Children's home run by South West Childcare Services

Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 1 Registered provider: Keys Childcare 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 by a private provider and offers care and accommodation for up to two children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that care is provided for children with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since February 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 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 31 October 2019 to carry out a full inspection. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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 outstanding

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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: 31 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2019 Full Good 01/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from high-quality and nurturing support provided by the staff at this home. The stable and consistent staff team is skilfully building trusting relationships with the child. These relationships form the basis from which the child, who recently moved to the home, can begin to make progress. She is already seeing the home as a place of safety and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children flourish at this home. Two children recently left the home to move to a supported living arrangement in accordance with their plans. They lived at the home for a long time and made very good progress. The staff understand the importance of remaining in touch with children who have left the home, so that they continue to feel cared for when they leave. Children who have left the home remain in contact with the manager and staff, who continue to care and take an interest in these children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of the child attending education to achieve their educational potential and the staff have high aspirations for her. Communication between the school and the home is effective. The manager recently challenged a school to ensure that the child benefits from a full educational timetable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthy eating is promoted in the home. The staff are encouraging the child to eat a wide range of nutritious meals, eaten together with the adults. The child’s health needs are being fully met and she is being supported to attend all necessary medical and dental appointments. The staff receive training so that they are equipped with the necessary information and skills to support the child if she should injure herself or have any specific conditions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff promote and support relationships between the child and her family and friends. She is enjoying having friends to sleep over and visit her at the home, and this is helping her to settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s care plans do not always clearly document what family contact arrangements are for the child so that the staff are comprehensively informed and the plan is clear.

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outstanding

The child reports that she feels safe living at the home and reports that she could speak to all the staff if she was worried or upset. The manager and staff are very skilled at identifying concerns and putting in place strategies to mitigate risks. Staff know the child well and are very vigilant. They have meaningful conversations with Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 4 the child to help them to understand any potential risks and support her effectively to keep her safe.

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outstanding

When an allegation is made, the manager responds appropriately. She takes concerns very seriously and initiates procedures rapidly to ensure that the child is safe. The manager makes sure that any learning is disseminated, such as ensuring that staff receive additional training if their practice needs improvement.

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outstanding

Routines run smoothly in the home. Boundaries and the expectations are clear. Staff do not need to physically restrain children as they are skilled at recognising a child’s responses, and will intervene to de-escalate potentially difficult situations. A child who recently left the home has made exceptional progress in reducing her involvement in unsafe situations and learning of how to keep herself safe.

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outstanding

Staff understand that the trusting and open relationships with children are the key to supporting them to learn from their mistakes and keep themselves safe. A strength of the home is how the children are supported to take managed risks that increase their confidence, for example learning to use public transport alone, or being trusted to spend time away from the home with their friends.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced registered manager provides strong and stable leadership to the staff, who comment about how she inspires the very positive morale in the home. The manager has recently completed a level five leadership and management qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff comment that the home is run very much as a family home. The staff team is consistent and stable. The staff will fill vacant shifts rather than the child being cared for by people they do not know. The staff speak about the child in a caring and enthusiastic manner and they are proud of the achievements of the children who recently left the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly reviews and measures the child’s progress and the documents and records that goes alongside this. She works hard to build on strengths and successfully addresses any identified areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training and development are a priority in the home. The staff are very motivated. The manager ensures that she disseminates any research and learning to her team to ensure that staff have all the knowledge and skills they need to meet the needs of the child they are caring for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads by example, and her commitment to children is evident. The staff are well supervised and attend regular team meetings, where they share practice issues and review the progress and experience of the child. The team benefits from the training that it receives and can demonstrate how this improves practice. Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 5 The home offers the child a comfortable and homely environment. The child reports that she likes her bedroom and has chosen the paint colour and furnishings. The home benefits from the new carpets that were fitted in line with the home’s comprehensive development plan. Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the home and the placing authority are essential to the success of placements. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2)

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Recommendations

This particularly refers to ensuring that contact arrangements are documented in a child’s care plan in accordance with the aims of the placement.

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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: 1268518 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Second Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Tina Maddison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 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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