Children's Home run by Keys Education Ltd in Herefordshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC062074 1 SC062074 Registered provider: Keys Education Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to four children with a variety of complex needs. A private provider operates the home. The registered manager has managed the home since August 2017. She is in the process of completing her level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 April to 1 May 2019

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC062074 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/05/2018 Full Good 08/01/2018 Full Good 28/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC062074 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.3

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.3

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.3

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)) 31/05/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.3

Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non- attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(viii)) 31/05/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.3

Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to understand how to keep safe; 31/05/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC062074 4 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii)(d)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

p.3

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)) 31/05/2019

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.4

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 31/05/2019

p.4

Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to the children‟s home. The registered person must—

p.4

Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home and a record of the actual rosters worked in kept in the home. 31/05/2019

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children‟s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

p.4

Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 31/05/2019

p.4

Recommendations

 Any sanction used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report children‟s home: SC062074 5  All children‟s case records must be stored securely whilst they remain in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

p.4

improvement to be good

Some children have made good progress while living at the home and have developed strong relationships with staff. They are making good progress in many areas of their development and are growing in confidence. Other children, who are not progressing so well, struggle to engage with staff and do not participate in any structured activity within the home.

p.5

improvement to be good

Managers are not effective in facilitating and promoting children‟s education when they are not attending school or any alternative education provision. Those children who are attending school are progressing well and are currently working towards examinations.

p.5

improvement to be good

Maintenance to the home is not conducted swiftly enough to provide a consistently safe, warm and welcoming home for children to live in. Damage is not repaired quickly, and children do not have any curtains or blinds for their bedroom windows, to ensure that privacy is maintained.

p.5

improvement to be good

Children‟s views are sought by staff. They are encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings through regular key-worker sessions and meetings. As a result, they are able to reflect and be included in the decisions that are made about their care.

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff continue to promote positive ongoing relationships and visits between children and their families. As a result, children increasingly enjoy the time that they spend at home with family and friends.

p.5

improvement to be good

Children are supported well by staff when they move on from the home. Staff work closely with children, their families and their new carers to ensure that the move is a positive experience for children. As a result, children settle well into their new homes.

p.5

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection children have engaged in criminal behaviour within the home and local area, causing extensive damage to the home and setting fire to nearby barns. Managers have not ensured that all damage to the home is repaired swiftly. As a result, Inspection report children‟s home: SC062074 6 children have been exposed unnecessarily to hazards, such as, broken windows.

p.5

improvement to be good

Children are not routinely made aware of dangers in the local area, for example the dangers of the nearby river. As a result, children are not fully aware of how to keep themselves safe while in the local community.

p.6

improvement to be good

Staff do not always update children‟s risk assessments in a timely manner. The home‟s location risk assessment is not thorough, as it does not include the views of relevant agencies, such as the police. As a result, staff do not have a clear understanding of potential dangers within the local community in order to keep children safe.

p.6

improvement to be good

Staff frequently use financial incentives to address children‟s inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour. These are not effective in changing their behaviour or improving their understanding of the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others.

p.6

improvement to be good

Children currently living at the home do not regularly go missing. When children have previously gone missing, staff have acted appropriately to ensure that they are found and returned safe and well to the home.

p.6

improvement to be good

Staff regularly conduct fire and health and safety checks. Safe recruitment practice helps to ensure that anyone employed in the home is safe to work with children .

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager does not promote children‟s welfare effectively. She has not been effective in challenging local authorities when they are not providing a good level of service to children. Children who are not receiving appropriate education are unable to reach their full potential.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are very experienced and they have worked together as a stable team for a sustained length of time. Staff receive a range of face-to-face and online training to help them develop the skills to work with children and meet their needs.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staffing levels are appropriate although rotas do not accurately reflect those staff who are working on shift, as required in legislation.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although staff said they feel well supported by the manager, staff supervision is poorly recorded and is not thorough. This means that supervision does not help staff to further develop their skills and knowledge or to reflect on any incidents that occur within the home.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is aware of children‟s progress and is clearly monitoring the day-to-day running of the home, although this monitoring is not fully effective. Children‟s records, such as their placement plans and health records, are not up to date. Furthermore, some children‟s care plans do not reflect their current placement. These deficits mean that the manager and staff are not fully enough aware of children‟s current needs to be able to effectively care for them. Inspection report children‟s home: SC062074 7 The storage of children‟s archive files is not sufficiently secure to prevent fire or water damage.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Positively, staff work well in partnership with professionals and families. Parents and social workers commented favourably on the frequent and good-quality communication they receive from staff. Parents feel fully involved in their children‟s lives and are positive about the care their children are receiving. One social worker stated, „All staff communicate well and I couldn‟t ask for better communication from a social work perspective.‟

p.7

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.

p.7

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: SC062074 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys Group, Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

p.8

Inspector

Sue Young, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC062074 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9