Children's home run by Keys Care Limited

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2539752 1

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Keys Care Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of a group of homes that make up the Cross Regional Project (CRP) which has been set up between Keys Group and four local authorities: Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. According to the home’s statement of purpose the home provides an established and respected quality service of care, education and therapeutic input for up to four children to live close to their local area.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2020.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions, this visit was carried out remotely, using video and phone calls to children, staff, parents and other professionals, and a review of emailed documentation. Its focus was to review the children’s experiences of moving into the home and how well the staff understand and promote the children’s social, physical, emotional and mental health needs. This visit is the first by Ofsted since the home was registered in April 2020.

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This monitoring visit

The children have positive experiences moving into the home. The staff make the children feel welcome and take the time to build trusting relationships with them. The staff provide the children with a written guide to the home and take the time to explain this to the children where needed. The staff encourage the children to decorate their bedrooms to their liking and listen to their ideas for what purchases would help them to feel safe and in a familiar environment. As a result, children say they feel valued and that their feelings are respected. One child said that since moving into the home, the staff have helped them to continue supporting their favourite football team and, once COVID-19 restrictions allow, they plan to visit the football stadium for the first time. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2539752 2 The staff welcome and encourage the views and opinions of the children. The

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This monitoring visit

children can attend weekly home meetings if they wish, so that they can share their ideas. Additionally, the staff place great emphasis on regular one-to-ones with the children so that the staff can explore more sensitive matters privately and at a time suited to the children’s needs. The children spoke fondly of the care and the support they receive from the staff and the registered manager.

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This monitoring visit

External professionals are positive about the progress that the children are making. They say that they are impressed with the professionalism and commitment of the staff team and the trusting relationships they form with the children. They say that children receive positive responses and supportive attitudes towards the complex nature of their needs and that the staff manage this respectfully, with dignity and compassion.

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This monitoring visit

The staff have high aspirations for the children and use a nurturing approach to encourage and support them in achieving steps towards their independence. For example, one child has started an independence programme that supports them to manage time outside the home without staff. The staff have done this safely and with regular reviews and discussions with key people. All staff spoken to by the inspector had a clear understanding of this plan and the outcomes intended for the child. As a result, the child is progressing at a rate suitable to their needs.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has written comprehensive risk assessments and management plans for the children. The staff strategies to support the children in managing these risks are clear and reviewed robustly after every incident by the children’s key workers. The staff explore children’s complex behaviours with a multi- agency approach and use informed resources to help further their knowledge and understanding following these events. As a result, professionals say that the staff manage the children’s behaviours effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager and the staff team have worked tirelessly with a child to make them feel safe and to continue living in the home. The staff’s efforts and unwavering commitment in managing extreme levels of emotional and self-harming behaviours are commendable. The staff team has developed a very individualised self-harming risk assessment, with all the important information a staff member would need to respond effectively to a serious incident. The registered manager is working closely with all relevant professionals to produce a multi-agency risk assessment plan.

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This monitoring visit

The staff training focuses on keeping the children safe in the context of their relevant risks. The completion of mandatory safeguarding training as part of the induction process ensures that staff understand and follow safeguarding procedures. Senior leaders follow good safer recruitment practices. This increases the likelihood of only employing staff who will provide safe care to children. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2539752 3 Most of the staff team have the relevant qualifications and experiences to meet the needs of the children. The registered manager has scrutiny of qualifications considered to be equivalent and addresses any shortfalls by staff completing additional units from the level 3 diploma in residential childcare. This approach promotes the staff members’ understanding of the children’s behaviours and the challenges of supporting them. The registered manager is very aware of regulatory

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This monitoring visit

timeframes for staff completing relevant qualifications and has a monitoring system in place to ensure oversight of this.

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This monitoring visit

The staff say that the registered manager provides regular and supportive supervision, at a time suitable to their working patterns. The staff say that they can reflect on and review their experiences of supporting children and have been signposted where necessary to additional support and resources. The registered manager also uses supervision as an effective tool for professional development. This also feeds into the wider appraisal system. As a result, the staff feel listened to, appreciated and part of the home’s developing staff team.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager is dynamic and conscientious, and demonstrates a clear understanding and knowledge of the children he provides care for. He is committed to developing a culture of improved and continued outcomes for the children and to providing a good quality of care for them. He has a clear vision and realistic ambitions for the development of the home and his staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Through a virtual tour, the inspector was able to explore the progress in meeting recommendations made to senior leaders as part of the home’s registration process. This was to make safe a manhole cover in the back garden and have safety glass fitted in the windows in the garden shed. The registered manager has met both recommendations, demonstrating his commitment to ensuring the home is a safe place for children to live.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s workforce development plan is generic and does not focus on the staff’s individual training, experiences or development needs. The plan also lacks details on the procedures for managing and improving staff performance. The manager was quick to accept these shortfalls and plans to revise this document.

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2539752 4

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the homes statement of purpose. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Information about this inspection

This was the first inspection of the home since it was registered with Ofsted in April 2020.

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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 address: C/o Pinsent Masons Llp, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT1 3LP

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2539752 5 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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