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Inspection report children’s home: SC370956 1 SC370956 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

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children aged between 12 and 17 years who have a variety of complex needs, and who require specialist support. The manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2017 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 20 and 21 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. 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 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: 29 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC370956 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/09/2018 Full Good 09/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC370956 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care and support from a team that knows them well. Children are settled and they feel safe. They have strong relationships with the manager and staff. Children have good routines and they attend education every day. All children are beginning to develop their independence and are making considerable progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and managers have an in-depth knowledge of each child’s needs. Children have detailed care plans which are carefully adapted when needs and risks change. Managers and staff work closely with children, as well as the professionals who support them, to ensure that plans develop at the child’s pace. As a result, children feel included, and they invest in the home and their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff place great value on education. Children attend schools or have tutors at home. The staff do not give up on children when they are struggling to engage in education. Staff have built strong relationships with education providers and, together, they find approaches that work. Children are beginning to value their learning and have plans for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of activities, inside and outside of the home. Children are supported to see friends and family, go to the gym and visit activity venues. One child is currently taking part in the National Citizen Service. This has helped her to make friends and grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are heard, listened to and respected by the manager and staff. Regular house meetings take place, during which children raise any issues they feel are important. Staff complete good-quality key-work sessions with children, focusing on important topics which help children to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Managers and staff support children to attend routine appointments. They also access specialist support where needed. One child has required extensive support this year during a particularly difficult time. The manager sourced specialist training and consultation to ensure that staff had the right skills to provide the care the child needed. The staff showed a high level of commitment during this time, which enabled the child to make progress.

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

Staff and managers have good awareness and understanding of the children’s individual vulnerabilities, risks and needs, and they take effective action to keep children safe.

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

Staff manage children’s behaviour well with sensitive approaches, consistent boundaries and personalised incentives. There is minimal use of physical Inspection report children’s home: SC370956 4 interventions. Where interventions have been used, they have been appropriate and in line with procedures. All incidents have robust management oversight.

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

The home has good links with safeguarding agencies. Concerns are shared appropriately with the relevant agencies. When children are missing from the home, staff and managers ensure that there is a coordinated response and that children are offered independent return home interviews on their return. Direct work is carried out with children to help reduce missing from home incidents and increase safety for children. As a result, incidents have reduced considerably in recent months.

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

Staff and managers ensure that children are safe online. They undertake regular phone checks and monitor use of devices. Consequently, any concerns are identified and reported. Children tell staff when they have any concerns, for example if they are asked for an inappropriate image. Regular work is undertaken regarding sexual exploitation and children are now more able to recognise risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong management team. The managers show real commitment to the children by developing personalised approaches to their care. Managers are ambitious for children, and consequently children make good progress and have clear plans for their futures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home. They benefit from reflective supervision and regular training. Staff feel listened to and cared about. As a result, there is a stable, established staff team and children experience consistent care. The use of agency staff is kept to a minimum and, when they are required, the manager requests regular workers who know the children. This prevents unfamiliar adults from caring for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They have worked hard to make improvements since their last inspection. Managers scrutinise shortfalls and translate learning into action plans for improvement. For example, where poor practice has occurred, managers investigate and take decisive action to prevent further incidents. This has improved the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers carefully consider plans for children who are coming to live at the home, and those who are leaving. They have learned from experience and reflect in detail before accepting new children into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers regularly contribute to multi-agency meetings, providing robust advocacy for children and ensuring that children’s views are heard. Managers challenge effectively where they believe that children’s needs are not being met. Professionals have confidence in the manager and his leadership of the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC370956 5

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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: SC370956 6

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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

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC370956 7 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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