Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 1 SC363422 Registered provider: Keys Educational Services 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 is registered to provide care for up to three children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced registered manager.

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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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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 outstanding

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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: SC363422 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2019 Full Good 14/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/04/2018 Full Good 21/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive sensitive and nurturing care from an experienced staff team. Together, the children and staff develop a sense of family, which children enjoy. A particular strength is helping children recover from exploitation. The manager and staff provide consistent empathy and boundaries, which over time help children to thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak with great affection about the staff. They say that they feel cared about and know the staff are there for them. They have fun together, learning new skills, and they can also talk about their problems. When children feel upset, staff provide emotional support and nurture. These approaches enable children to build strong bonds, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support children to develop their talents and interests. All three children have hobbies, including horse riding, cooking and crafts. They also have pets to care for. Children receive praise and rewards for their individual successes. As a result, children feel good about themselves and they grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support children to do well in education. Where children struggle, they work persistently with other agencies to help children back to school. At times, children need more individualised approaches. The manager and staff provide this through home tutors and activities at home. As a result, children’s anxieties lessen, and they begin to enjoy the experience of learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are attentive to children’s emotional and physical health. Children are supported to attend health appointments. They have access to an in- house therapist, who has begun to make relationships with the children. As a result, children start to develop new ways to manage their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in their care planning. They are supported to attend key meetings. They are also included in daily discussions with the manager and staff. Children know how to make complaints. These are responded to promptly by the manager. Records are kept up to date to reflect children’s lives. However, children are not offered regular opportunities to read and comment on the content of these records.

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

The manager and staff understand the risks posed to and by children well. They have a good understanding of children’s histories and the impact of their life experiences on their behaviour and presentation. This knowledge provides the foundation for well-informed risk assessments. One child is subject to a court order Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 4 that restricts her liberty. The staff are managing this well. Over time, children’s safety increases due to the diligence of the staff.

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

Staff use their skills and their knowledge of children to keep incidents to a minimum. They maintain a positive atmosphere in the home, which prevents situations from escalating. When incidents do occur, they are managed safely. Support is provided to children afterwards to help them recover.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. Where this has previously been a feature of their lives, the manager and staff help children to make considerable progress. The commitment to keeping children safe from exploitation is excellent. The police have commended the work of the home in this area of practice.

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

Leaders and managers demonstrate transparency in their safeguarding practices. Allegations and complaints are investigated thoroughly. There is good communication with relevant agencies and concerns are addressed in a timely way. Staff are recruited safely through robust procedures. As a result, children are protected from increased risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by an accomplished, qualified manager who knows the home very well. She has created and maintained an ethos that inspires commitment and loyalty from her staff. The manager is extremely self-motivated, often completing additional qualifications in her own time. The manager leads by example in her child-centred approach. She is attentive to children and helps them work through painful experiences. The manager has shown exceptional dedication to many children over several years. Children’s lives have improved significantly under her care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has provided outstanding leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been highly successful in retaining the staff team through this challenging time. This is testament to the quality of relationships that exist between the manager and staff. As a result, children have remained settled and happy because they have had continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff have commendable relationships with external agencies. Communication and information-sharing with involved professionals and agencies are excellent. Regular meetings take place and all agencies working with children are very well coordinated. The manager is influential in decision-making processes. She goes above and beyond her role to ensure that children receive the help and support they need to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff enjoy a supportive and homely environment. They have continual professional development, including bespoke training provided by the in-house therapist. As a result, the care provided to children is grounded in theory, enabling children with complex needs to be cared for in ways that are evidence-based. The staff benefit from good-quality managerial and clinical consultation. They feel valued Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 5 and listened to. Consequently, the staff maintain confidence and resilience in their work. Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 6

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Recommendation

 The registered manager should ensure that children are actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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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: SC363422 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Educational Services Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC363422 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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