Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Windsor and Maidenhead

Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 1 SC438624 Registered provider: Keys Care 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

A limited company owns this home. Its statement of purposes specifies that it will provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. The home is part of a cross-regional project which is commissioned by six local authorities that includes other homes and a school operated by the same organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 21 November 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 November 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

Date of last inspection: 11 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/09/2016 Full Good 04/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 3

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Recommendations

 The home should be located in an area that supports children’s safety, well-being and personal development. The location of the home should support its aims, objectives and ethos, as described in the Statement of Purpose. (See paragraph 15.1 for information on assessing the location of the home.) (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.23) In particular, consider all risks which may arise in the area in which the home is located.  The children’s guide should help children to understand: what the day to day routines of the home are (‘what happens in the home’). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  Expectations of standards of behaviour should be high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive

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Recommendations

behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships with staff in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person is responsible for leading a team which provides high quality care for all children living in the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose. They should also play a key role in shaping the ethos of the home through developing a culture of high aspiration for children which is demonstrated through the care, resources and opportunities offered to

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Recommendations

the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress while living in the home. They are supported by persistent staff, who consistently encourage them to develop positive routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff form good relationships with children and so children seek their support and guidance when needed. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the children in their care and this is reflected in good-quality plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the school that is part of the local project. Those that do not attend regularly have individual plans to support their re-engagement. Staff regularly review the plans to engage and motivate children to attend education. This is yet to have the desired effect for one child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to explore and address their health needs. They encourage children to attend medical appointments. Staff help children to overcome their fears and anxieties about healthcare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to prepare for the next steps in their lives. They assist the children to develop their independence skills and build self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s voice is apparent in the home. Staff use a variety of opportunities to gain a child’s view about the home and what it offers. Leaders, managers and staff listen to the children’s views and advocate on their behalf. The residents’ guide, which is given to children when they arrive at the home, lacks information about the house rules and expectations of behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer a wide variety of activities to children but frequently children choose their favoured and known safe activities. Staff are creative in how they present new experiences to motivate and encourage children to try new things.

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

Staff have good knowledge and understanding of risk and what is required to manage and minimise it. Staff provide children with practical advice and education that helps them be safe and to make positive choices.

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

Staff report, refer and act on safeguarding concerns. The records of internal investigations provide clarity about actions, outcomes and further work required.

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

Staff are trained in the home’s preferred method of behaviour management. They use de-escalation strategies rather than physical intervention to manage behaviour. Physical intervention has been used on one occasion since the last inspection. This was to de- escalate a situation and the restraint was applied for a short period of time. Records provide clear evidence that staff explore and review each incident. Children are spoken Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 5 to about their feelings following an incident and staff encourage them to consider what they might do differently next time. The home does not have clear house rules or details of staff expectations about acceptable behaviour.

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

Episodes of going missing are well managed, and staff follow clear plans, risk assessments and protocols. For one child, the frequency of their episodes of going missing has reduced. Managers work with other agencies to consider and plan the most appropriate way to manage risk. Children are encouraged to take age-appropriate risks. When restriction of free time has been used, it has been in consultation with others.

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

Children talk to favoured adults about their worries, anxieties and concerns. Staff develop positive relationships of trust with children. Children who arrive at the home in their teenage years are cautious to trust staff but staff are persistent, open and honest with children, enabling them to feel safe.

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

Children are supported to manage their friendships and conflict with others who live at the home. Staff consider some aspects of children’s compatibility prior to admission but records viewed lacked full detail and exploration of the impact of behaviours on each other.

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

The home is being redeveloped and refurbished. Staff complete regular checks of the environment to ensure that it remains well presented and safe. The home’s location risk assessment contains information about complex risk but lacks the basic information and consideration of risks in the community.

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

Newly appointed staff have been recruited in line with safer recruitment practice and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads and manages the home effectively. She has simple systems in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of care and practice in the home. Managers and staff provide good-quality individualised care to each child. They regularly review the progress each child makes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staffing in the home has settled, following a period of high turnover that was swiftly addressed through recruitment of staff. Managers identified that staff were not routinely well prepared or sufficiently resilient to meet children’s needs. This has been addressed and is now continually reviewed by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Newly appointed staff attend a two-week induction which includes training, reading and shadowing staff. Staff access regular effective supervision and have their practice appraised at least annually. They attend a wide variety of training that is appropriate to their role and are enrolled on the required qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff form positive working relationships with other agencies and those outside of the home and this has a positive impact on children’s plans. Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 6 The manager has good knowledge and understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The home’s development plan does not detail the deadlines to achieve targets. The previous requirements and recommendations have been addressed.

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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: SC438624 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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Inspector

Amanda Maxwell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 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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