Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Windsor and Maidenhead

Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 1 SC438624 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

A limited company owns this home. Its statement of purpose specifies that it will provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. The home is part of a cross-regional project, commissioned by six local authorities, that includes other homes and a school operated by the same organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at this home since January 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 requires improvement to be 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

Date of last inspection: 13 November 2018

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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: SC438624 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/11/2018 Full Good 11/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/09/2016 Full Good 04/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 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 protection of children standard In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 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 (2)(d)) 01/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

Fire precautions If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home— paragraph (1) does not apply; and the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. In this regulation, ‘the fire and rescue authority’ means the fire and rescue authority under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004(2) for the area in which the home is located. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 01/09/2019

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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; 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’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The children’s guide should help children to understand: – what the day-to-day routines of the home are (‘what happens in the home’); – the Statement of Purpose of the home (the care they can expect to receive Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 4 while living there); – how to make a complaint in line with the home’s complaints procedure; – how they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy if eligible; and – how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22) In particular, the wording used to describe the house rules, sanctions and rewards should be reviewed.  The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able to understand and, where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)  The processes the registered person puts in place to enable such a review to take place, should allow for a report to be generated at least once every six months. The generated report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing local authority of all children in the home who are looked-after children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3) Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living at the home. Staff provide children with individualised care and support. An established staff team focuses on building and developing relationships with children. This enables them to seek guidance and support from staff who they know well. Staff follow detailed care plans which provide practical advice, guidance and information. Staff support children to identify skills they wish to develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are fully involved in the routines of the home through the regular house meetings, key-work sessions and daily conversations. Children choose activities, house holidays, menus and items for the home. The children’s guide does not describe the daily routines in the home and the wording used to describe the house rules is negative and punitive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a wide variety of activities and experiences that develop their hobbies and interests and improve their physical well-being. Staff support children to engage in education, and are persistent in encouraging those children who struggle to regularly attend. Staff use a wide variety of rewards and work closely with others in order to influence and improve the children’s school attendance. Staff explore new opportunities, topics and courses, identifying subjects and activities that excite and motivate the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support each child to address their physical and emotional health needs. Children attend regular appointments to manage their basic health care. Staff refer children to specialist health services when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with their families and friends. Staff work closely with children and their families to ensure that this time is a positive and safe experience for all.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home is consistently well presented, well maintained and safe. They have not acted swiftly to ensure that areas of damage, repairs and refurbishments are addressed promptly. During the inspection, it was noted that large quantities of paint were not being stored securely. An internal review of the home’s fire doors was completed in May 2019. The review identified weaknesses, but these had not been addressed. The home’s manager had made requests for this work to be completed. The provider addressed these concerns during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff report and refer safeguarding concerns to safeguarding agencies. Managers have Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 6 completed detailed internal investigations, and records detail the outcomes and further actions required. Complaints have been well responded to, with the complainants receiving responses to their concerns.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff have a good general knowledge of risk and how to manage it. Managers have reviewed and developed practice following incidents and investigations. Staff regularly review the home’s approach to safeguarding by considering different safeguarding scenarios and exploring the required responses to these’. This has had a positive impact on the staff’s knowledge and understanding, as they are able to detail how they would respond to a wide variety of situations. Staff have open and frank conversations with children about the impact of their risk-taking behaviours. Children respond well and talk calmly with staff about the concerns staff have.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff work effectively with others to ensure that children’s plans consider risky behaviour that children engage in. Managers attend regular multidisciplinary reviews that share knowledge and information about current risk and develop strategies for managing it. Managers provide clear and practical advice to staff that guides them how to support appropriate risk-taking and to manage and reduce other risks. Managers and staff respond to episodes of missing through an agreed collaborative approach. Staff actively seek children and attempt to maintain contact when they are absent or missing from the home. They welcome children back to the home, and check on their welfare while exploring the reasons for them going missing.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained in the home’s preferred method of behaviour management. They actively support children to use calming strategies and to express their emotions and frustrations. Staff rarely use physical intervention; they have used it once since the previous inspection. This intervention was used for as short a period as possible, and was carried out in order to manage a crisis. Records detail what occurred before, during and after the incident. Children are offered opportunities to explore their thoughts and feelings about the intervention. Staff reward and praise children to celebrate their achievements. On occasions, staff do give sanctions for negative behaviours. Staff are inconsistent in their application and use of rewards and sanctions. Following one sanction, staff recorded that the child had refused to comment on the sanction, but it was not clear what attempts had been made to gain the child’s views.

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improvement to be good

Managers follow and apply safer recruitment practices. Children contribute to the recruitment process by compiling a list of questions for applicants.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager resigned on 14 January 2019. The home’s current manager has made an application to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s development and improvement plan appropriately identifies the home’s strengths and areas for development. The provider has been slow to provide the resources needed to make the required improvements. The provider addressed this Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 7 during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision that supports and develops their practice. Each month, staff complete an upskilling supervision session that develops and improves their knowledge of a wide variety of relevant topics. Newly appointed staff complete an in-depth induction, with more frequent supervision and greater support provided during this period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a high turnover of staff in the home since the previous inspection. This has included changes in the registered manager and the responsible individual. Ongoing recruitment and the relocation of staff are addressing this. Leaders and managers did not consider or implement a short-term contingency plan to address and limit the impact of high staff turnover. The manager is developing the staff team through role modelling of expected practice and sharing information to develop the staff’s practice and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is regularly reviewed by an independent visitor who provides the home with a robust additional layer of scrutiny and oversight. The home’s manager has completed her own review of the home through her regulation 45 report, though this had not been given to Ofsted at the time of the inspection.

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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: SC438624 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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Inspector

Amanda Maxwell: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC438624 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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