Children's Home run by Keys Direct Care Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC419429 1 SC419429 Registered provider: Direct Care Ltd

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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 privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 outstanding

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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: 12 December 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: SC419429 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2017 Full Good 06/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/11/2016 Full Good 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC419429 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)(vii)(viii) and (x)) 29/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC419429 4

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Recommendations

 All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make significant progress. They quickly form strong, trusting relationships with staff. A social worker said, ‘The young person has felt safe enough to make disclosures to staff since being here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported a number of successful moves from the home. One young person has returned to their family. Other young people have successfully moved to supported accommodation or foster placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have sensitively managed new admissions to the home. Young people have generally settled quickly. Staff work well together so that young people feel safe and secure. All young people are involved in regular fun activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people participate in decisions about the day-to-day operation of the home. They have regular opportunities to share their views. They contribute to decisions about menu planning, the decoration of the home and activity planning. Although one young person has an advocate, other young people are not yet provided with access to external advocacy services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key working takes place regularly. Key working is used appropriately to support behaviour management strategies and help young people to understand risk management strategies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all young people are in education. Despite this, the registered manager advocates on behalf of young people to promote learning opportunities. However, more determined and proactive actions are needed to ensure that good-quality formal education is provided to each young person.

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

Staff work well with other agencies to support young people to reduce risk-taking behaviours. A social worker said, ‘They have done really well with keeping them safe.’ Young people’s safety is significantly improved because they learn about risk and become much better able to Inspection report children’s home: SC419429 5 recognise potential risk in the community.

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

Young people run away much less often after they move to this home. The staff use very effective strategies to prevent young people from going missing. When young people do run away, the home does all it can to understand the underlying causes. This includes recording and analysing information gathered from independent return home interviews. A police missing from care coordinator said, ‘The staff are all working off the same page.’

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

Staff are well rehearsed and prepared for all incidents. Young people are supported to develop stable routines. These clear routines help young people to regulate their emotions. Young people are given time to reflect on their previous life experiences in a supportive environment. Staff work creatively to develop support plans with young people. One such plan has worked extremely well in reducing a young person’s self-harmful behaviours.

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

Stable routines also enable young people to reduce challenging behaviours. Consequences and rewards are used very effectively to help young people develop more appropriate behaviour and to understand the impact of their behaviour on others.

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

Careful consideration is given to the impact of any new young person moving into the home. The registered manager is robust in her assessment process. This ensures that young people are carefully matched. A social worker said, ‘Even from the start, they were really very careful with the matching.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a strong and nurturing registered manager. She has an excellent knowledge of young people’s starting points and the progress that they make. The home is very well organised, with excellent recording systems in place. A police missing from care coordinator said, ‘I have been very impressed with the registered manager. She is very robust.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager challenges her own staff and other agencies when this is necessary to improve the lives of young people. Clear communication with other agencies is a strength of this home. The manager is good at collaborating with other agencies to ensure that an holistic approach is taken to care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team has managed a period of significant challenging behaviour in recent weeks and has worked hard to stabilise young people who have experienced trauma. The registered manager has been proactive in identifying when risks are heightened. She has ensured that sufficient staff are available to manage any potential risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training, staff supervision and team meetings are structured, regular and well recorded. Staff feel able to share their experiences and learn from each other. Inspection report children’s home: SC419429 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: SC419429 7

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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: Rebecca Ouellani

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Sophie-Louise Hallam

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Inspectors

Bev Allison, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC419429 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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