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

Inspection report children’s home: SC412476 1 SC412476 Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care and 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 owned and run by a private organisation. According to the statement of purpose, the home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in November 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 February 2020

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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: 25 February 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC412476 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2019 Full Good 16/01/2018 Full Outstanding 13/02/2017 Full Good 21/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC412476 3

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy living at this home and spending time with the staff. However, a lack of day-to-day structure has undermined the overall quality and experience of care for some of the children. This has been compounded by a relatively inexperienced team, staff sickness and an over-reliance on the use of agency staff.

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improvement to be good

Routines and structures that the staff put in place for the children are variable. For example, a well-thought-out bedtime routine has helped one child who previously struggled to settle at bed time. Staff stay with him until he falls asleep. This has been effective and has had a positive impact on his all-round day-to-day behaviour and well-being.

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improvement to be good

However, for another child who does not attend an education or training setting, a lack of planned structure has resulted in her spending a large amount of time during the day in her bedroom. The absence of purposeful activity in her day means that she is often wakeful during the night. Her social worker is concerned that staff are not preparing her well for her next stage of living more independently.

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improvement to be good

Staff strategies and approaches to working with the children are inconsistent. Children are sometimes unclear about the staff’s expectations. Tea time observed by the inspectors showed that the staff lack the confidence to direct the children to sit down and join in with the meal. As a result, the children are not developing the social skills and norms which will help them in their later life. Plans to improve the staff skills and confidence in maintaining consistent boundaries for the children are under way.

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improvement to be good

Children feel secure in the home, and the staff are caring and protective of them. A good range of toys, games, books and art equipment are readily available for them. However, the staff lack a sense of urgency and aspiration in promoting the children’s participation in the wider community. None of the children attend outside clubs. Consequently, opportunities for children to extend their confidence and social skills are limited.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to complain, the staff respond and the children feel that they are listened to. Staff promote the children’s access to independent advocacy. Improvements in the mental health of one child have been significant. A social worker described the progress she has made as ‘life saving’.

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improvement to be good

There has been one significant lapse of safeguarding practice, which is otherwise good. A delay in the staff action, when there was a serious concern about a child’s welfare, meant that a child was not effectively safeguarded. Inspection report children’s home: SC412476 4 The registered manager did not ensure that the rationale for important decisions made by the staff to safeguard the child was clearly recorded. This reduced Ofsted’s ability to understand and scrutinise the actions taken by the registered manager and the staff to safeguard the child, because they failed to notify Ofsted of the incident.

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improvement to be good

Each child has detailed up-to-date risk assessments with clear strategies to manage and reduce risk to the children. However, because of poor recording in the daily logs, it is unclear whether the measures outlined in the children’s risk assessments are always followed. For example, guidance for one child who is at risk from self- harm sets out that staff must have at least hourly contact with her during the day. The daily records do not evidence that this takes place.

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improvement to be good

Direct work with children to address self-harming behaviour is a strength of the staff practice. Staff involve the children in their safety planning when appropriate. Children use the strategies in their plans, such as a distraction tool box. This help them to cope with difficult feelings. This has been effective, and incidents of self- harm for one child have reduced.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide a welcoming and calm home where children learn skills to manage their emotions and increase their awareness of how to keep themselves safe. Staff work to empower the children with information and the skills to identify unsafe situations or unsafe people.

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improvement to be good

Children are cared for by staff trained in a trauma-informed model of care. Staff and the children benefit from ongoing support from a psychotherapist who visits the home weekly. He is available to support the children and offer consultation to the staff. This helps the staff to reflect and develop a deeper insight into the emotional needs of each child.

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good

There have been three changes of manager since the last inspection. Staff vacancies and staff sickness, alongside a relatively inexperienced team, have contributed to inconsistencies in practice. Despite initiatives taken by the responsible individual and senior leaders, staffing remains a challenge. However, they are not complacent about addressing this, and plans are in place to recruit new staff to the home.

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good

The registered manager and leaders have not ensured good-quality and detailed record-keeping. For example, there is no record of how staff encourage one child, who sleeps until lunch time or longer, to start her day earlier. The staff do not routinely record the meals of another child who struggles with food. There is no record of his weight or height. As a result, the quality of the care planning to respond to the individual needs of the children has been poor. Inspection report children’s home: SC412476 5 The registered manager is developing a reflective culture where learning is encouraged. However, supervision could be strengthened by a greater emphasis on performance management and by revisiting the actions set at the previous sessions.

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good

The registered manager and responsible individual advocate well for the children. This helps to ensure that others play their role and provide the support and services that the children need.

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good

The registered manager and leaders promote an inclusive culture at the home. Staff help the children to develop a sense of equality and tolerance of others. Staff provide opportunities for the children to celebrate and understand difference. This helps children to develop a positive self-view and a sense of their identity. Inspection report children’s home: SC412476 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, 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 care planning standard is that children– receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all aspects of children’s care are planned and programmed into each day, particularly when that child is not in education or training. 07/04/2020

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(vi)) 07/04/2020

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Recommendations

 The Government has raised the participation in education age so that all young people from summer 2015 will be required to continue in education or training until their 18th birthday. Young people can choose how to participate. This can be through full-time education, an apprenticeship or traineeship, or by combining full-time employment with part-time education or training. Whilst the duty is on the young person themselves, it is important that children’s homes’ staff encourage the young person to continue their education or training and support them to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the option they choose. They can also direct them to the financial support that is available through the 16 ─ 19 bursary fund and to their local authority young people’s services who can advise about the options available. For further information on the 16 ─ 19 Bursary Fund see: Overview of 16 ─ 19 Bursary Fund. (‘Guide to the children’s homes

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Recommendations

regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.16)  As set out in regulations 31 ─ 33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations Inspection report children’s home: SC412476 7 including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, ensure that there is sufficient emphasis in staff supervision on performance management and revisiting the actions set at the previous sessions.  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

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Recommendations

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)  Sufficient staff means a home having enough suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home, and that those staff are able to respond to emergency placements, where accepted. The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need (regulation 31(1)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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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: SC412476 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care and 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Callard

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Inspectors

Anne-Marie Davies, social care inspector Kelly Marchmont, social care inspector (shadowing) Inspection report children’s home: SC412476 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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