Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report children’s home: SC001016 1 SC001016 Registered provider: Broadwood Residential Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 February 2019

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC001016 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2017 Full Good 22/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/09/2016 Full Good 09/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC001016 3

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

In particular, key-work sessions should be consistently recorded and in a way that is meaningful to the child or young person.  Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Recommendations

In particular, the location risk assessment should include any information or intelligence on criminal exploitation, including ‘county lines’.  All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that appraisals are recorded and accessible to staff.  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows 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) In particular, the provider should have systems in place to ensure that supervision of staff takes place in the event of any absence by the registered manager. Inspection report children’s home: SC001016 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people living in this home are thriving. They are very settled and experience stable placements. This is because they have effectively grown up in the care of individuals who know them very well and offer them continuity and consistency of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are welcomed into the home. Detailed and thoughtful matching considerations have resulted in minimal disruption to the children and young people already living at the home. Positive relationships have developed. The children and young people engage in activities together in the home and in the local community. These activities have included growing vegetables in the garden and going to a local skate park.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are regularly consulted, and they are involved day-to-day decisions about their home. Staff listen to their views and act upon them. The children and young people trust the adults who care for them. This gives them a sense of permanence and belonging. One young person said: ‘If I can’t go home, then I want to stay here. The staff are great, and I am very happy.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff invest time in the children and young people and place their well-being at the centre of their practice. Achievements and progress are praised, and this gives the children and young people a sense of self-worth and encourages them to want to do well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful planning takes place when young people leave the home and transition into adulthood to ensure that they receive continuity of care and support. The manager and staff are good advocates. They will challenge the local authority if decisions are made that are not seen to be in the child’s or young person’s best interests. A social worker said: ‘The manager and staff are doing what they should be doing. Despite the local authority wanting to move (name of young person) back to his home area, they supported him through an advocate to make a complaint. This is exactly what he wanted.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children and young people are supported to develop life skills that help them to make positive choices. Well-documented and child-centred care plans establish realistic and achievable targets. Work is done at the children’s and young people’s pace and according to their individual needs. This has helped the children and young people to make progress relative to their starting points. Staff’s recording of key-work sessions is inconsistent and does not evidence the good work that is being achieved. A recommendation has been made at this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are supported with their education. Their attendance and engagement at college or school is good. Children and young people are progressing Inspection report children’s home: SC001016 5 well with their respective education pathways.

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

Well-documented, child- and young person-friendly care plans and risk assessments are in place that protect children and young people from potential and actual harm. The risks and vulnerabilities of the children and young people are clearly known and understood. There are strategies in place to address and reduce risk as and when it arises.

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

The children and young people do not engage in risk-taking behaviour. They do not go missing from the home and they do not engage in substance or alcohol misuse. They are not putting themselves at risk of being criminally exploited. Work is carried out with the children and young people to inform them of risks relating to all forms of exploitation. There are effective and proactive working relationships with the police that support and protect the children and young people.

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

The staff are very quick to respond to any incident of self-harm or any allegation or complaint made by a child or young person. Information is shared with the placing authority, and investigations and outcomes are carried out and fully recorded in line with the home’s policies and procedures. The children and young people clearly know how to complain and feel confident in doing so.

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

Staff understand the triggers that result in negative and challenging behaviour. They effectively de-escalate situations without the need for physical restraint. Such incidents are few and far between, because the children and young people engage in specialist therapeutic support that helps them to manage their emotions better.

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

Safe recruitment processes are in place when employing either permanent or bank staff. Clear requirements and protocols are in place when vetting agency staff. This ensures that the children and young people are being cared for by individuals who are safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified. He is motivated and committed to the children and young people. He has been in post for over five years. He knows the home well and has established close connections with partner agencies, community organisations and several professionals. This significantly benefits the children and young people who live at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has a variety of skills and experiences that complement and enhance practice. There is a core team of staff who have worked at the home for a significant period of time. This consistency has provided the children and young people with stability and continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection there has been a change in structure, with the appointment of three senior staff members. These appointments have consolidated the management of Inspection report children’s home: SC001016 6 the home and provided additional support. This ensures that there are appropriate cover arrangements in place in the absence of the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Improved monitoring and auditing processes are in place, with clear managerial oversight and evaluation. Feedback is encouraged from the children and young people, professionals and stakeholders. The feedback is used to improve the service and the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is clear evidence that the manager and staff work proactively with partner agencies, placing authorities and the internal therapeutic team of professionals. This ‘team around the child’ approach has enabled the children and young people to make progress, stay safe and have positive outcomes and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, staff receive regular supervision and training that enhance the care that they give to the children and young people. The manager uses staff development questionnaires to identify future training needs as part of staff’s continuous professional development. There have been some gaps in supervisions and annual appraisals. During the inspection, the provider found it difficult to evidence that appraisals had taken place. A recommendation has been made at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are opportunities for staff to learn and discuss current issues facing children and young people, such as ‘county lines’ and other forms of criminal exploitation. The manager would benefit from arranging further training in this area and use any information or intelligence to inform the location risk assessment. A recommendation has been made at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC001016 7

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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 difference 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: SC001016 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Broadwood Residential Limited

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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

Cath Sikakana: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC001016 9 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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