Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Calderdale

Assurance visit report: SC001016 1 SC001016

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home that provides therapeutic care and accommodation for up to four children and/or young people. Children and young people are supported to build the skills to either move on to independent living or to return to a family setting.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 26 February 2020

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:  children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC001016 2

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The care of children

Children live in a nurturing and welcoming environment. Children see it as their home, which enables them to settle and accept support from staff.

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The care of children

Children receive the support and care they need to enable them to move on successfully in line with their wishes. Two children have moved out since the last inspection to live either with family or to be closer to their family and friendship groups. This is due to the progress they have made while living at the home.

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The care of children

Staff offer children a range of activities and experiences, despite the local restrictions in place due to COVID-19. This has enabled children to build relationships with the staff team and their peers. They have developed new skills and have become more confident in taking part in new activities.

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The care of children

The members of the staff team know the children well and how to support them. However, care plans are not person-centred and contain contradictory information. This could cause emotional distress for the children as the plans do not provide clear guidance for staff members to follow.

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The care of children

The staff team recognises the importance of children speaking to their family and friends, where appropriate. Staff have helped children to maintain family time throughout the COVID-19 restrictions. This was achieved by telephone as well as using technology and social media.

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The care of children

The manager has failed to ensure that a statutory review took place when a child moved in. This means that changes to the child’s plans are not identified and the local authority’s expectations are unclear. As a result, up-to-date plans are not in place for this child.

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The care of children

There has been a significant delay in one child accessing education due to errors in identifying a suitable school. This has now been resolved. However, it has resulted in a child missing formal education for a full half-term.

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The care of children

Staff and children receive support from the therapeutic team. Most staff have received training in therapeutic approaches and apply this to the day-to-day care they provide to the children. This means that children benefit from both formal and informal therapeutic input to help them process the trauma they have suffered and develop ways to cope.

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The safety of children

Children benefit from consistent boundaries and routines. It is evident in work completed with children that they are feeling more secure and able to recognise their emotions. Assurance visit report: SC001016 3 Some risks for children are not fully assessed and risk assessments are not up to date. This means that staff do not always have clear strategies to follow to help them better protect the children.

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The safety of children

Several incidents have resulted in restraints. These have all been appropriate and necessary. However, not all records of restraints and incidents are clear or within timescales and lack full evaluation by the manager. This means that children are potentially restrained without appropriate support following the incident.

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Leaders and managers

The manager has been in post since 2003. He recognises the strengths and weaknesses of the home. He has clear plans for developing himself and the staff team.

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Leaders and managers

The manager lacks oversight of the home. Internal monitoring systems are not effective or implemented. This results in poor-quality documentation. For example, a restraint took place in July 2020; however, the manager was unaware of this and it was not recorded fully until September 2020. Evaluation and learning do not take place. This hinders the manager’s ability to make timely improvements.

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Leaders and managers

External monitoring systems identify areas of improvement. However, the manager is not responding to these in a timely manner. Actions are often repeated the following month or marked as completed when they are not. This means that changes to the care children receive are delayed or do not occur.

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Leaders and managers

Staff have regular supervisions and say that they feel supported by the manager. However, the manager does not ensure that staff have full debriefs following incidents. This does not assist the manager or staff team to reflect and identify how to improve practice.

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Leaders and managers

Staff training is up to date and additional training is implemented when needed. This means that staff have the skills needed to support the children.

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 15/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC001016 4 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

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that appropriate education provisions are in place for the children.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that looked-after child reviews take place within timescales on admission of a child. Ensure that care plans contain accurate, up-to-date information and are personalised to the individual child. 15/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— 15/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC001016 5 the name of the child;

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if 15/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC001016 6 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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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

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are in place for known risks and contain up-to-date information with actions to help to protect children.

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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 children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

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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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must have oversight of the home and use internal monitoring systems effectively to evaluate and make changes to the care the children receive. The manager must ensure that staff have effective debriefs following incidents and areas of improvement identified and 15/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC001016 7 recorded. The manager must respond effectively to areas of improvement identified in external monitoring systems.

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC001016 8 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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Inspector

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