Children's home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 1 SC389183 Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education 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 home is privately owned by a national organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/08/2017 Full Outstanding 22/03/2017 Full Outstanding 01/09/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 3

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.9, page 15) In particular, consider refurbishment of the kitchen area.  As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 13.1, page 61)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and

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Recommendations

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’, paragraph 14.4, page 62)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are happy. They have fun, enjoying each other’s company while being able to use the various rooms in the house specifically designed around their needs and wishes. Staff listen to their views on their bedrooms, which they can choose and personalise according to their interests and tastes. Some young people keep pets that they are clearly fond of. The registered manager recognises that the kitchen would benefit from refurbishment. She sees the potential for this to become another homely space by combining it with the dining area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff form meaningful and purposeful relationships with young people, some of whom have never had adult attachment figures in their lives. Young people feel confident that staff are dedicated to them and have their best interests at heart. A professional report stated, ‘Staff have developed a consistent and warm relationship with [name of young person].’ Some young people who historically have not engaged in therapy are Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 4 beginning to explore the underlying emotions and reasons for their behaviour, for example through psychotherapy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have a voice. Staff listen to their views, wishes and feelings. Young people can stay overnight with friends, have friends around for a meal or go to events with them. Some young people have been on their first overseas holiday. The registered manager has introduced a log to capture all that young people say and ensure that their views are acted on. Examples include the choice of refrigerator colour and swapping a chair in a bedroom. Young people do not usually need to access the formal complaints procedure. When they do, the registered manager takes their concerns seriously and ensures a thorough investigation and response.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff ensure that young people keep their routine health appointments and are up to date with their immunisations. They use phased plans to support young people to self- medicate if appropriate. They learn from medication errors and this leads to improvements in practice. Staff encourage young people to engage in health programmes, for example smoking cessation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are eager to engage with their key workers. They discuss anything that is troubling them and how to keep themselves safe. Key workers demonstrate innovative practice, such as using a digital quiz to test a young person’s knowledge of staying safe with online contacts.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people, some of whom have previously struggled with their education, are able to maintain their school places. They flourish in the course of their choice; confident staff help them resolve any issues.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support young people to be as independent as possible. They use a structured approach to ensure that young people develop relevant skills. Although there have been three young people discharged since the last inspection, these have been planned endings. Young people have been able to go back to their family homes, or on to independent living or supported living. They stay in touch with staff at the home and speak proudly of their progress.

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

Excellent care planning, risk management and staff practice keep young people as safe as possible. Behaviour management plans are excellent. They give staff information on how to respond to poor behaviour, as well as on understanding the triggers for such behaviour. Young people use strategies to communicate low mood to staff, such as passing a red card under their bedroom door. Staff do not need to use physical intervention to manage behaviour. Young people have been helped to self-regulate their emotions. There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. On occasion, staff may use sanctions. These are proportionate and appropriate, and are reviewed by the registered manager. Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 5 This is a home that is not risk averse. The registered manager engages effectively with other professionals to agree on strategies that will, as far as possible, safeguard young

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

people who place themselves at risk. She communicates with and challenges other professionals to ensure that agencies work together to maintain placements. Young people receive a consistent message that staff love and care for them. A young person expressed surprise that the placement was not ended after they had gone missing for an extended period. Staff welcomed the young person back.

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

The registered manager keeps young people as safe as possible in the cyber world. She has a comprehensive policy in place that underpins excellent practice. Staff teach young people regularly about staying safe online and young people feel able to discuss their social media activity with the staff’. She has created a social media account for the home that young people use to communicate with each other and the staff. This innovative and creative practice keeps young people as safe as possible.

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

The staff’s approach to keeping young people safe in their relationships with adults and friends is excellent. Staff work with the police to investigate any individual who may be unsuitable to be around the young people. They successfully disrupt inappropriate relationships to keep young people safe. Young people feel confident that they can contact staff in a discreet and dignified way so that staff can help them remove themselves from situations when they feel unsafe.

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

Staff use a systematic approach when young people go missing from care. They are relentless in their efforts to find young people, for example travelling to other towns a considerable distance away to search for them. They work with other agencies, including police services outside of the home’s area, to agree strategies for ensuring a safe return. They encourage young people to work with therapists to explore the underlying reasons for their behaviour. For some young people, missing-from-care episodes have significantly reduced in number.

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

The registered manager has an extensive system in place to ensure that the staff responsible for recruitment adopt safe practices. This includes checks on agency staff, although the use of agency staff is rarely required. In one case, a clerical error regarding a gap in employment history had not been fully explored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is an exceptional leader. Staff, young people and professionals hold her in high regard. She shows emotional intelligence, providing staff with the necessary support to provide effective care. She is open to professional dialogue, critique and learning from others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has been successful in developing professional relationships with other agencies. Of particular note is the communication with the police missing persons and child sexual exploitation team. All staff understand the risks, with clearly agreed strategies applied in practice to keep young people as safe as possible. In Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 6 addition, the registered manager realises that her safeguarding concerns sometimes extend beyond the home. She has been diligent in advising other professionals of any concerns about young people that come to her attention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are unquestionably highly trained, and resourceful and competent in their roles. They are enthusiastic about their work and dedicated to treating each young person as if they were their own child. They work cohesively as a team, communicating in a timely and efficient manner so that there is a calm and consistent approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff value their supervision sessions. They see supervision as a safe space where they can talk about the emotional impact of their work. Staff feel free to talk about their personal issues and how these might affect their work. They speak highly of the management support given to enable them to do their absolute best for the young people in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are diligent in recording untoward events in the home. Their comprehensive recording and reflection on incidents minimise the chance of recurrence. Senior managers in the wider organisation have directed that young people and staff are referred to by a number in reports on untoward events. This makes the reports impersonal and not easy to read, and is not helpful to young people who want to read them now, or later.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has an excellent process in place for considering admissions to the home. She ensures that she has the necessary information, completes a comprehensive impact risk assessment and has a thorough induction planned before a young person is admitted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She is eager to maintain the culture of continuous improvement. She has introduced shift leader competencies to ensure that staff are consistent in recording progress towards goals. Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 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 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: SC389183 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Callard

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Inspector

Keith Riley: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 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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