reward individual achievements. This helps to motivate children to try their Inspection report children’s home: SC034944 4 best.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage children to pursue their own interests. Children are involved in a range of leisure activities outside of the home. All children attend swimming lessons. If children are unable to swim when they are admitted to the home, private lessons are arranged until the children feel confident in the water and they are able to engage in a group lesson. Other activities that children currently enjoy include rock climbing, scouts, football and music lessons. Such experiences help to build children’s self-esteem and confidence. They also benefit from some time away from each other, and the opportunity to form friendships with other children in the community. Staff promote such friendships. Children are allowed to have their friends to visit for tea, like other children of their age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff proactively support a range of contact arrangements, despite this sometimes involving travelling long distances. They appreciate the significance of these relationships for children and their families. In between face-to-face visits, staff continue to engage with families in several other ways. This includes regular phone calls and emails, as well as Skype calls. In addition, each child also sends a card, each month, to those who are special to them. This includes a few words from the child and a photograph. Social workers report that family members are particularly appreciative of these cards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children have access to therapy within the organisation. Therapists also provide consultancy for staff. This ensures that children have the best support to address any early trauma. In addition, staff ensure that children’s physical health needs are met, such as the completion of complex dental work. This has also resulted in significant improvements in one child’s speech and his self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All of the children took part in the inspection and made many positive comments about living in the home. Examples of these comments include:  ‘The staff really care about us.’  ‘It’s safe here.’  ‘I like all the staff. I like to spend time with them.’  ‘The house is lovely now, particularly the play room.’

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

Children are well settled in this home and trust those who care for them. They feel safe and secure here. They know how to make a complaint and have easy access to the registered manager, who they see daily. They know that she will listen to any worries that they have.

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

Good-quality risk assessments show that staff assess a range of risks associated with each child’s behaviour. They agree on the most appropriate strategy to adopt to reduce this risk. Risk assessments are shared with those who have parental responsibility. These measures ensure that everyone working with the child agrees.

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

Similarly, behaviour management plans indicate likely trigger points for young people Inspection report children’s home: SC034944 5 and the best way to de-escalate negative behaviours. Staff need to engage in physical intervention on occasion. Incidents of intervention for some children have increased over recent months as they have been engaging in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) therapy, as they have been revisiting early trauma. Records demonstrate the need to intervene to keep the child or others safe. The registered manager ensures that debriefs are undertaken with all staff and children involved. This allows them the opportunity for reflection and allows the manager to consider if there needs to be a review of practice.

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

Children currently living in the home do not engage in risk-taking behaviour. They do not go missing, smoke, use drugs or drink alcohol. Staff allow older children to take age- appropriate risks, such as travelling to school by bus or going out on their bicycles. However, staff have yet to engage them in discussions about some of the risks that they may face when out alone or engaging with others in the local community. This would ensure that children are alert to these issues if they present themselves in the future.

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

Children understand internet safety and one of the older children recently did a presentation for the others at a children’s meeting. However, children do not currently have access to the internet as there is no working computer in the home.

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

Staff recruitment processes are generally sound. However, a central human resources department take the lead on this. Currently, the registered manager does not have sight of the final recruitment file until after the employee has started to work in the home. This is too late for additional action to be taken, when on review she identifies issues that require further exploration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has worked in this home for two years. She completed her level 5 management qualification in February 2018. She is an experienced and knowledgeable practitioner, having worked as a deputy manager in another of the organisation’s homes for many years. She is passionate about achieving good outcomes for children and advocates strongly for them. She has successfully challenged local authority practice when it has not been in the best interest of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has had a positive impact on the home. She has high standards and leads by example. Staff receive regular, supportive supervision and an annual performance appraisal. Some staff have worked in the home for many years and know the children well. Staff support the changes that the current manager has implemented, and staff morale is high. They can see the positive influence that these changes have had on the home and the children who live here. Recently recruited staff share their enthusiasm to do a good job.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works well with other professionals. Everyone spoken to during the inspection spoke highly of her commitment and communication. One social worker commented, ‘Communication is excellent. All the staff, but particularly the manager, are very reliable. They are very child-focused. I cannot fault them.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC034944 6 The manager seeks regular feedback from children about how they feel about things in the home, as well as their relationships with individual staff members. Children give feedback on a range of things, such as how much fun the staff member is or if they spend too much time in the office. Each child has regular special time with the manager, when they receive a snack or a drink. Children look forward to this time, when they can talk about how things are without interruption from others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There have been no recent admissions to the home and there are currently no vacancies. However, staff continue to think about how they can reduce the anxiety of children when they move in, so they have produced a short video of the home. This introduces the environment and the staff to a child in an attractive and child-friendly manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Management oversight is strong. The manager regularly reviews and evaluates records in the home. Alterations to practice have been made as a result. This includes a decision that negative consequences must not be given by staff in the heat of the moment. These are now decided at staff handover, when staff have had time to reflect and the child has had time to make amends. This has resulted in fewer incidents and the consequences being more restorative in nature.

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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: SC034944 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Mandy Williams: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034944 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 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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