Children's home run by Keys QTC Limited

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 1 SC009653

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Keys QTC Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for seven children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. However, there are only two children currently accommodated at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

On 1 April 2019, the home changed its statement of purpose from a seven-bed mobile crisis service to a residential home for girls who may have experienced child sexual exploitation.

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Information about this children’s home

The home forms part of a large social care company. The home has had a permanent and qualified registered manager since 19 May 2015.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review progress in addressing shortfalls that led to the imposition of a restriction notice on 17 July 2019 and two compliance notices, following an inadequate inspection on 11 July 2019. These shortfalls related to the promotion of welfare of the children accommodated and weaknesses in the management of safeguarding concerns.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has concluded that the restriction of accommodation must remain in place. Significant improvement has not been demonstrated.

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This monitoring visit

Of the two compliance notices, Regulation 12 notice will have one step of the three repeated and Regulation 13 will have two steps of the three repeated.

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This monitoring visit

It was found that staff had failed to identify and act on signs that children were at risk of harm. Staff had failed to take appropriate action to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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This monitoring visit

During an incident on 6 August 2019, a child wrote a note to staff to state that she Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 2 wished to place a rope around her neck. Staff sat with her and used strategies that had been developed by the responsible individual. These included distraction and calling for medical assistance.

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This monitoring visit

Staff members entered her room to remove any items that might be a potential threat and some shards of glass were removed. However, the flex cord to the television and aerial was not removed and her shoelaces in her trainers were not identified as a risk of a ligature.

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This monitoring visit

The risk assessment stated that key-work sessions will be completed following episodes of self-harm. Following the child’s admission to hospital on 6 and 8 August 2019, key-worker sessions had not been undertaken. While some key-work sessions had happened, these were not in relation to the self-injurious behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

After the admission to hospital on 6 August 2019, the registered manager put in place a waking staff member overnight to undertake 15-minute observations on the child. However, the child told the registered manager that she did not like the waking staff member disturbing her and the registered manager stopped the waking staff member. This was not based on any risk assessment to keep the child safe, but more to satisfy the requests of the child.

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This monitoring visit

In addition, staff did not have the qualifications, experience or skills needed to look after the children in their care. In particular, they were lacking skills and knowledge to care for children who are at risk of child sexual exploitation and self-injurious behaviour. Despite a pro forma being developed to look at incidents of significance in the home, to review practice and establish lessons to be learned, this has not been completed following the safeguarding incidents on 6 and 8 August 2019.

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This monitoring visit

Both the residential care staff and the registered manager have struggled to adjust to the change in the home’s statement of purpose. The registered manager and staff lack the necessary skills and experience to care for children living at the home. A deputy manager and member of staff have been brought into the home to provide additional support but their impact on the service has not reached its fullest potential, due to only the very short time they have been in post.

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This monitoring visit

Residential care staff spoken to demonstrated a lack of in-depth knowledge about children who are at risk of child sexual exploitation and self-injurious behaviours. Staff admitted still adjusting to their new way of working. Staff said that training and team meetings had been helpful. A further training session around child sexual exploitation had been planned for 27 August 2019, which they were hopeful would increase their knowledge. This lack of understanding by the registered manager and staff around children who are at risk of exploitation or may be experiencing self-injurious behaviours puts children’s welfare at risk.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements and recommendations were made at the last inspection. These were not assessed in full at this visit. This will happen at the next full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/07/2019 Full Inadequate 14/11/2018 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Good 02/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 4

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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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(vi)) 09/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard *

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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 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)) 09/08/2019 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 5 13: The leadership and management standard *

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way which is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(c)(h)) 09/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 09/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revision and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and 09/08/2019 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 6 disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. In particular, the registered person must ensure that— medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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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 every 6 months. The registered person must supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review was completed.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that the behaviour management strategy is understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. 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’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and that the training available meets the needs of the children in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

 Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record or retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 7  Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 8

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie Kavanagh

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Inspector

Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC009653 10 to 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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