Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 1 SC423407 Registered provider: Keys Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties. Children who live in this home also attend the provider’s independent school.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and registered with Ofsted in October 2017.

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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 inspection of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2020 Full Outstanding 17/10/2018 Full Good 17/10/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Eight children live in this home and all are making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like living in the home. One child said, ‘I love the staff and I love the house.’ Children recognise the changes that they have made to their lives and they are looking forward to their future. Another child described herself as a ‘success story’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have good relationships with the staff and each other. They spend time together enjoying indoor and outdoor activities, for example playing bingo, watching films, ghyll scrambling and ice skating. The inspector observed children laughing together and reminiscing about their recent holiday. On the rare occasion that there are disagreements between children, staff intervene and encourage the children to be kind to each other. This helps children to form and sustain positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be healthy. They have a daily routine which includes promoting good personal hygiene and a balanced diet. Staff support the children to attend routine appointments, for example with the GP or dentist. The children also benefit from the staff talking to them about things which are harmful to children’s health. The care and support helps children to make positive choices about their health, resulting in children abstaining from drug and alcohol misuse.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in education and their attendance is good. Daily handover meetings take place between staff and education professionals. This enables staff to share information about each child to highlight achievements, and identify worries and strategies to manage behaviour. This helps the children to take part in education, which helps to improve their future outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children leave the home, staff provide them with emotional support and help them to prepare. Each child receives a photo album which includes letters from the staff and other children who live in the home. Whether the child is returning to their family or moving into independent accommodation, children are welcome to return for visits, support and to stay in touch. This helps children remain connected with staff and other children who have played an important part in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is well maintained. Many of the communal areas were recently painted, with new furnishings added. For example, a large sofa, new curtains, cushions and windows were replaced. There is sufficient space to enable the children to be together and also to have private time. Children state that they like their bedrooms, which are child-friendly and personalised. This helps children to feel comfortable and develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s opinions are valued. The manager and staff use children’s feedback to inform day-to-day care and changes in the home. Children’s meetings take place Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 4 regularly, enabling them to discuss important matters. Children also attend the staff meetings to share their views and make suggestions. Children know how to make a complaint and they have regular access to an independent advocate. This inclusive practice empowers children and encourages them to influence their own lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have individual care plans which detail their needs and targets. In some examples, the inspector found that plans were not up to date and missed important information about children’s needs. For example, one child required support with personal care at night; however, this was not detailed in their care plan. This may impact on children’s needs being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not receive therapeutic intervention from a therapist, despite this being an integral part of the service offered in the home. In addition, consultations between the therapist and all the staff do not take place regularly and the written records of therapeutic advice are not consistently kept. The lack of therapeutic intervention could impact on children’s opportunities to recover from past trauma.

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

Risks to children have significantly reduced. The manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and the strategies that should be used to protect children from danger. For example, to reduce risks from exploitation, staff carefully monitor children’s free time and their use of mobile phones. This helps children to become increasingly safe.

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

Risk assessments are in place and staff routinely read them. However, these documents are not consistently reviewed, and some are not up to date. This impacts on staff having accurate information about, and potentially acting to reduce, children’s individual risks.

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

Children are allocated a member of staff as a key worker who offers children one-to- one sessions so that they can talk about issues or incidents which have taken place. However, key-work sessions are not planned and do not link to the child’s care plan. Records do not show the aim of the session or next steps. This impacts on the progress that children can make.

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

The staff effectively manage children’s behaviour. Physical intervention is rare and used only as a last resort to keep children safe. If an incident does occur, a written record is completed by staff which is reviewed and monitored by the manager.

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

Children receive support from staff to keep in touch with people who are important to them. The staff recognise the benefits of children having positive family relationships and, where appropriate, invite parents to visit the home for family time. A child described feeling excited about their parent’s visit and looked forward to showing them her bedroom. This helps children develop their sense of identity and retain important family links. Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 5 Children receive help to develop life skills, so that they are prepared for their future. Through a range of practical activities, children gain confidence in their ability to carry out tasks like budgeting, cookery and travelling on public transport. These opportunities help children prepare for adulthood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post for over four years. She is child-centred and enthusiastic about what the home offers to children. The staff feel well supported by the manager and describe their relationships with the children and each other as ‘one big family’. The manager carefully balances the running of the home with spending quality time with the children. By sharing her time in an effective way, the manager has a good insight into the children’s needs and what difference living in the home makes to their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has succeeded in providing consistency of care to the children despite a high turnover in staff, with 11 new staff joining the team. However, many of the staff have left soon after starting. Rather than using agency staff, the manager and remaining staff team have worked together to cover shifts. The manager is committed to recruiting new staff who have suitable skills and experience for the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The induction for staff joining the team is thorough. Staff receive information about the home, attend training and shadowing opportunities. In addition, new staff receive fortnightly supervision which offers them time to reflect on their well-being and practice. This helps prepare staff for working with the children and being able to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have very good relationships with partner agencies and regularly share information about the children. When agencies do not provide the service a child requires, the manager challenges the agency. However, she does not persist and sometimes waits too long for the agency to act. This may cause children to experience delays in their needs being met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager encourages staff to take an active role in writing records about the child’s day and their experiences. However, at times, the language used in records is not child-friendly. A recommendation is made to ensure that children’s documents are helpful to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has audit and monitoring systems in place which evaluate the care that children receive. She routinely completes review of care reports and uses them to inform the home’s development plan. The manager did not send the most recent report to Ofsted as required. Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 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— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv)) This specifically relates to ensuring that key-work sessions are planned and take place regularly. Also, ensuring they are targeted to meet the children’s individual needs. 9 December 2021

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)) This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s care plans are up to date and reflect their individual needs. 9 December 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs, that they challenge them and formally escalate, where appropriate. Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 7 (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should ensure that risk assessments are reviewed on a regular basis. Staff should know the frequency of the reviews and what information should be included in risk assessments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact and

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Recommendations

opinion. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should review the quality of care that children receive at least once every six months. The review of care report should be sent to Ofsted. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)

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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: SC423407 8

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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

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC423407 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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