Children's home run by 4 Keys Care Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2502009 1 Registered provider: 4 Keys Care Limited

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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 opened in March 2019. It aims to provide a therapeutic environment and care for up to six children with a range of emotional and behavioural needs.

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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: not applicable (this is the home’s first inspection)

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2502009 2

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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treat each child with dignity and respect;

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provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the appropriate matching of young people, staff providing the therapeutic care and consistent boundaries as described in the home’s statement of purpose, the home providing a welcoming environment, and staff recording and celebrating the achievements and progress of young people. 31/10/2019

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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 31/10/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2502009 3 children’s home that—

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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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

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understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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

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that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child.

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In particular, ensure that records and assessments are accurate, accessible and individualised. 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the 31/10/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2502009 4 monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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improvement to be good

This home has been registered since March 2019 and staff currently care for three young people. There are some areas of good practice and examples of young people having positive experiences and making progress. However, there are several shortfalls that mean the overall progress, care and safety of young people are not consistently good. Staff lack the relevant skills, understanding and training to care for the young people in the therapeutic manner described in the home’s statement of purpose. Matching of young people is poor, leading to behaviour and incidents that staff are unable to manage effectively. The home is beautifully decorated and furnished but does not provide a welcoming or homely feel. For example, there are no photographs of the young people displayed. The use of CCTV and sensor alarms is excessive and intrusive. There has been some significant damage to the home recently and repairs are currently being carried out.

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improvement to be good

Staff continue to pursue suitable education for young people, challenging other professionals where appropriate. Young people engage with medical professionals to improve their physical and emotional health. All young people take part in the life-skills programme, developing skills for adulthood and independence. One young person undertook fire-safety training with the staff. Young people participate in meetings about their care and the running of the home. However, recording of these achievements is poor. There are no easily accessible records or memory books for young people to review their own progress or celebrate their achievements. Inspection report children’s home: 2502009 5

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improvement to be good

Staff are inconsistent in imposing and applying boundaries. In addition to this, relationships with young people are not always nurturing. Staff lack the training and skills to implement the young people’s behaviour-support plans and risk assessments effectively. This leads to some incidents that could have been avoided and escalation of other incidents, resulting in the need to call the police. Training in positive behaviour support and in understanding challenging behaviour has now been identified by the manager, but the delay in providing this training has led to some poor experiences for young people. Incidents of young people going missing from the home are infrequent. When incidents do occur, staff follow the protocols and take swift action to locate the young people as soon as possible. A better understanding of behaviour and risk would, however, reduce the number of incidents further. Procedures for the recruitment of staff are generally good. Gaps in employment are

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improvement to be good

explored and most checks completed. There are a few gaps concerning references from a previous employer that no longer operates a children’s home. The manager is now pursuing this. The manager has completed an in-depth review of medication procedures and protocols to ensure that medication practice is safe. One allegation has been made about a member of staff and one complaint has been made by a young person about another organisation. These have been handled very effectively and swiftly by the manager, ensuring that the young person felt listened to and protected.

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

The manager is very experienced and is appropriately qualified. At present, she is spending much of her time working at the home and less time managing. She has acknowledged a need to ‘step back’, manage the team, and provide more support and mentoring for the staff. A range of professionals help the young people, especially in emotional well-being and managing self-harm. However, the lack of training for staff in these areas means that the staff’s practice does not always complement this good work. This is a new home and many of the staff are inexperienced in this area of work. Following induction, staff enrol on the relevant training course to become qualified. Several staff members are currently undertaking this course. Staff say that they feel supported by the manager and supervision is of good quality. However, there are some gaps in supervision, with some staff not receiving formal supervision for some time.

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

Care plans, assessments, records and reports are recorded electronically, and some are available in hard copy. These are not always of good quality, and there are occasions when it is clear records have been cut and pasted and are not individual to each young person. This does not assist the manager in her monitoring of progress, care or safety of Inspection report children’s home: 2502009 6 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: 2502009 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: 4 Keys Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 18 Hoffmans Way, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1GU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Tony Clarke-Holland

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Inspector

Judith Longden, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2502009 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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