Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: SC488439 1 SC488439 Registered provider: Keys Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home. The children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people. An interim manager is in post. The registered manager has recently left the service. There is no registered manager in post.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 24 to 25 September 2018

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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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC488439 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/11/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC488439 3

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Recommendations

 Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and young people have good relationships and enjoy spending time with each other. Staff engage young people in activities that they enjoy such as visiting Legoland, going swimming and taking part in driving experience days. Staff took one young person abroad to Tunisia. As a result of these varied activities, young people have new life experiences that enhance their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The previous registered manager and staff have been proactive in supporting young people’s transition on to new homes. This was a challenge for one young person due to his new accommodation not being ready at the end of his placement at the home. Despite this, managers and staff continued to support the young person once he had been discharged from their care. This included paying for food, accommodation and keeping in regular contact with him until his new home was ready. Another young person successfully returned to his mother’s care, with a gradual and natural transition supported by the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Prior to young people moving into the home, a psychologically informed care planning and intervention meeting (PICI) is held. This helps to form decisions about what support is needed for the young person and any training needed for staff to effectively care for the child or young person. As a result, young people have access to in-house services to support them with the issues that they are dealing with. For example, self-injurious behaviour, drug misuse, exploitation and managing their feelings and emotions. As a result, young people receive individualised care that is relevant to them and their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people currently living in the home have recently moved in. However, within a short period of time they have made progress. There has been a reduction in physical interventions being used for one young person. Another young person who had not been in education for two years is accessing education and has gained his entry level maths qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff gather young people’s views through children’s meetings and key-work sessions. This could be improved by the recording of the key-work sessions detailing the young Inspection report children’s home: SC488439 4 person’s view and by better engaging young people through the use of different resources.

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

Young people feel safe living in this home. Staff work hard to keep young people safe and are proactive in managing risks. If young people go missing, managers and staff consider the links and risks between the episodes of going missing and child exploitation. This promotes good multi-agency working to reduce the risks that young people could be exposed to.

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

Staff are diligent in identifying risk-taking behaviour and take appropriate action to minimise the risks that young people expose themselves to. For example, staff recognised when a young person had hidden potential weapons in his room. Staff removed these and informed the relevant agencies, including the police.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding. When speaking to the inspector, staff could clearly articulate how they would deal with safeguarding incidents.

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

Staff provide young people with clear guidance and boundaries. Staff address unwanted behaviour and give clear explanations as to why such behaviours are not acceptable. Positive behaviour is rewarded. This is effective, with young people learning to manage their behaviour more effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is no registered manager in post. The deputy manager has become the interim manager until a new manager is appointed. This has been effective and has retained stability within the home, with support from the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team members have felt unsettled by the registered manager leaving. Despite this, staff feel supported by the management arrangements in place. The decision was also made not to admit any more young people until a proposed registered manager is appointed. This has reduced the impact on the young people already living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager understands the home well and recognises the strengths and areas for development. He is committed to making continued improvements with the support of the responsible individual, who is carrying out weekly monitoring visits.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team members receive regular supervision and are up to date with mandatory training. Additional training is also undertaken to ensure that staff are skilled in meeting the needs of the children and young people. This includes, but is not limited to, behaviour management, gang crime, autistic spectrum disorder, intervention for suicide and drug misuse. Inspection report children’s home: SC488439 5

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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: SC488439 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Education Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC488439 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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