Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Sandwell

Inspection report children‟s home: SC374268 1 SC374268 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

This home cares for children and young people aged between 10 and 18, who have a variety of complex needs and require specialist support. A registered manager is in post. She was registered in September 2017 and is suitably qualified.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2018

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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: SC374268 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2018 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Good 22/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC374268 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 is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(iii)) 27/09/2019

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(2)(c)) 27/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(4)(a)(b)) 27/09/2019

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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. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 27/09/2019

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Recommendations

 Ensure that young people live in an environment which meets their basic day-to- day needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The design of the home should provide staff that sleep in the home overnight Inspection report children‟s home: SC374268 4 with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26)  Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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improvement to be good

Staff support children and young people to make progress. Staff talk confidently about children and young people’s starting points and the progress that they make. Staff provide individualised care for children and young people that reflects the objectives identified in their care plans.

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improvement to be good

The staff team is relatively new, due to staff leaving and new staff starting. As a result, the team is made up of new staff who lack some experience and knowledge. The registered manager and the home’s therapist are supporting staff to develop their skill base. However, staff are learning from experiences and incidents. On occasions, staff can be reactive rather than pre-empting situations and preventing incidents from happening.

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improvement to be good

There have been some improvements made to the home. For example, the kitchen and living room have been redecorated. However, more needs to be done to create a homely environment. Some furniture has been damaged and not replaced in the games room and graffiti on the office door was not cleaned off until requested by the inspector. Staff areas also require improvement. For example, the room where staff sleep is also used for storage and the bathroom is outdated.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff do not give up on children and young people. Children and young people only move from the home if the risks to them are deemed too high to manage and the registered manager and staff have exhausted all other options. This supports children and young people to feel valued and have a sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff support children and young people to have positive experiences when moving in and out of the home. These moves are managed in a planned and structured way. Impact risk assessments are completed prior to children and young people moving into the home. They are comprehensive and detailed.

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improvement to be good

Improvements have been made in developing links with educational services and acting more quickly to secure educational placements for children and young people, to avoid drift and delay. Inspection report children‟s home: SC374268 5 Staff support children and young people to develop the independent living skills that are needed for their future. A detailed independence plan is in place for one young person who will be leaving the home. This has been effective in teaching the young person the required life skills.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people are offered a wide range of activities, including horse riding music sessions and trips to theme parks. Activities are individualised to support children and young people’s interests and hobbies.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff advocate for children and young people. They actively encourage children and young people to see their families, and share children and young people’s views about these arrangements with their placing authorities.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow protocols to keep children and young people safe. When children and young people go missing from home, staff liaise with professionals, actively search for children and young people and ensure that ‘return home interviews’ are completed.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager attends strategy meetings and liaises effectively with other professionals, including mental health workers, the police, paramedics and social workers. This positive partnership working promotes children and young people’s safety.

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improvement to be good

The staff’s ability and confidence have improved in regard to managing incidents. However, they have not always implemented clear boundaries to promote positive behaviour and reduce potential risks to young people. On one occasion, a senior manager investigated an incident. The report recognised that the staff’s lack of experience contributed to the incident and identified actions that would improve future practice. Nevertheless, some of these actions were not implemented, including actions regarding supervisions and additional staff training. Furthermore, the investigation failed to identify wider issues, such as a restraint not being documented. However, staff do not regularly restrain children and young people. Restraint is used as a last resort to keep children and young people safe.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people’s risk assessments highlight known risks and give guidance to staff on how to manage the risks. However, staff are still developing confidence in their ability to risk assess ‘live’ situations and make quick decisions when risks are identified.

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improvement to be good

Staff have completed training on how to protect children and young people and support them to recognise risks relating to child exploitation, radicalisation and gang affiliation.

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

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the team’s strengths and the areas that require development. Although most of the shortfalls identified in this report are not yet fully resolved, they had already been identified and action plans had been Inspection report children‟s home: SC374268 6 implemented in order to make improvements.

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

The registered manager and deputy manager have had unavoidable time away from the home. This has had a negative impact. Although improvements are now being made, there has been a delay in providing some staff training. In addition, staff supervisions have not been regularly completed and actions from incident reviews have not been completed in a timely way. There have also been changes in the senior management team which have had an impact on the regularity of the registered manager’s supervision.

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

The registered manager enrols staff on the appropriate level 3 diploma courses once they have passed their probationary period. However, only four staff have stayed in the team since the last inspection. Consequently, the team consists of more unqualified staff than qualified staff.

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

The registered manager has established good relationships with other professionals and appropriately challenges practice to ensure that children and young people get the services that they need. Professionals spoke highly of the management team and the commitment that they have to children and young people.

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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: SC374268 7

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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

Lisa O’Donovan: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC374268 8 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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