Children's home run by Keys Care Limited in Belfast

Inspection report children's home: SC063959 1 SC063959 Registered provider: Keys Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and run. It provides care for up to three children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with a variety of complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of this home was registered by Ofsted in March 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 17 November 2020 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected. The care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC063959 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2019 Full Good 20/08/2019 Full Inadequate 09/07/2018 Full Good 16/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC063959 3

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inadequate

Children have not made good progress at this home. Since November 2020, three children’s placements have broken down, causing them disruption and resulting in them having to move elsewhere. Admission planning is not robust. Children have been admitted to the home in quick succession, so they have not had the opportunity to settle into the home and build strong relationships with staff before another child arrives.

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inadequate

Children are not well matched. Managers have failed to identify or mitigate the risks that some children’s behaviours pose to others. This has led to children’s behaviours having a detrimental impact on the progress of those they live with and has subsequently increased risk for them. Other children have opposing needs. For example, one child is highly vulnerable with a recognised need for intensive nurture; the other child, while also vulnerable, has displayed criminal and anti-social behaviour, and has a history of substance misuse. The staff team is not able to meet the opposing needs of the children. The manager herself identifies that not all staff have the necessary nurturing skills required to meet the needs of the child.

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inadequate

Children do not have positive education outcomes. One child is currently in no form of education. Although staff engage him in activities, such as going to the park, there is no formal learning provided in the home. A social worker commented that the home is not doing enough to ensure her child attends the specialist education provision identified for him. The absence of meaningful learning experiences or consistent education has affected his sleep routine and he spends much of the day sleeping in his bedroom. Incentives for attending education are inconsistently used. When they are used, they are ineffective because they do not motivate children.

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inadequate

Progress for children is limited. Some children have regressed while in placement. Others are starting to make more progress in some areas following other children being discharged. Unsuitable matching processes have led to children having a detrimental effect on the progress of others living in the home.

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inadequate

Children are not helped to lead healthy lifestyles. Although their activity planners identify a range of activities, some children rarely engage in the activities offered. Children are not properly educated about healthy lifestyles. Strategies to support children to attend to their personal hygiene needs are poor. These strategies do not adequately encourage or motivate children. Children also have weight-related health issues and are not provided with a well-balanced and healthy diet. Rewards offered to children in the home do not support healthy eating practice. They are routinely offered fast food and milkshakes to promote positive behaviour, and this reinforces poor eating habits and unhealthy lifestyles. Inspection report children's home: SC063959 4

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

Children’s risks, in general, increase while they live in this home. Some children have become criminalised because of their offending behaviour. Strategies to mitigate risks are ineffectual. Positively, one child’s self-harm risk has reduced since he was placed at the home.

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

Children have involved themselves in high-risk behaviours since the home was last inspected. These include, but are not limited to, drug misuse, possession of weapons, serious damage to property, taking and crashing the home’s car, criminal exploitation, threats and assaults. Staff are not effective at minimising risks and keeping children safe. For example, one child took car keys, went out of the home at night, drove and crashed the car then returned to the home, all without the knowledge of staff.

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

Risk assessments do not accurately reflect children’s risk levels. For example, a child who suffered from a serious health condition whereby if he did not take his medication he could be at risk of death, was only assessed as ‘medium’ risk when this should have been high risk. All other identified risks are rated as medium, despite several high-risk incidents having occurred, such as drug dealers threatening to firebomb the house and a child getting seriously assaulted in the local area. Staff do not always follow the steps identified in children’s risk assessments to protect them from harm.

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

Managers have not fully considered children’s risks when matching them. For example, children who had similar risk-taking behaviours, such as cannabis misuse, were considered to be an appropriate match. For the duration of their placements, the staff were unable to have any meaningful effect on the misuse, which had a significant detrimental impact on them both. Managers have admitted additional children to the home prior to being fully aware of the resident children’s risks. This has led, on at least one occasion, to children bullying and being intimidated by one another. This does not provide them with a safe and secure home.

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

One child has a risk in relation to potential overdose of medication. Inspectors observed pain-killing medication in an unlocked drawer in the staff office. Another child has a risk of taking keys to access vehicles. On both days of the inspection, inspectors observed staff accessing a key safe which was left unlocked. Some children have risks relating to use of weapons. In the staff office, inspectors observed a screwdriver in an unlocked drawer and knives to be accessible in an unlocked cupboard. This does not provide the children with a safe environment.

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

The manager has not completed a review of the safety of the home’s location and premises. Despite shortfalls in this document being brought to her attention at the last inspection of the home, no alterations had been made. All staff spoken to told inspectors that the location of the home was unsuitable and increased risks for children. Known concerns, such as criminal exploitation and drug dealing, had not been included in the location risk assessment. Local agencies had not been Inspection report children's home: SC063959 5 consulted about known local risks. Staff were asked about the procedure should unknown visitors attend the home. There was no specific procedure in place and no risk assessment had been undertaken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inspectors identified that the home did not have sufficient staff to meet the needs of the children. This resulted in the regular use of different agency staff. Staffing the home with agency staff has led to a lack of continuity of care for the children. Furthermore, the manager was working on shift on an almost daily basis. This left her with insufficient time to attend to her managerial duties and has had a negative effect on her oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inspectors found shortfalls in the manager’s monitoring and oversight. For example, the manager had failed to identify that children’s risk assessments did not accurately reflect their level of risk. The lack of comprehensive monitoring also meant that not all necessary risk assessments for children are in place. There is insufficient management oversight of children’s progress. This is particularly in relation to children’s education, health and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not always followed documented procedures. Despite acknowledging this, the manager had not taken effective action to challenge the staff and improve their practice and care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not used previous lessons learned to inform practice. The manager has agreed placements for some children without appropriately assessing the effect that children may have on one another. This has led to increased unsafe behaviours and has resulted in children’s placements breaking down.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been one complaint made by children since the last inspection. This has been investigated and responded to within an appropriate timescale. The manager has fully considered the views and wishes of children and sought their feedback. Children have been happy with the response they received and the plan for further resolution.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all the requirements made at the monitoring visit in November 2020 have been met. The manager acknowledges that there are a number of shortfalls in the home. An action plan is in place to support the manager and staff to improve. Unfortunately, this has not yet supported the improvements necessary to provide children with the safe and nurturing environment needed for them to achieve and progress. Inspection report children's home: SC063959 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vi)) 13 June 2021

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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. (Regulation 8 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are enrolled at a suitable education provision and that they are supported so that they attend. 13 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 13 June 2021

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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. 13 June 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC063959 7 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 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(b))

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(f)(h)) 13 June 2021

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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 13 June 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC063959 8 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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the location risk assessment should include all risks posed to children by the local area and community. 13 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC063959 9

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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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Inspectors

Natalie Bennett, Social Care Inspector Charlie Bamber, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC063959 10 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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