Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Rossendale

Inspection report children‟s home: SC020608 1 SC020608 Registered provider: New Horizons Childcare 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 children‟s home provides care and accommodation for up to three children and young people. The home cares for children and young people who need support in managing their behaviour and emotions.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has an experienced and qualified registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 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: 22 February 2018

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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: SC020608 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/08/2017 Full Good 26/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/05/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC020608 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 registered person must ensure that staff are suitably qualified. For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”). (Regulation 32(4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to one member of staff who has not completed the qualification within the required time frames. 30/12/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive consistent care from an experienced and stable staff team. No new staff have joined the home since the last full inspection, and agency staff are not used. This promotes continuity of care for young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the young people exceptionally well and build trusting relationships. The staff have created a homely and family environment which is recognised by the young people and the professionals who visit the home. During the summer, all the young people went on holiday together. This was supported and organised by the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are generally settled and have lived in the home for some time. Admissions to and discharges from the home are low. This supports positive relationships between the young people living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, young people make positive progress. While young people‟s progress is not always linear, staff continually encourage young people to succeed in all areas of their lives. One young person has recently secured full-time employment, and another is in full-time education with high attendance. Young people speak positively about the support that they receive from the staff, stating, „They kept me on the straight and narrow‟ and „They stick by me and are always there for me.‟ Inspection report children‟s home: SC020608 4 Staff have a clear understanding of the placing authorities‟ care plans for young people. This is reflected in young people‟s care plans, which are devised by the staff and are closely linked to the individual sessions that are undertaken by the young people‟s key workers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in using external agencies to support young people‟s progress in health and education. Services used include virtual school heads, substance misuse services and the company‟s own in-house behaviour management team.

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

Some young people have engaged in risk-taking behaviour which has led to substance abuse and a high level of episodes of going missing. Staff have worked collaboratively with other agencies to get support for young people, to try and minimise the risks. On occasions this has been highly effective. As a result, episodes of going missing have decreased, and young people have reduced their substance misuse.

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

Staff continue to try and re-engage young people who are struggling to manage their risk-taking behaviour. On one occasion this was not effective, and a young person was accommodated in another home. This happened when all options and support had been exhausted, and the risks to the young person and others in the home became too great.

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

Young people report feeling safe living in this home. Staff support young people to understand the implications of their actions and behaviours, and teach them about socially acceptable behaviour. A social worker told the inspector, „The staff are an integral part of safeguarding the young person.‟

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

Staff rarely restrain young people, and de-escalate behaviour through discussions with young people. The last physical intervention documented took place five months ago.

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

Overall, young people‟s behaviour has improved since living in this home. Staff have supported young people to control their emotions more effectively through key-work sessions. Topics covered include managing anxiety, emotions and negative behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced in her role and is supported by an equally experienced deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and are continually developed. The manager has been creative in developing the staff team. This has, at times, been a challenge due to limited opportunities for staff to progress. Opportunities for staff are created through training, supervision and being given the opportunity to attend young people‟s review meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular monthly supervision. Each staff member has an annual appraisal. The registered manager seeks the young people‟s views, which help to contribute to each Inspection report children‟s home: SC020608 5 annual appraisal. This provides important feedback from young people, ensuring that they contribute to improving practice within the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the staff team have excellent communication with professionals and continually update them on the progress of young people. All professionals that the inspector spoke to shared how well the staff team communicated with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have appropriate training to meet the needs of the young people they care for. Most of the staff team have the required level 3 qualification, with the exception of one staff member. The manager has challenged the delays with the assessing company, and this training is due to be completed by the end of the year.

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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: SC020608 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, 2nd Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Inspector

Lisa O‟Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC020608 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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