Children's home run by Keys QTC Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2595983 1 Registered provider: Keys QTC 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. It provides care for up to four children who may have social, emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager registered with Ofsted in July 2021 but has been in post since February 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, 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

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2595983 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2595983 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the visit, three children were living at the home. Children say that they like the staff. One child said, ‘I get to do good things and they take me to places.’ Children feel listened to and can talk to staff if they have any worries or concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are nurturing and committed in their approach towards the children. Children are relaxed in the company of staff. They have established positive and trusting relationships with staff over time, which helps children feel secure and happy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s complex needs well and follow individualised plans. They closely monitor children’s health and emotional well-being. Staff are proactive in accessing specialist services such as the clinical psychologist. This means children receive the necessary help and support to manage their feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain, rebuild and improve relationships with their parents and relatives. This helps children retain a sense of belonging with people who are important in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the good boundaries and routines that staff have established. These are helping children to settle more at night-time. A staff member said, ‘[Name of child] is now first to bed and first up in the morning.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are ambitious and eager for children to succeed in their education. Attendance is positive for the children in school, who are showing a willingness to learn. Staff are proactive in sourcing home tuition for the children who are not in school. The manager has secured educational provision for all the children through good persistence and challenge with the relevant authorities. The progress children are currently making is varied.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide good structure to the day outside the school term by organising fun- based activities that children are interested in and enjoy such as BMX biking and roller skating. Children have also had positive holiday experiences and trips to theme parks. Children are encouraged and supported to develop basic life skills. They cook with staff, help to wash up and are responsible for cleaning their bedroom each week.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are heard. They take a lead in the children’s meetings which are held regularly. Children present their ideas on matters that are important to them, such as food preferences and birthday celebrations. Staff actively encourage children to join clubs and groups to help promote peer relationships and identity. Inspection report children’s home: 2595983 4

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

Staff are highly committed to maintaining the safety and well-being of children living at this home. They are proactive in reducing the risks to children, for example by applying additional safety measures in response to incidents of self-harm. This helps children feel safe and protects them from harm.

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

Risk assessments are individualised and capture children’s known risks and vulnerabilities. Although there are occasional gaps in recording, staff demonstrate good insight into the risks and the strategies in place. For example, they know what to do when children go missing from care. Staff take prompt action in following children and involving the police where necessary to bring about a safe return. Incidents are reducing because children are becoming more aware of the dangers associated with going missing from care.

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

Restrictive physical intervention is only used when other methods of de-escalation have failed. The manager provides suitable oversight in evaluating incidents and the effectiveness of the measures used. From the records sampled, the holds applied were necessary and proportionate to keep the child and others safe. Revised strategies have led to a recent decrease in applying physical intervention for one child. This is because the child, with staff support, is making more positive choices and learning to self-regulate better.

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

Staff use incentives to modify children’s behaviour. For example, children can choose an item personal to them from the ‘positive box’ as a reward for not getting involved in the behaviours of their peers. Consequences are also applied when necessary. These are given proportionately and are fully explained to the children. Staff are proactive in challenging children’s behaviour, such as swearing. It was good to see that children respond well to this guidance and are learning to take responsibility for their actions.

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

There is good multi-agency working with outside agencies that contributes to risk management plans. For example, input from the diabetic nurse has been invaluable in helping staff understand and support a child with complex health needs. The social worker states, ‘The child is kept safe, and staff have a good understanding of his health needs, working closely with the diabetes nurse and LAC health nurse.’

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

Staff maintain regular communication with social workers and keep them informed of events. Social workers unanimously give positive feedback about the care provided to the children.

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

There are safe recruitment processes to ensure that any person employed to work at the home does not present any known safeguarding risk to children. Inspection report children’s home: 2595983 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. He knows the children well and has created a warm and nurturing environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads a team of staff who are settled, and who share the same positive commitment and ethos. Staff are supportive to one another and work well as a team. For example, they share a good exchange of information during handover. The stability within the team contributes to children receiving good continuity of care overall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are up to date with mandatory training and receive a good variety of training that is matched to the needs of the children. This means that staff are developing the knowledge necessary to support children with complex needs in their care. Staff also receive regular supervision sessions that give them the opportunity to reflect on their practice. Feedback received from staff is positive. They find the manager approachable and supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager generally has good oversight of staff practice. He has identified shortfalls in practice and ensured that staff handle disclosures in line with procedures. However, stringent measures are needed to make sure that there is no repeat of medication errors picked up as part of internal monitoring of the home and that staff receive the additional training and input as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current security measures are not effective in preventing unwanted visitors accessing the home. For example, the inspectors on arrival were able to enter the home unchallenged. However, the living environment is suitably maintained and kept secure. Areas are suitably cordoned off to allow the necessary repairs to be completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of record-keeping is good. Case records reflect children’s lived experiences and related plans. There are also suitable mechanisms in place for tracking children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monthly team meetings and daily handovers are good avenues for sharing relevant information, including any incidents or emerging concerns affecting the children. Staff work well with social workers and families by providing regular updates that keep them informed of events and progress. One parent said, ‘Communication from the home is a good strength.’ She commented that she speaks to staff all the time and they inform her when there are any concerns or issues, but also when there is positive feedback. She said that she is ‘very much still a part of the child’s life’. Inspection report children’s home: 2595983 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring a consistent approach in keeping risk assessments updated as incidents occur and ensuring that these accurately reflect the current risks and show evidence of follow-up work completed as part of the agreed strategies in place. 8 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there are robust systems in place for overseeing the safe administration of medication and that all staff receive the necessary training and input, evaluate incidents in a timely manner and use any 8 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2595983 7 learning from events to improve practice, reviewing the current security measures in place at the home.

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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: 2595983 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys Care Limited, Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

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Inspectors

Mike Charnley, Social Care Inspector Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2595983 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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