Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC421063 1 SC421063 Registered provider: Keys Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a large private organisation. The organisation is one of a group of six that comprises a project commissioned by six local authorities to provide a residential service for children and young people within their local area.

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Information about this children’s home

The statement of purpose specifies that the home specialises in caring for up to four young people who have a variety of complex needs. Young people living in the home may attend a school also run by the provider, and have access to in-house therapeutic support.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager‟s post has been vacant since 2 April 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC421063 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/07/2018 Full Good 13/09/2017 Full Good 17/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC421063 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, 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(a)) 31/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which— is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children‟s home from abuse or neglect; and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular— provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)(2)(d)) 31/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to achieve the child‟s education and training targets, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, arrange professional assessments outside of the school day. 31/08/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC421063 4 Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1)(3)) 31/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether— children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)) 31/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(c)) 31/08/2019

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improvement to be good

The current group of young people living in the home have been there for a relatively short period. The interim manager has overseen the admissions process well. This has included producing detailed impact risk assessments to maximise the opportunity for the group dynamics to work. This approach is currently successful. Young people are on the right trajectory for successful outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Young people are currently settled in the home. Some young people who presented with high-risk behaviours prior to admission are no longer exhibiting such behaviours. They rate their emotional well-being as very high. Staff demonstrate sensitivity to young people‟s emotional well-being when talking to them about their life stories. A placing social worker commented most positively about the progress made by a young person in a very short space of time. He said, „Out of all the placements [name] has had, this is where he has been the happiest.‟ Inspection report children‟s home: SC421063 5 Most young people are enthusiastic about their education; they attend school, and some sit GCSEs. Other young people engage with their home tutors on a regular basis. Professionals employed by the organisation, such as a psychologist, arrange to assess young people at the home during the school day. This frustrates the attempts of staff to

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improvement to be good

support young people to achieve their education targets, especially those who are highly motivated in regard to their learning.

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improvement to be good

Young people know how to make a formal complaint if necessary. However, written records do not provide a sufficient explanation of the action taken in response to a concern reported by a young person, and do not include the outcome. Young people are not afforded opportunities to comment on the resolutions to their complaints.

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improvement to be good

Young people have friends in the local area. They enjoy visiting them or having them come to their home for a sleepover.

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improvement to be good

Staff are passionate about their role. Young people enjoy good relationships with most of them. Staff are determined to find a way to empower young people to communicate with them. One example is going for a drive and playing a young person‟s favourite music. The young person then feels able to talk about their life without the need to make eye contact.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people towards independence, for example catching a train alone. Staff ensure that there is a plan for a young person to get additional support or advice if they get anxious when undertaking such an activity.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand what to do if a young person exhibits high-risk behaviour. Although staff are clear on how to intervene in an emergency, the strategies are not specific enough in risk assessments and behaviour support plans.

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improvement to be good

Some managers have determined that specific incidents raise safeguarding concerns. They have initiated the safeguarding policy, but have failed to ensure that there is sufficient oversight of the process. In some instances, they did not speak to key people, ensure timely referrals to other safeguarding agencies or clearly record the outcomes. Although young people are not deemed to be at risk, this approach shows a naivety in the managers‟ approach to safeguarding.

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improvement to be good

On occasion, staff may have to search a young person‟s room. They ensure that they inform the young person of the reason for the search and its outcome, and that they document this‟ A young person said that she understood why her room had to be searched and did not object to the staff doing this.

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improvement to be good

Some young people, who are no longer resident, went missing from the home while living there. Staff followed the agreed protocols, involving the police and other agencies Inspection report children‟s home: SC421063 6 as necessary.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not routinely use restraint. There have been six physical interventions since the last inspection. Staff documented these well, and spoke highly of the debriefs they receive after such incidents.

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding practice. They are clear about what to do in the event they have a concern. This includes specific guidelines regarding whistle-blowing on any member of staff, regardless of their position within the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been three managers since the last inspection. Ofsted has determined that there are exceptional circumstances which explain why there is not a current registered manager. An interim manager has recently been appointed who has the necessary qualifications and experience. She is showing good leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Six young people have been discharged since the last inspection. Some discharges have been unplanned. Managers have not led the home in accordance with the statement of purpose, which states that the home is for medium- to long-term placements. Periods of turbulence and placement breakdowns are a repeat of what was found at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is insufficient management oversight to ensure that placement plans are applied in practice. One example is not encouraging a young person to have a healthy diet as described in their placement plan. Some plans do not reflect all of the relevant input from other professionals, such as the actions arising from a child looked after medical.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An independent person visits the home regularly and provides a written report. She identifies the pertinent issues, but does not elaborate on serious safeguarding events such as young people going missing overnight. She does not provide an opinion as to whether young people are being adequately safeguarded in such cases.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager wrote the six-monthly statutory report on the running of the home. This lacks full evaluation, such as the learning from placement breakdowns and how this learning is applied in practice, and whether young people are being unnecessarily criminalised. Key information is missing, for example evaluation of whether police call- outs to the home are in accordance with the organisation‟s policy. Police and neighbours raised concerns about the number of call-outs to the home. Currently, this is resolved, and both parties are satisfied.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are passionate about their role. Morale is high. They speak highly of the current management arrangements. They value the daily support as well as the more formal supervision. A member of staff said, „It is a good time where we get the chance to reflect on practice.‟ Another member of staff said, „I love my job.‟ Inspection report children‟s home: SC421063 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: SC421063 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: c/o Pinsent Masons, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT1 3LP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison Blyth-Bishop

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Inspector

Keith Riley: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC421063 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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