Children's Home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report children’s home: 1248043 1 Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who may have learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 16 October 2017.

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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: 15 January 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1248043 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2019 Full Good 28/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/11/2017 Full Good 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 1248043 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a caring and nurturing environment and they are making good progress. They receive individual care that is tailored to meet their complex needs. Children have formed positive and trusting relationships with staff. This has given the children the security they need to thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop strong relationships with children and this supports the stability of placements. Children experience longer-term placements at the home in comparison to their previous placements. One child described the home as ‘warm and cosy’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the needs of the children. The staff are enthusiastic about their work and committed to providing an inclusive service to overcome the difficulties associated with additional needs and disability. Communication with schools, social workers and parents is productive. Not only is it used to communicate concerns or difficulties but it is also used to identify children’s strengths to promote progress. Families spoke highly of the care that their children receive. They said that this has significantly improved their children’s health and well-being. One parent commented, ‘This is the first place that my son has lived where I feel listened to and involved in his care.’ This means the children and families feel supported and parents are involved in their children’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in education. Some children attend full-time education. Staff know the barriers that are preventing some children from attending education full-time. Staff work with the children’s placing authorities to help source the right level of education for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of social, leisure and educational activities. Staff continually encourage children to try new things and to make the most of opportunities, for example hill walking and art activities. This support helps children to develop new hobbies and interests, grow in confidence and develop their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff manage children’s moves in and out of the home extremely well. Children who leave the home have exceptionally positive endings. They keep in touch with staff and share news about their progress. Staff encourage children who are new to the home to display family photographs and to personalise their bedrooms. This nurturing approach helps children to re-orientate and to quickly settle. A social worker said, ‘The transition into the home was superb. The manager and staff worked with us to ensure that all my child’s needs could be met.’

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

Children feel safe and live in a safe environment. They appear comfortable and relaxed around the staff caring for them. The staff team understands how to Inspection report children’s home: 1248043 4 safeguard children, including those who are additionally vulnerable because of their disabilities. They receive regular training in this area. Safeguarding children is a key component of care planning and delivery.

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

Staff competently use up-to-date risk assessments that address the known vulnerabilities for each child effectively. These documents describe indicators that children are at heightened risk, based on perceptive observations, and the actions that staff should take to reduce the risk.

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

Physical intervention is rare. When physical intervention has been necessary, the registered manager has reviewed the records made by staff and held discussions with them to help reflect on their practice. However, there is no system in place to seek feedback from children when they have been physically held by a person who is not involved in the intervention. This means that children do not have an opportunity to influence the learning following incidents.

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

Staff have a detailed knowledge of the health needs of children and how these needs should be met. Training is provided to staff to help them meet children’s complex health needs. Staff work with parents and external agencies, for example child and adolescent mental health services, to identify support for the children. Procedures for the safe handling of medication are in place and regular external and internal audits reduce the potential for errors and increase safety.

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

Comprehensive staff recruitment procedures are in place and are effectively implemented by managers. This helps to ensure that only suitable people are employed in the home.

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

The home environment is generally safe and well maintained. However, some minor damage was evident during the inspection. Most of this damage was promptly repaired during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She is aspirational for the children, and their best interests are at the heart of her practice. This is improving the lives and outcomes for the children. She has high standards and leads the team by example. One member of staff said, ‘I couldn’t ask for a better manager; she shows us the way and is very knowledgeable.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team consists of people with a range of experience and skills. New staff are provided with a good-quality induction. Staff have access to a broad range of training. The manager provides staff with appropriate direction and guidance. There are suitable supervision arrangements and opportunities to learn about and reflect on care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One parent described the staff as ‘caring and dedicated’. These qualities, combined with good training and strong leadership, mean that children enjoy nurturing, child- centred and enjoyable experiences which contribute to the quality of their lives. Inspection report children’s home: 1248043 5 Management monitoring and oversight of the home are robust. The registered manager continually reviews the quality of care and acts when improvements are required. However, the management team agrees that children’s records require further improvement to ensure that each is signed and dated by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems are in place to track the progress of children, as well as any concerns. Tracking systems provide staff with a very good oversight of the care provided. This helps staff to look at potential triggers for children’s behaviours and supports them in addressing these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose is comprehensive, and clearly sets out the aims and objectives of the home. The statement is reviewed annually. Staff practice reflects the statement of purpose and what it states the home can provide for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with parents, social workers and with education and health professionals. There is regular communication with these professionals. This gives staff opportunities to discuss children’s care plans. This provides children with consistent care in all aspects of their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although some requirements and recommendations have been set at this inspection, these do not significantly undermine the good-quality individualised care that the children receive. The registered manager fully acknowledges the shortfalls raised at this inspection. She shows both the capacity and enthusiasm to make all the required improvements. Inspection report children’s home: 1248043 6

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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 registered person must ensure that within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 06/04/2020

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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 homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that repairs are carried out in a timely manner.

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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. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: 1248043 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1248043 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited

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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

Elaine Allison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1248043 9 to 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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