Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 1 SC423407 Registered provider: Keys 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 run by a private organisation and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to eight children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager is not yet qualified but is currently studying for an appropriate level 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 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: 17 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/11/2016 Full Good 15/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to—meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)) In particular, to maintain showers and to complete other repairs around the home and outside area. 30/11/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff play a full role in supporting children to complete life story and other direct work as necessary. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  Ensure that staff are given sufficient in-depth supervision so as to allow them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been a lot of changes at the home over the inspection period, with 10 staff leaving and five new staff starting. Also, four children and young people have left and four other children and young people have arrived. However, the registered manager Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 4 and the core staff team have been able to keep the home very settled throughout. Relationships between the children and young people and the staff are very good and the atmosphere is relaxed and calm. The children and young people are clearly making good progress and some of them are making very good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One placing social worker spoken to by the inspector described the placement as ‘excellent’. They went on to say that the young person they had placed was making ‘excellent progress’ from a very low starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most of the children and young people attend the in-house school and generally their progress here has been good. They have good attendance and have achieved good results. A number of the young people have moved on to attend colleges in the local community and this has also worked well, with a number of them completing courses and others continuing to have success with their studies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff assess the children and young people for risk and allow free time when it is appropriate. In the past, levels of supervision have tended to be high. However, recently, more of the children and young people have had more unsupervised free time away from the home. This has not only been positive in terms of leisure time but has also encouraged a more relaxed atmosphere within the home. The experience of living in the home has clearly improved and is now very good.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Quite a lot of the children and young people that have been placed in the home are a long way from their families for safeguarding reasons. The staff do some excellent work supporting the children and young people to be able to maintain family contact even over some long distances. This is very positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children and young people have the opportunity to see a therapist or other specialist workers and children and young people are all supported by staff with individual key work. There is some good individual and group work happening. However, further improvements in individual work could be offered around identity and life story work. Two recommendations have been made to encourage this.

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

The staff understand risks and make good assessments of these. They also put good controls in place to help minimise any identified risk.

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

The safeguarding at the home has improved significantly. There have been very few incidents involving children or young people going missing from the home. One young person did go missing for a longer period and staff made good efforts to return the young person safely.

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

The children and young people are given clear boundaries and expectations and say that staff support them to keep to these. The staff have used less sanctions and more incentives and rewards and the number of physical interventions used has also reduced. The children and young people told the inspector that there was no bullying in the home Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 5 and that minor disagreements and fallouts were well managed by the staff.

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

The staff carry out a lot of work with children and young people in relation to sexual exploitation, relationships and staying safe. This is very good and has clearly been important in supporting the children and young people to achieve such good outcomes and to stay safe.

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

Overall, the staff have supported the children and young people to be more settled and there have been many fewer instances where the police have needed to be involved. There have been very few safeguarding issues and where there have been concerns, the staff have dealt with them appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has done particularly well and has made significant progress with the developments that she had planned for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

She has encouraged the children and young people to be more responsible for themselves both in the home and outside of the home and generally they have responded well. She has created an environment where the children and young people have a greater say in the day-to-day life of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

She is looking to build a staff team that has more skills and experience and that is motivated to offer a greater depth of individualised work to the children and young people. She sees the changes to the staff team over the past year as a positive in that she has been able to build a staff team that is more committed and more skilful and that works in a way that she wants.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been able to build strong links with local colleges and with other services and professionals. She is clearly able to challenge others when necessary and is a strong advocate on behalf of all the children and young people. She encourages them to have more say in their lives and in their care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

It was clear to the inspector that the registered manager is liked and respected by all the children and young people and also by the staff. One senior staff member told the inspector that they felt the improvements were ‘a total change around’ and were now very positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The inspector noted some maintenance work that needed to be addressed and a requirement has been made to complete this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This has been the registered manager’s first year in post and it has been positive and successful. Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 6

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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: SC423407 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast BT1 3LP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie Kavanagh

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Inspector

Colin Imrie: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 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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