Children's home run by Keys Care Limited in Belfast

Inspection report children’s home: SC066469 1 SC066469 Registered provider: Keys Childcare 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

This children’s home is operated by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to three children or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 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: SC066469 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/06/2017 Full Good 30/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Good 19/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC066469 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, the 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

Before implementing or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to, the missing child policy, the registered person must— have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children in the home. (Regulation 34(5)(b)) 31/03/2019

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) In particular, ensure that the manager requests that the placing authorities carry out return home interviews.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraphs 10.8 and 10.11)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that staff receive training so that they understand the risks relating to county lines and other forms of criminal exploitation.  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. Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be Inspection report children’s home: SC066469 4 supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraphs 14.4 and 14.6)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that the recording of key-work sessions and daily observations should be consistently recorded in such 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) In particular, ensure that the location risk assessment includes any information or intelligence on criminal exploitation, including county lines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people who have lived at the home since the last inspection have been able to build secure attachments and positive relationships with staff. This has helped some of the children and young people make progress and move on with their lives. Staff have promoted the health and well-being of the children and young people in their care. The staff have accessed specialist in-house therapeutic resources to help them manage their emotions and develop more socially acceptable behaviour. The children and young people have enjoyed a variety of positive experiences. These have included day trips to the seaside, a holiday abroad, horse riding lessons, going to the cinema and meals out. For some children and young people, these have been first- time experiences. The children and young people have felt secure and confident in being able to complain or share their worries and anxieties in the knowledge that they will be taken seriously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All allegations and complaints are thoroughly investigated, and the children and young people are given written outcomes. All the children and young people have attended education and made progress relative to their starting points. The use of the in-house education provision for one young person has been invaluable in providing her with education tailored to her specific needs. Another young person went on to attend a residential equestrian college. Contact with family, including extended family members, is supported, promoted and facilitated. This has enabled the children and young people to repair relationships and, for some, it has meant that they have successfully returned home. Children and young people who transition into the home are welcomed through careful Inspection report children’s home: SC066469 5 planning and assessment. Staff go above and beyond in making the transition as smooth as possible as a result of tailor-made plans and detailed preparations. Staff have ensured

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

that children and young people leaving the home, whether planned or unplanned, have experienced positive endings. One child said: ‘I have absolutely loved living at this home and I am sad to leave, but I’ve had a good send off.’

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

Children and young people who have lived at the home since the last inspection have been protected and kept safe. This is because the risks and vulnerabilities of the children and young people are well understood. The level-headed and timely response to risk- taking behaviour has helped to reduce potential and actual harm. All the children’s and young people’s risks have been regularly updated. The knowledge in relation to risks is underpinned by detailed risk assessments that clearly set out the strategies required to minimise and reduce such behaviour. In conversation, a child said: ‘I always felt safe. I know I often put myself in risky situations, but staff always came looking for me and my behaviour did improve, especially since last summer.’ The need for any form of physical intervention has been few and far between. This is because staff understand the triggers to negative and challenging behaviour and use

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

known strategies to divert and de-escalate situations. Children and young people are supported to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development and to enhance their independence. The young people in particular have been trusted in managing their own free time. Some young people work during the weekends and others have been involved in charity fund-raising activities. The risks associated with the use of social media are well understood. Appropriate measures and restrictions have been put in place to keep the children and young people safe from downloading inappropriate applications. In addition, the children and young people have engaged in key-work sessions that have helped them to make more informed choices when using the internet. Staff understand the home’s procedure for children and young people who go missing from care. However, return home interviews have not routinely been completed. The

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

manager and staff would benefit from re-establishing relationships with the local police liaison officer and be fully informed with the joint working protocol. A recommendation and requirement have been made at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced, and she is currently completing her level 5 diploma in leadership and management. She encourages a culture of learning that has seen the children and young people want to do well and be proud of their achievements. One young person was keen to show me all her certificates. Equally, three members of staff have progressed into senior roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The use of specialist help to support the children with their emotional well-being and mental health is available through the in-house therapeutic services. The staff and Inspection report children’s home: SC066469 6 manager have been proactive in escalating concerns to the placing authority when children have waited too long for the help that they have needed. The home has a stable and experienced staff team which has worked at the home for a considerable period of time. This has given the children and young people consistency of care, and for many they have ‘grown up’ in the care of the same staff. The manager is very hands on with the children and young people in her care and she spends quality time with them. The children’s and young people’s participation in decisions about their home and their lives is valued and acted on. The manager said: ‘I gave [Name of young person] the task of redesigning the home and she did a brilliant

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

job.’ The children and young people feel important and this increases their sense of self- worth. Staff receive regular supervision and yearly appraisals. Their training and development is an ongoing process. All staff have received training relating to child sexual exploitation and self-injurious behaviours. This has given the staff the competence of managing presenting behaviours. Staff would benefit from training in county lines and criminal exploitation. A recommendation has been made at this inspection. The manager uses a range of processes to audit and evaluate service provision and delivery. These include external and internal monitoring reports, feedback from professionals and parents, and questionnaires completed by the children and young people. The manager knows the home well and continues to provide an environment that is safe and nurturing.

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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: SC066469 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/o Pinsett Mason Llp, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT1 3LP

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Inspector

Cath Sikakana: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066469 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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