Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC363384 1 SC363384

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Keys Educational Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to four young people who have emotional, behavioural and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently resigned from his post. The home is currently led by an acting manager.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was prompted by Ofsted receiving a safeguarding notification from the responsible individual. The notification raised concerns about the registered manager’s decision-making and the impact on children living at the home. The organisation initiated an internal investigation, but the registered manager resigned from his post.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out in response to the above information, to make sure that young people are safe and that the organisation has taken appropriate steps to put satisfactory management arrangements in place.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager had failed to ensure that checks were in place to keep young people safe while in the community. This led to an incident where a young person was exposed to harm. The responsible individual acted quickly and appropriately following concerns that emerged about the registered manager’s decision-making, and interim management arrangements were put in place. The deputy manager is now acting as manager and she is receiving good support from the responsible individual and other, more experienced, registered managers in the organisation. Despite a timely response to these issues, the home is going through a period of management instability. However, the priority for leaders and managers is the welfare and safety of the young people. A full review of the circumstances leading to a child being harmed has been undertaken within the organisation and practice has been strengthened as a result.

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This monitoring visit

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC363384 2 Staff have not always demonstrated professional curiosity and have not been fully alert to issues of bullying between young people. The acting manager and staff have reflected on this and have learned valuable lessons they understand that the right responses from adults are crucial to developing trusting relationships amongst young people.

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This monitoring visit

Young people’s behaviour is generally managed well, with very few incidents of concerning behaviour. When there are concerning incidents, staff are not always clear about their roles and responsibilities and lack confidence when managing challenging behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Young people develop good relationships with staff. Young people describe staff as being there for them, spending time with them and having fun. Young people can confide in staff and they are confident that they will be listened to.

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This monitoring visit

Staff provide young people with a good variety of activities and they have supported young people to engage in education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been challenging but staff have been creative and encouraging and the young people have engaged well.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager is well supported by the staff team. Staff say that the acting manager is available to them, is ever-present in the home and is demonstrating strong leadership. The acting manager is well supported by the responsible individual, who visits the home regularly and provides the management support and guidance required. This should help stabilise this home and get it back on an improvement trajectory.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/11/2019 Full Good 08/01/2019 Full Good 10/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC363384 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 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 from other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(2)(a)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is made in response to staff needing to investigate further when they are concerned or suspicious that bullying is taking place, and the need act on these suspicions. 24 December 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.

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(v)) 24 December 2020 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC363384 4 This requirement is specifically to ensure that staff respond to incidents in the home in a manner that prioritises the welfare and safety of 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

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is made to ensure that leaders and managers prioritise the welfare and safety of children through the current period of management instability. 24 December 2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placements will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Educational Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC363384 5 Responsible individual: Joanne Carter

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Inspector

Phillip Morris, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC363384 6 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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