Children's Home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC020607 1 SC020607 Registered provider: Keys NHCC 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

A private company that operates a number of children’s homes across the country owns this home. This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned from the home on 26 April 2019. A new manager was appointed on 1 July 2019. She is suitably qualified and her application to register with Ofsted is being processed.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 November 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 12 December 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged to have declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 12 December 2018 and a notice restricting accommodation was served to prevent any further young people from being admitted to the home. At a monitoring inspection on 29 January 2019, the provider had complied with the restriction notice and had met all of the requirements of the interim inspection. The restriction notice was subsequently lifted. Inspection report children’s home: SC020607 2 A further monitoring visit took place on 16 April 2019 because Ofsted had received notification of new concerns about the arrangements for the safe and effective care of a young person who had been living at the home. At this visit, the inspector found that the young person had moved from the home in a planned way that was in line with her care plan. However, additional concerns were raised about the service. The provider

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

acknowledged the concerns and asked for a variation to the home’s conditions of registration. As a result, the home was temporarily closed. This allowed the organisation time to make the necessary improvements.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following the temporary closure of the home, a further monitoring inspection was undertaken on 16 July 2019. This inspection found that a number of improvements had been made and the home was ready to admit children and young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/09/2018 Full Good 20/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC020607 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(2)(c)(i)) 20/12/2019

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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. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)) 20/12/2019

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the laundry area is appropriately accessible for children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person is currently living in the home. Since the last visit, another young person has moved in and left. Inspection report children’s home: SC020607 4 Despite significant changes to the staff team since the last inspection, managers ensure that the young person who currently lives in the home receives consistent care. This enables him to build positive relationships with the people who care for him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly carry out good-quality individual work with young people. For example, some sensitive work has been carried out by staff to challenge one young person’s views about women. This positive work, coupled with staff modelling appropriate behaviour, helped the young person to develop positive, respectful relationships with female staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to attend school. The young person living in the home has made significant progress in this respect. He had not attended school for over six months prior to his admission and now attends most days. Staff attend school with him each day to increase his confidence and help him to feel secure. When young people have been excluded, the manager and staff liaise effectively with education staff to ensure that young people return to education as soon as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to maintain relationships with those who are important to them. Staff develop positive relationships with parents and they are encouraged to visit the home when this is appropriate. Staff have successfully worked with one parent to help them to implement appropriate boundaries when the young person spends time with them. A parent told the inspector, ‘I am very happy with the home. Staff are great. They keep me up to date with things.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been significantly refurbished. The environment is bright and homely. However, the laundry area is always locked. Consequently, if a young person could safely use this area, they are not able to. This prevents young people from being able to develop essential life skills. Additionally, one young person’s bedroom is not always maintained to an acceptable standard.

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

Staff ensure that each young person has a clearly written risk assessment. These are regularly reviewed and updated and provide staff with clear information about the individual risks that young people can face. Staff are skilled in working with young people who may harm themselves, and work consistently to keep young people safe.

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

An effective link between the organisation’s therapeutic team and staff helps to improve the staff team’s understanding of and responses to young people’s behaviours. This is strengthening how staff respond to incidents. Because of this coordinated response, the number of incidents in the home is reducing.

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

Staff use personalised incentives and rewards to encourage young people to take responsibility for their actions. This approach motivates young people to behave well.

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

Staff only use physical restraint to prevent young people from harming themselves or others. When restraint is necessary, staff ensure that they hold debrief sessions with young people after each incident. This means that young people have the opportunity to Inspection report children’s home: SC020607 5 express their views about what happened and reflect on their behaviours.

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

Young people are listened to and their views are taken seriously. When young people have raised concerns about staff, these are managed effectively. This ensures that young people are protected, and that appropriate agencies undertake investigations.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been one occasion when a young person went missing. Clear plans inform staff of how to respond in these situations. One young person has made significant progress in this regard, as before he moved to the home he regularly went missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has worked hard to embed her vision for this home. She is supported by an experienced and skilled deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems in place. She compiles information on all aspects of young people’s care, using a variety of means. Good internal daily, weekly and monthly oversight helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager uses this information to improve the quality of care that young people receive. For example, regular oversight of key-work sessions results in the manager setting staff new targets to develop the work that they undertake with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and reflective supervision. Managers use these meetings to help staff to reflect on their practice. Managers have created a healthy learning culture in the home. All staff hold suitable qualifications for their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has experienced some challenges in recent months. The admission of one young person unsettled the home and resulted in a number of incidents. Young people engaged in some risk-taking behaviour because they lived together. This resulted in notice being served, and one young person’s placement ending.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and senior leaders have vigorously challenged other professionals about the information that was available and the quality of planning for this move. The manager also acknowledges that the home’s impact risk assessment process (completed when young people move in) required further development. Although new young people’s needs were assessed, their impact on the young people living in the home was not always adequately considered. The manager had already identified this shortfall and has taken steps to address this. In addition, she has prioritised recruiting new staff and secured a commitment from senior leaders that no more young people will move in until the home is fully staffed. Inspection report children’s home: SC020607 6

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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: SC020607 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Annemarie Parker, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC020607 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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