Children's Home run by Keys ACE Limited in Bury

Inspection report children's home: SC420388 1 SC420388 Registered provider: Keys ACE Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to four children. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home provides services to meet the needs of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (emotional and social difficulties). At the time of the inspection, the four children living in the home spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since August 2019. She has recently returned to the home following a period of absence.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this children’s home to carry out an assurance visit on 14 and 15 October 2020. 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC420388 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/05/2018 Full Good 19/09/2017 Full Good 30/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC420388 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like living in the home. They benefit from a high standard of care that is centred around their individual needs. Staff treat children with warmth and respect and clearly want the best for them. These relationships underpin the significant progress children make in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to. Alongside daily conversations and direct-work sessions with staff, children meet with the manager on a regular basis to share their views about the home. Their views influence their day-to-day care and any complaints they have are responded to appropriately by the manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in ensuring that children have access to routine and specialist health care. They maintain strong links with the specialist services attached to the organisation, to further strengthen their understanding of children’s needs and ensure that care plans remain relevant for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to understand the importance of education. Staff facilitate their attendance and communicate daily with education providers to maintain consistent approaches and address any issues. When there are concerns, staff advocate on behalf of children, appropriately challenging other services to ensure that children’s needs are being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The team promotes children’s identity and achievements. The children’s individuality and successes are celebrated, and they are encouraged to pursue interests and develop safe peer relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The team is proactive in supporting children to develop their independence and life skills according to their individual needs. Older children are supported with budgeting and meal preparation. They are helped to make decisions about their future plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been well managed in the home. When children became unwell, members of the team moved into the home to support them. Throughout the pandemic, the team has been creative in supporting children to safely keep in touch with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop a sense of belonging in the home. Bedrooms and communal areas are personalised to reflect their individual interests and the kitchen has recently been refurbished. Some maintenance tasks are awaiting completion, including damaged flooring which is a potential trip hazard. Since the assurance visit in October 2020, the use of surveillance equipment has been reviewed in-line with children’s plans. Inspection report children's home: SC420388 4

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

Children say they feel safe and happy living in the home. One child told the inspector: ‘[Name of manager] is fantastic. In fact, the whole team are amazing. It’s my home. They definitely keep me safe. They help me, and I can talk to them about anything that is going on. They do really help.’ Professionals are highly complimentary about the levels of care and communication provided by the team and say they know children are safe.

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

Some children have complex behaviours. These behaviours are well understood. Staff work collaboratively with other services to help children to develop their understanding of safe behaviours and to make safer choices. As a result, there has been a reduction in numbers of incidents of children displaying behaviours which are harmful to themselves and others.

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

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities. They are vigilant to risks and have access to individual risk and behaviour management plans that provide strategies for them to use to keep children safe. However, when children’s plans have been updated, staff do not always sign to say they have read them and are aware of any changes. This is something the manager is taking action to address.

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

There have not been any incidents of children going missing from home, and the risks they experience in the community are significantly reduced. Any instances of staff holding children to keep them safe only occur as a last resort. When they are used, there is strong oversight by the manager and debriefs take place with children and staff.

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

To further enhance staff’s abilities to work with children who display complex behaviours, the team has access to specialist training. However, not all staff have completed training which has been identified to meet children’s individual needs.

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

The manager has good oversight of all safeguarding incidents and allegations. They are dealt with in line with procedures; however, the level of oversight was not as robust in the manager’s absence. She reopened an investigation on her return, to ensure that any learning was identified and the child knew they had been listened to.

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

Sanctions, used as a consequence of negative behaviour, are helpful in supporting children to make changes to their behaviour. However, they are not always proportionate or clearly recorded. This was identified by the manager on her return to the home and is something she is taking action to address.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably skilled and experienced manager. She holds the relevant qualification. The team benefits from her clear leadership and guidance, and she is creating an environment that is ambitious for children. Other professionals regard her as an exceptional advocate for the children in her care. She Inspection report children's home: SC420388 5 is proactive at challenging shortfalls in practice and in addressing any concerns with other services.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some recent changes to the management team. The manager is supported by a new responsible individual and a new deputy manager. Together, they have implemented a number of changes to further increase management oversight and improve recording by the team. The team is naturally therapeutic, but the terminology sometimes used in recordings doesn’t always reflect this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When the manager was absent, shortfalls in support from management resulted in staff supervisions not always taking place in line with the organisation’s policy. Records did not routinely demonstrate reflective discussions. Since her return, the manager has taken action to address these issues, and staff say they feel supported and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team is stable, and morale is high. Any staffing shortfalls are usually covered by the team or staff from the organisation. Agency staff are rarely used. Introductions take place with any new staff to ensure that children get to know staff who are working with them. The team benefits from regular supervision and effective team meetings. The team also has access to support from a range of professionals to further enhance practice in the home, including consultations with the organisation’s therapy team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recommendations made at the assurance visit have been met. Inspection report children's home: SC420388 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 outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need on order to live their comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iii)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that that all floor coverings are well maintained and free from hazards, and that damage caused in the home is repaired and redecorated in a timely manner. 25 February 2022

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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— 25 February 2022 Inspection report children's home: SC420388 7 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff complete training in working with children who display sexually harmful behaviours.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure there are clear arrangements in place to maintain effective support systems for interim managers and staff when the manager is absent, off duty or on leave. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording that is helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that risk management plans are regularly updated and reviewed by all staff. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff supervisions provide opportunities for staff to reflect and that supervision notes evidence these discussions. (‘Guide

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Recommendations

to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)

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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: SC420388 8

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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

Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC420388 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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