Children's home run by Keys Specialist Residential Children‟s Services Ltd in Tewkesbury

Inspection report children’s home: SC434223 1 SC434223 Registered provider: Keys Specialist Residential Children’s Services Limited 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 company. It provides care and accommodation for up to two children who have a variety of complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2019 and is suitably qualified.

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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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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC434223 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/09/2019 Full Good 12/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC434223 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are two children living at the home, both have lived at the home for several years and have made excellent progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a child-focused staff team who places children at the centre of everything they do. For example, one child’s 16th birthday was during a period of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff still arranged a party which all staff attended. There were balloons, cake and video messages from the staff and the child’s family. This meant the child did not miss out on an important milestone and felt valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children flourish because they live in an environment where staff have developed individualised care. One child who struggled with social situations and displayed behaviours which meant he needed very close supervision is now coping better in social situations. This child has grown in confidence and he no longer needs high levels of staff supervision. The child’s independent visitor, who has known him for many years, commented that he has ‘transformed into a calm, lovely young man’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education. Children who previously were reluctant to attend education are now attending. One child is maintaining their place in a mainstream school, both are gaining good grades and one has received an offer of a college placement. Consequently, children are aspirational about their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed independence programmes for each child and are helping children to become more independent by assisting them with day-to-day tasks. Children are also helped to gain and to maintain part-time employment. As a result, children have the skills they will need for the next stages of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children preparing to leave the home are actively involved in the decisions being made. They are given opportunities to visit their new placement and meet those who are going to care for them. Staff have also encouraged families to be involved in the move and to visit and meet those who will care for the child. As a result, children feel part of the decision-making process and are happy with the plans being made for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help and encourage children to maintain relationships with their families. Staff take children for visits no matter the distance. During periods of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children continued to keep in touch with those important to them by using technology. Consequently, children have maintained and, in some cases, improved their relationships with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children at the home are in good health, and staff continue to monitor and to make sure children attend health appointments. However, the staff have not made sure Inspection report children’s home: SC434223 4 that a child who should wear glasses for reading is wearing them. This omission could result in further vision difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with other professionals to provide care for children at the home. Staff seek advice and support as needed along with helping children to access additional support, such as the home’s therapist. This means children receive the help and support they need from those more suited to deliver those services.

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

Staff know the children well. They use this knowledge to make sure children’s plans are individualised and that the staff provide consistent care. This consistency means that incidents in the home are infrequent. Children do not go missing and the need to use physical intervention is rare and is only used when absolutely necessary. However, one child’s missing-from-care plan had not been updated for several years. This omission could have resulted in staff not knowing what to do if the child had gone missing.

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

Staff keep children as safe as possible online. There are parental controls on the home’s Wi-Fi and children have custodia apps on their mobile phones. Staff also undertake work with the children to ensure that they understand the risks online and how to keep themselves safe.

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

Children are given opportunities to take age-appropriate risks. They travel independently to visit family, have more freedom with their mobile phone, see friends and one child is allowed to stay home alone for short periods. Consequently, children have greater confidence and resilience to manage the everyday challenges of life which may arise.

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

Managers have responded appropriately when a concern was raised. This has been reported and investigated appropriately. Following the concern, the child was given the opportunity to reflect and to learn. Consequently, children are more aware of the consequences of their actions.

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

Staff use positive and negative consequences to aid children’s learning about acceptable and unacceptable behaviours. However, positives are rarely recorded. As a result, children may not always see the benefits of positive behaviours.

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

Staff recruited to the home are done so following safer recruitment. Consequently, staff working at the home are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced, knowledgeable, child-focused practitioner. She has high expectations for her staff and for herself. This has resulted in children feeling part of the home and at the centre of everything managers and staff do. Consequently, children are settled and are doing well. Inspection report children’s home: SC434223 5 Managers know the children well and are aware of the progress they have made. This is because managers have continually reviewed the children’s progress, made amendments to their plans and sought advice from other professionals, when needed. Consequently, children receive the support they need to develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a comprehensive induction and shadow shifts prior to working with children. All staff receive a range of training opportunities so that they can meet the needs of the children. As a result, staff working at the home have the skills and the knowledge needed to care for the children and to keep the children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular support from managers through frequent reflective supervision which helps improve their practice. However, the manager has not always had frequent supervision in line with the company policy. This omission means that the manager does not always have an opportunity to reflect on and to discuss her own practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC434223 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; and

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that plans are kept up to date, such as missing protocols. 10 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. In particular, encouraging children to wear glasses when advised to by the optician. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies. Specifically, that positive consequences are used frequently and are recorded. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13) Inspection report children’s home: SC434223 7  The registered person should ensure that the manager receives regular supervision of their practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, 13.2)

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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: SC434223 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Specialist Residential Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC434223 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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