Children's home run by Keys Care Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2513341 1 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 run by a larger provider and provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has had an experienced registered manager in post since it opened in September 2019.

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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 10 March 2020. 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2513341 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2513341 3

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outstanding

Four children are living at the home and are cared for by an experienced, child- focused team. Staff have developed robust person-centred care plans that ensure that staff provide a consistent approach to children. Consequently, children make exceptional progress in all areas of their lives.

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outstanding

Staff nurture children well and as a result make outstanding progress from their starting points. For example, one child, whose only focus was gaming and rarely left his bedroom, is now attending education, has a part-time job and regularly goes out and sees friends.

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outstanding

Staff help children understand the importance of education. As a result, children are achieving academically and are highly aspirational about their future. During the COVID–19 pandemic, staff have encouraged children to continue with their studies. One teacher commented that one of the children had completed more work than anyone else in the class. Another child has achieved A and A* in their GCSEs. Other children, who were previously reluctant to attend education, are now attending and progressing.

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outstanding

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have been proactive and innovative in keeping children busy. One child, who is good with woodwork, has been helped to make a console table for the hallway, wooden planters, bird boxes and a rabbit hutch. Staff have celebrated children’s birthdays, played board games, held quizzes and had debates. As restrictions have lifted, they have organised trips out, including visits to the cinema, trampoline parks and a climbing wall.

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outstanding

Staff have been creative in helping children try new activities. This has resulted in one child, who was playing golf, being talent spotted. As a result, this child is now part of a local golf team. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the child wasn’t able to attend training sessions so staff helped create a putting green in the garden so he could continue practising. As a result, children are able to try new things and widen their social experiences.

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outstanding

Staff are committed to supporting children to become independent. They encourage participation in day-to-day household tasks and progress children through bespoke independence plans. As a result of staff’s individualised support, one child is taking driving lessons and three children have found and maintained part-time employment. Staff support children to become independent, such as allowing appropriate freedoms to children for independent travel to see family and friends. This exceptional support means that children are prepared well for the next steps in their lives. Inspection report children's home: 2513341 4 Staff develop excellent working relationships with parents. Parents are positive about the home and particularly like the daily text message telling them about their child’s day. This ensures that children’s parents remain a vital part of the child’s support network.

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outstanding

Children at the home are kept safe by staff who know them very well. Staff have an in-depth understanding of the risks children may take. If concerns are raised, manager’s respond quickly and effectively to ensure that all professionals involved in the child’s care are informed. Managers liaise closely with the child’s professionals to ensure that all possible risk management strategies have been considered and implemented to keep the child safe.

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outstanding

Staff have developed rigorous care plans with the children. The plans identify children’s risks and the strategies for staff to use to keep them safe. Children feel they have participated in their plans and trust staff to help them when they are struggling. Staff complete direct work with the children so that they fully understand their own risks and can make positive choices. As a result, incidents are rare. Staff have not needed to use physical intervention and children do not go missing from the home.

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outstanding

Staff are creative in their approach to support children to reduce their risks. Staff focus on implementing strategies at the child’s pace. When children have refused to engage in their plan of care staff do not accept the refusal and equally are not forceful in their requests. Instead, staff continually review their strategies until they find an approach that works for the child. For example, staff have worked hard to find out what the children’s interests are and have helped them to pursue their hobbies. For one child this has meant that they are no longer engaging in anti-social or criminal behaviour.

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outstanding

Staff are attentive to children’s emotional needs and wellbeing. Staff use their positive relationships with the children to encourage them to talk about how they are feeling. This has helped them to recognise different emotions and identify positive ways to manage them. This increases children’s ability to manage their emotions and frustrations constructively. As a result, children’s relationships with those important to them have significantly improved.

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outstanding

Managers have responded appropriately to concerns raised by children and have fully investigated those concerns. Consequently, children feel listened to.

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outstanding

The home is homely, clean and welcoming. However, some areas of the home need redecoration. Also, carpets that are beginning to fray need replacing and the shower is tired, with staining to the grout. Inspection report children's home: 2513341 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is an exceptionally child-focused practitioner. She is inspirational, leads by example and has high expectations of herself and the staff team. The manager is aspirational about the care given to the children and children achieving their full potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works closely with families and professionals. Comments from others include ‘staff are exceptional humans’ and ‘the manager uses her professional curiosity’ particularly in identifying concerning behaviours such as possible county lines involvement. Working together with others means that children receive continuity of care and results in children feeling safe and secure, knowing everyone is working to their best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses training and research to improve her own and her staff’s practice. She has empowered staff to do their own research, for example, researching and using a psychological and social model of human interaction. This has informed staff’s practice and been incorporated into children’s care plans. Consequently, children receive high-quality care from knowledgeable staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager advocates exceptionally well for children and will challenge decisions if she feels they are not in the best interests of the child. For example, challenging the placing authority about funding for accommodation of a child who is soon to leave. Also, for another child, raising a challenge about an education provision that she felt would not meet his needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are at the centre of everything in this home. The manager consults and includes children in decisions which affect their day-to-day lives as well as their future plans. For example, for one child who was struggling with his education placement the manager discussed with him his wishes and feelings, researched other options and advocated for him so that a more appropriate education provision was provided. For another child who is moving on and is restricted to the financial support available to tthe manager has listened to her views and challenged the decision with the placing authority. Consequently, children feel valued and respected. Inspection report children's home: 2513341 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, 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

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

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children have the physical necessities such as a clean and well-maintained environment. For example, ensuring that the shower is cleaned to remove staining to the grout on the tiles. Also, that carpets that are frayed to be replaced and paintwork to be refreshed. 3 September 2021

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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: 2513341 7

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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

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2513341 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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