Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report children's home: SC063997 1 SC063997 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 three children who have emotional, behavioural and social difficulties.

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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

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC063997 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/06/2019 Full Good 06/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 29/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC063997 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a very good standard of care from a confident and compassionate staff team. Children are settled. They have good routines and enjoy an excellent range of activities. Children develop trusting relationships with the managers and staff. This enables them to build strong attachments. Children have fun, but they can also talk about their worries and concerns. Children develop confidence and resilience because of the nurturing approach to their care from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported with their education. They are transported to school, by staff. For some children, if required, are home educated. The managers and staff help children to learn. They have developed good relationships with school staff. As a result, children develop skills to manage their school day and achieve consistency with their work at school and home. This helps them make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff ensure children’s health needs are met. Where children have anxieties about appointments the staff reassure them. This has led to children attending appointments despite their worries. The children have a balanced diet and are encouraged to exercise daily. This is achieved in various ways that are fun, so children maintain their interest and motivation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see family and friends, who are at times, some distance away. Children also have regular telephone calls with people who are important to them. Parents say they are ‘reassured’ by the care their children receive and they speak confidently about the manager and staff. This helps children to feel settled and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in their care planning. They have access to their records and can comment on, or challenge information if they feel it is incorrect. Children are listened to. The manager and staff act on children’s wishes, where possible. Children know how to make a complaint. Consequently, they feel empowered and able to exercise their rights.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff ensure children’s experiences are captured in personalised memory books. This means children can revisit the valuable times they have spent in the home and with those close to them. As a result, children will have good and lasting memories of their time, at this home.

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

Staff and managers understand the risks and vulnerabilities of children well. Risk assessments are thorough and regularly reviewed. Where appropriate, children are included in assessing situations and risks. This helps them to understand potential harm and the reasons for implementing rules and boundaries. Inspection report children's home: SC063997 4 The home has good links with safeguarding agencies. Concerns are shared appropriately with the relevant agencies. When children are missing from care, the staff and managers ensure that there is a coordinated response to locate and bring them home safely. Children are then offered independent interviews on their return, to understand where they have been and with who. The triggers for going missing are explored in a concerted effort to prevent a recurrence.

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

The manager and staff manage behaviour well. The staff are well-trained in behaviour management. Staff record any incidents thoroughly and children are offered opportunities to talk about their feelings after the event. As a result, children feel supported by staff to make sense of significant events in a supportive manner.

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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. Regular work is undertaken regarding online safety and sexual exploitation. Children are now more able to recognise risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong manager who is passionate about the children he cares for. He has excellent relationships with the children and is actively involved in their care. The children enjoy spending time with him and talk about him warmly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked hard to achieve a high standard of care for the children. He is due to leave the home shortly. The deputy manager has been appointed as the new manager. There is a robust plan in place to support her into this new role. Leaders and managers understand the importance of managing this transition carefully. They appreciate the emotional impact on the children of losing a manager who is so dear to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have recruited staff with a variety of skills and experience. They are highly motivated. Staff enjoy their work and describe themselves as a ’work family’. The staff benefit from thorough inductions, regular supervision and valuable support from managers and senior members of staff. The manager ensures that regular training is provided. This keeps staff up to date in relation to issues affecting the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the use of agency staff is kept to a minimum. Periods of absence are covered by the existing staff team. This prevents unfamiliar adults from caring for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers regularly contribute to multi-agency meetings. They provide robust advocacy for children. They make sure the voice of the child is heard in these meetings. Managers are not afraid to challenge where they believe that children’s needs are not being met. Where there are differing views regarding care plans, leaders and managers arrange discussions with partner agencies. This ensures that positive conclusions can be reached. Inspection report children's home: SC063997 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: SC063997 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: SC063997 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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