Children's Home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 1248043 1 Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may have learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted 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 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 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 for children’s home: 1248043 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2020 Full Good 15/01/2019 Full Good 28/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1248043 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live in this home are cared for by staff who know them extremely well. As a result, both children in the home make good progress. One child’s emotional health has significantly improved since he came to live in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both homes have been recently renovated and the home environment is safe. There are pictures of one child’s family all around the home, including several pictures of the child. This helps the child to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children attend school that is appropriate to meet their complexed needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in activities in the community. This helps children to gain in confidence and develop social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to see their families in line with their current care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s guides are written for each child and are suitable to meet their complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move in and out of the home do so by a well-planned approach. Staff and the manager take time to build relationships with children who are coming to live in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents of one child who lives in the home told the inspector they feel that their child has made ‘significant progress’ and staff ‘put his needs first’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Complex health needs are being well managed. Strong and well-established links exist with community-based healthcare services. The home retains good links with a range of services which provide specialised care to children. A healthcare professional told the inspector that staff and the manager are ‘capable, caring and determined to do the best for both children who live in the home’.

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

Risk management is good in the home. However, one child’s bedroom contained locks on his wardrobe and drawers. This had not been regularly reviewed in line with his current presenting risks. Furthermore, another child’s bedroom contained no toys or belongings. This environment does not help children to thrive.

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

Allegations against staff are dealt with swiftly and effectively by the manager. This means children living in the home are safeguarded from potentially unsafe adults.

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

Poor decision-making made by the previous manager led to a child coming to live in the home with staff who were not effectively trained to care for him. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248043 4 Staff and the manager have undertaken a range of training in safeguarding matters. This ensures that they have some basic knowledge of safeguarding practice. However, staff had not received training in relation to some specific risks to the child prior to him coming to live in the home. This fails to adequately equip the staff to meet the needs of the child and potentially increases the risk of harm to the child.

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

Behaviour management is well managed. A non-confrontational approach means that children live in a non-punitive environment. However, children are not always supported to take age-appropriate risks. As a result, this does not allow children to learn by experience.

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

Staff complete training in the use of physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. There is a high level of physical intervention used in the home; however, staff only use such measure of control to prevent children from hurting themselves and/or others. Staff record these incidents with care and provide a detailed record. As a result, managers have all the information that they need to evaluate these incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is inspirational and child centred in her approach. She has created a culture that is categorised by high hopes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staffing team is permanent and, although there was a high turnover of staff last year, the current manager has now created a stable workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Complaints made are dealt with effectively and appropriate feedback is provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not been proactive in progressing one child’s care plan. Not progressing children’s plans means that children’s development could be delayed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care planning documents held in the home are generally of good quality. However, some records are not regularly reviewed. For example, children’s plans do not contain review dates in order to track children’s progress. The manager is committed to reviewing and revising her systems to ensure children’s records are regularly reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, and training is available to enhance their knowledge and skills. Children are discussed in detail at team meetings and are the primary focus in the home. Staff say that they ‘love’ working here. Staff and the manager thrive on the achievements that children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and the manager work well with a range of professionals which include health, educational and social workers. Furthermore, the manager and staff seek support and guidance from other professionals when required. Children benefit from this multi-agency approach. Professionals speak positively about the home and the progress that the children make. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248043 5

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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 the 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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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

meet the needs of each child. Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(vi)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)) 4 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1248043 6 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; 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h)) 4 February 2022

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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 for children’s home: 1248043 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Inspector

Rachel Springford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1248043 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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