Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2495335 1 Registered provider: Keys Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for four young people who may have social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted in October 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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Date of last inspection:

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Date of last inspection:

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: 2495335 2

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the safer area report is used in conjunction with a young person’s impact risk assessment to ensure that the area is safe for them. 30/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must–

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by the means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25(1)(d)) 30/07/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Ensure that when established routines that allow for health and safety checks in a young person’s bedroom find any item that requires a further room search, the find is recorded. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20) Inspection report children’s home: 2495335 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home was registered with Ofsted in October 2018. Two young people have recently come to live in this home. They have settled in well and they have made measurable progress in this short time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have had good transitions into the home. The manager made sure that she had all the relevant information to make an informed decision on whether the staff could meet the individual needs of each young person. She identified in the safer area location assessment the risks associated with both the home’s proximity to a main road and the garage located next door to the property. However, this information was not used to fully inform the placement decision of either young person and whether this proximity would be an issue. Up to now this has not had an adverse impact on young people’s safety but, if not addressed, it has the potential to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Prior to coming to this home, both young people had sporadic attendance at school. One young person now attends the company’s school and his attendance is excellent. He said that he enjoys science and that the staff are ‘great’ at helping him to be prepared for school. The other young person attends a college and his attendance is improving. Both young people have personal education plans, and these give staff information about the young people’s academic levels and the targets that they are aiming for. This means that staff can support them well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s care plans are regularly updated. Any changes are discussed with the young people. They are also discussed in staff meetings and shared with professionals. This approach means that everyone is aware of any changes and that the staff are clear about the support that young people need daily. Young people share their views, wishes and feelings through regular key-worker sessions, house meetings and daily chats. One young person was quite negative about the placement, but assured the inspector that this was because he wanted to be at home. Both young people were complimentary about the staff and the care that they receive. One young person said about the staff, ‘They are really good. They listen, and they try to help.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have regular access to health services specific to their needs, which are prioritised. Health promotion is a prominent feature of the home. A health assessment is completed over a three-month period by a qualified psychologist. This assessment highlights any additional support required, such as counselling or other services from other healthcare professionals. Young people who experience self-injurious behaviour are well supported to explore alternative strategies to manage their feelings and emotions. The child and adolescent mental health services support the young people with their emotional health and exploring their identity. Staff are trained well. They all have a first-aid certificate and have also completed additional training in understanding and responding to self-injurious behaviour, attachment and loss and in administering medication. Young people are helped to engage in a wide range of individual and group activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspection report children’s home: 2495335 4 The staff work creatively with young people to overcome issues such as spending too much time playing on consoles and, as a result, isolating themselves. For example, the staff have used a contract with one young person to agree that his chores and homework are prioritised and are completed before playing on his console. This has worked well. As a result, the young person is now exploring new activities, such as fishing, and his social interaction is improving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Members of staff work closely with the young people, their parents and their family members so that they can see each other regularly. The staff sensitively support the young people to ensure that seeing those people who are important to them is a positive experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to learn a range of practical skills which will assist them when they are older. They are supported to keep their rooms tidy, as well as to plan, shop and help to cook meals. They live in a homely environment that is spacious and well maintained.

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

Young people said that they feel safe at this home because the staff are very clear with them about the importance of keeping themselves safe. The young people said that the staff always give good advice on how risks may affect them. For example, one young person talked about how he is now able to recognise and report any unsafe online activity. Staff are vigilant and regularly check the young people’s contacts and online history.

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

There have been no safeguarding incidents that have required reporting to the designated safeguarding officer. Professionals comment that young people are safeguarded well, and that they receive good levels of support and close supervision. As a result, young people have not been missing from the home.

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

Risk assessments are of good quality and they provide useful information for the staff, which helps them to keep young people safe. There has been minimal use of restraint. When young people have needed to be held, clear records show the action taken. This action includes a debriefing for the young person and the staff involved. This approach allows young people and staff to reflect on the incident and to identify how further incidents can be avoided by recognising potential triggers.

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

The manager appropriately notified Ofsted and other professionals when a young person required hospital treatment after an episode of self-injurious behaviour. In response to the incident, the staff have undertaken a ‘daily clean’ of the young person’s bedroom and, in doing so, have removed objects that could be used to self-injure. However, this action has not been recorded as a room search. This practice does not ensure that staff are following the home’s policy. In addition, it is unclear whether young people understand the reason for it, or that they can be present during it and know what has been removed and why. Detailed behaviour management plans show how young people would like to be Inspection report children’s home: 2495335 5 supported if they become distressed or anxious. Young people are rewarded with extra money, clothes or personal items when they have done well or achieved something. For

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

example, one young person received a gift bag for achieving a full week’s attendance at college. Sanctions for unacceptable behaviour are minimal. This is because the staff take a restorative approach. Young people are given the opportunity to apologise and to reflect on their behaviour and how this affects themselves and others.

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

Young people live in a safe and well-maintained home. However, not all staff have undertaken an emergency evacuation of the home. This does not ensure that they can support the young people or keep themselves safe in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and suitably qualified manager manages the home. The deputy manager is new to the role and, with the support of the manager, has taken on delegated areas of management responsibility. This has increased the scrutiny and oversight of the home’s records, managerial tasks and the effectiveness of the support provided to the young people and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good levels of staffing mean that young people’s needs are met. Half of the staff team hold a relevant childcare qualification. Other staff are at different stages of completion. New staff are coming to the end of their probationary period and they have received a high level of support through supervision, training and team meetings. However, the home’s workforce plan does not identify the timescales for the supervision of full-time staff, part-time and bank staff. Similarly, more detail is required around timescales for staff induction to the home, the probation period and disciplinary procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have the opportunity within staff meetings to discuss the young people’s progress, share findings from the regulation 44 report and discuss recent research, policies and the Quality Standards. One member of staff said, ‘We have just revisited the missing-from-home policy and protocol. We have not had any children go missing, so it is important that we refresh our memory.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete all mandatory training during their probationary period and continue to broaden their knowledge through other training, such as on attachment and loss and understanding self-injurious behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Reviews, placement plan meetings and educational meetings are all completed within timescales. This means that staff know and understand what help the young people require and how to help them to move forward with their lives. A professional visited on the day of inspection. She said, ‘Communication could be better. I am well informed about any negative aspect, but I do not often hear about the positive things’. She went on to comment that she had thought counselling had already started for her young person, but it had not. The manager explained the process of the health assessment and clarified the timescales for implementing the recommendations. The manager also explained that she sends a weekly progress report to the young person’s parent, and that an agreement had been made for the professional to receive a copy of this. Inspection report children’s home: 2495335 6 Therefore, the issue was resolved. The professional confirmed that the young person

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

was making progress and that the staff were responding well to the young person’s needs. Furthermore, she said that the consistency in staffing and the firm boundaries that are in place have helped the young person to settle well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and review systems in the home help the manager to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the staff team. Action is taken quickly to attend to any shortfalls. As part of this monitoring there is consultation with young people, professionals, staff and stakeholders in order that an all-round view is collated about the care given at the home. For example, the home has a large garage that is not used. The young people were asked how they could utilise this better. They have requested a gym and they have been part of the planning for this. Inspection report children’s home: 2495335 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: 2495335 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Education Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2495335 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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