Children's home run by Keys Care Limited in Belfast

Inspection report children’s home: SC063959 1 SC063959 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 privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced and has been managing the home since 2007.

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Information about this children’s home

This inspection was brought forward to address specific safeguarding concerns received by Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children are not protected and their welfare is not safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC063959 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2018 Full Good 16/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/05/2017 Full Good 05/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC063959 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.

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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

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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 02/09/2019

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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—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in 02/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC063959 4 order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

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 is completed. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a))

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Significant shortfalls in how children are helped and protected and serious failings in leadership and management have resulted in a judgement of inadequate for this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The inspector was aware during this inspection that serious allegations of a child protection nature were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. Actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements. Inspection report children’s home: SC063959 5 Children are making progress in the home, and the management team and staff have high expectations and aspirations for them. Children enjoy living at this home because it is warm, welcoming and friendly. The atmosphere in the home is like that seen in a family home. Children were observed to be relaxed and at ease in their environment. Children have strong relationships with staff and are making good progress in many aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Social workers commented positively on the children’s placements and the difference the home is making to their child’s life. They accept that mistakes in protecting children have been made, but are confident that the home is the best placement for their children. One child’s social worker described the care as ‘amazing’, and another child’s social worker described the care to her child as ‘phenomenal’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The children are achieving at school. They have regular attendance and are meeting their education targets. The staff have implemented activity planners for the summer break, and the children have been on holiday, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Transitions are a strength at this home. Moves in and out of the home are carefully managed and well organised. The children meet the registered manager and staff and they visit to familiarise themselves with the home prior to moving in. When the time comes for moving into adult provisions, successful outcomes are achieved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children to be in touch with people who matter to them. Staff understand the importance of children keeping in contact with their families and friends.

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

Arrangements for the supervision and protection of children are not clear, and some risk assessments are weak. This is particularly true when children are outside of the home. For example, staff are not consistent about the rules when children are playing in the local neighbourhood or about the way in which children should be supervised at these times. Staff act to reduce harm immediately following an incident rather than having ongoing arrangements to accurately assess risk.

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

Staff have not always responded well to prevent safeguarding incidents. Their responses were not good enough because they lack confidence, understanding and skills. A risk assessment for a child’s free time lacked clear strategies and allows staff to use their discretion for the actions they take. On one occasion, staff using their own discretion failed to meet a vulnerable child at the local park. As a result, safeguarding measures were not put in place quickly enough.

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

Staff do not always identify risk appropriately. This means that they did not act as any reasonable parent would do to prevent the incident and the trauma a child has experienced. There has been a lack of management oversight and a failure by staff to protect a child.

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

The staff help the children to manage issues such as self-harm. The staff have Inspection report children’s home: SC063959 6 completed training to enable them to understand the needs and experiences of the children. This includes gender identity, and the children told the inspector that they ‘love’ the home for accepting them as they are.

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

The number of physical restraints in the home has reduced significantly in recent months, particularly for one child. This is due to staff stability and consistency in the home and to staff developing better de-escalation strategies. Improvements since the last inspection have been made, which now includes managerial oversight of the records kept in the home.

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

Staff know what to do if a child goes missing. This is detailed in the children’s individualised missing from home plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has monitoring systems that aim to identify areas for improvement. These include monthly independent quality assurance visits, regular document reviews and file auditing tools. However, she failed to identify a weak risk assessment, which lacked clear strategies, and allowed her staff to use their own discretion. This has placed a vulnerable child at serious risk of exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management team and staff ensure that the home’s care planning processes are effective. They make child-centred decisions and involve the children in this process. The children regularly read and comment on their journals. Memorabilia and scrap books accompany the children who have moved on from the home. However, the gathering of information in relation to the progress and experience of the current children at the home has not taken place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

During the period of the last 12 months, the registered manager’s reviews of the quality of care reports have not been sent to Ofsted in line with regulatory timescales. Such delays prevent the regulator from having a clear oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The transfer from paper files to electronic recording systems in the home remains ongoing. Therefore, the recommendation made at the last inspection has been made again at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff told the inspector that they feel supported by the management team through regular supervision and annual appraisals. They feel confident to raise any concerns or issues that they may have. Staff enjoy a range of courses which equip them with the knowledge that they need to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager works in partnership with social workers, teachers and the designated officer. The inspector received encouraging feedback during the inspection about how the manager engages and communicates effectively with professionals. She is confident and experienced and challenges professionals when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and responsible individual fully acknowledge the shortfalls Inspection report children’s home: SC063959 7 raised at the inspection. They demonstrate commitment and enthusiasm to make the required improvements, including introducing systems that are more thorough, to ensure that the children’s safety and well-being are prioritised.

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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: SC063959 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

Mark Kersh, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC063959 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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