Children's home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 1 SC389183 Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care and Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2018.

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 23 January 2020

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2020 Full Outstanding 11/03/2019 Full Outstanding 31/08/2017 Full Outstanding 22/03/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 3

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outstanding

Since the previous inspection, some children living at this home have made exceptional progress. Staff have successfully supported one child to apply for and complete assessments for their chosen career in the armed forces. Staff have also supported one child to transition back to the care of his family.

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outstanding

Despite the very best efforts of staff, some children at the home have not made the expected levels of progress. However, the staff’s ambition for children to succeed in education has supported these children to engage with learning and they now attend school full time. This is an exceptional achievement in relation to their starting points. Children’s routines are well supported by staff, and children are fully encouraged and supported to be ready for school and other planned activities. This helps children to develop purposeful structure in their lives.

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outstanding

Children are supported to lead healthy lifestyles. The staff arrange for the children to attend routine medical appointments. Children also engage with specialist professionals to address their personal, sexual and cultural identity. This support has enabled some children to improve their self-esteem and develop a positive outlook for their futures. For some children, this has amounted to exceptional progress as they are now confident with their own identity and can safely express their individuality.

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outstanding

Children have excellent relationships with staff and know that they can discuss their concerns and feelings with adults who genuinely want the best for them. Children are confident that staff truly care for them and put their needs first. This enables the children to feel safe living at the home and know that their voices are heard. Staff actively listen to the children and act on their wishes and feelings. Children enjoy participating in a variety of individual and group activities. These activities encourage them to develop their own interests and further extend their social networks. This results in children developing new friendships, experiences, confidence and a real sense of attachment to the local and wider community.

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outstanding

Children, including those who live far away from their families, are supported to keep in contact with their families and friends. This supports their emotional resilience.

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

Staff fully understand safeguarding procedures and how to respond to concerns about children’s safety. Risk assessments clearly identify the specific individual needs of the children. These assessments make clear how staff should manage children’s risk- taking behaviour. This supports staff to keep children safe from harm. All plans are regularly reviewed by the vigilant management team. Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 4 All children have personalised incentive plans to help them to focus on managing and improving their behaviours. Staff provide the children with clear expectations and boundaries that promote a positive living environment. This clarity ensures that children are fully aware of expectations and supports children to develop tolerance and skills in group living.

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

Staff are highly effective at supporting children to engage positively with social media. Children routinely engage in online safety awareness and training when they come to live at the home. Follow-up key-work sessions help children to remain safe when they are engaged with online platforms. As a result, children are encouraged to enjoy the benefits of safe and appropriate online interaction and are fully supported by the vigilant staff team.

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

Staff work hard to make sure that children feel safe and secure. Staff are generally effective at resolving tensions between children. Staff use physical intervention infrequently and only when necessary. Positive reinforcement encourages the children to grow in confidence and helps them to develop a positive self-view.

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

Children are fully enabled to raise any concerns they may have. Managers respond swiftly to any concerns or complaints. Children are kept fully updated at all stages. As a result, they feel that their complaints are taken seriously and treated respectfully and urgently.

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

Throughout the various COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, staff have fully explained to children how the restrictions are designed to keep them, and those around them, safe from harm. This has ensured that children have remained committed to keeping themselves safe during the pandemic.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively by an experienced registered manager. The registered manager has many years’ experience of working in children’s residential care. She is a knowledgeable practitioner and has a detailed understanding of the strengths of the home, and of its opportunities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are, on the whole, strong systems in place for monitoring the quality of care that children receive. However, there are some shortfalls which, to date, have not negatively affected children’s outcomes. The registered manager relies on her deputy to complete monthly audits of children’s care plans and case records. The registered manager does not always scrutinise these audits to ensure that the findings are accurate. Furthermore, while the registered manager has completed the six-monthly review of the home, this was sent to Ofsted two months after its completion.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have created a culture of high aspirations for the children and this permeates throughout the culture of the home. One member of staff said that the manager is amazing at what she does. She is approachable and supportive. Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 5 Managers are ambitious for the staff to develop expertise in providing high-quality care that can help to transform the lives of the children. Staff make excellent use of training and think creatively about the best ways to support the children. The induction programme for new members of staff is well thought out. It ensures that staff are proficient and confident in providing a nurturing and therapeutic approach to the children’s care. This information is not clearly documented in the home’s workforce plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager receives effective practice-related supervision from the responsible individual. Serious incidents are kept under review in the registered manager’s supervision, and time is used to review how the regulations and quality standards are being met. Managers provide staff with a supportive environment through effective supervision. Staff supervision is focused on children’s experiences and needs. Supervision sessions are recorded effectively and link into staff’s annual appraisals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work effectively to provide care that meets the individual needs of each child. Shift planning is very detailed and considers the day-to-day needs of the children. The ethos of the home is based on a flexible approach to the children’s care, learning and understanding that it is not possible to impose rigid routines and expectations on the children. Managers and staff are very ambitious for the children in terms of the progress they make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well resourced. Staff work closely with the organisation’s multidisciplinary team. They benefit from the team’s collective knowledge and expertise in child sexual exploitation, substance misuse and self-injurious behaviour. This provides staff with clear guidance on how to develop meaningful and effective care plans for the children. This information informs the staff’s understanding of, and response to, risks beyond the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Members of staff show exceptional levels of resilience and commitment during periods of significant disruption. The staff’s practice and approach have remained unconditional to ensure that children feel highly valued, respected and safeguarded. Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring, including under regulations 44 and 45, to ensure continuous improvement. This specifically refers to ensuring that the manager reviews all monitoring systems in the home, including those tasks delegated to members of the home’s management team. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that the regulation 45 report is sent to Ofsted at least every six months. Specifically, ensure that the report is sent to Ofsted as soon as practicable after it is completed. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the 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: SC389183 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care and Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Callard

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Inspector

Paul Thomas, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC389183 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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