Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 1 Registered provider: Keys NHCC Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in January 2018 and is appropriately 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 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, the 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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare; (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b), (2)(b)(i)(ii)) 12/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; 12/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 4 help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8(1), (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(viii)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on–

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

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–

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(xi)) 12/11/2019

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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

that staff– 12/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 5 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

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(1), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(b)(d)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that–

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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 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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b), (2)(a)(f)(h)) 12/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 7

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improvement to be good

The grounds of the home provide a large, private space for children and young people to spend time in. One young person is in the process of developing an area of the garden. Having these grounds helps children and young people to gain a sense of belonging and achievement.

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improvement to be good

The home has several communal areas that need repair and redecoration. There is a programme of work in place to address these issues. The condition of some other areas was poor, including the bedroom of a young person. This means that there is not enough input from staff to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained. This contributes to children and young people feeling that they are unimportant, which can affect their self- worth.

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improvement to be good

Some children and young people do not have a place at an educational provision. Staff do not promote educational activities during the daytime for these children and young people.. This means that children and young people are not always being encouraged to learn or maintain routines in the daytime that will assist in their reintegration into education.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people know how to complain and share their views. There is evidence of children’s wishes and feelings being captured in their personal plans. This means that children and young people are consulted, which makes them feel valued.

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improvement to be good

The manager has effective links with other agencies, such as the police. She uses these lines of communication to gain and share information so that the risks to children and young people are understood. It is these relationships that are helping to protect children and young people.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management is not always effective and in tune with the ethos of the home. Staffing levels ensure that children and young people are supervised. However, there is a lack of challenge to manage behaviour effectively. When boundaries are not appropriately and consistently applied, children and young people can feel insecure.

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improvement to be good

Risk management plans are in place to help to keep children and young people safe in the community. The checks required to be made, as identified in risk assessments, were not always completed within the required timeframe. This practice undermines the strategy put in place to help to keep children and young people safe.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that safeguarding concerns are shared. The course of action taken by staff during some incidents has not always been appropriate. There have not been Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 8 widespread failures, but it is important that staff understand their role in the safeguarding processes so that children and young people develop the skills to keep themselves safe.

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

The manager has faced a challenging time due to a reduction in staffing levels. During this period, the manager took on extra tasks, day to day, to limit the impact on children and young people. Additional staff have recently been recruited, and the home is now adequately staffed by a suitably experienced team. The manager recognises the need to provide further training to enhance the skills and practice of her newly formed team.

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

The manager does not have an effective system in place to ensure management oversight of all key documents. Due to this, there are many gaps and inconsistencies, which makes some plans difficult to follow. As a result, staff do not always take a consistent approach. This can make children and young people feel frustrated and confused.

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

The manager is passionate and committed to her role. She demonstrated a good understanding of the issues raised, and responded by discussing the steps that she proposes to take to address the areas that require improvement. Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 9

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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 difference 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: 1267650 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, 2nd floor, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie Kavanagh

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1267650 11 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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