Children's home run by Keswick Care Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2483830 1 Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was appointed in June 2021. He is not registered with Ofsted.

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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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2483830 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2483830 3

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improvement to be good

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector observed and spoke to the child during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences and progress are undermined by the poor quality of leadership and management in the home.

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improvement to be good

The staff encourage children to be healthy. For example, they provide support with healthy eating, personal care and attendance at medical appointments. If children smoke, staff offer advice and suggest services such as smoking cessation. However, the manager does not evaluate the impact of the advice or respond effectively to prevent children smoking in their bedroom. This may negatively affect children’s health and welfare.

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improvement to be good

Children have some positive relationships with staff, who listen to the children’s views and encourage them to express their feelings. However, children experience significant delays in being allocated an independent advocate. This means that they do not receive independent support to share their views and wishes about their lives and care.

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improvement to be good

The staff support children to attend school and value education. Regular communication takes place between the staff and education professionals, and children’s progress is reviewed. However, when children do not attend, the staff do not explore the wider issues or provide the child with structured home learning. This results in children experiencing gaps in education, which affects their progress.

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improvement to be good

When there is evidence that a child’s needs are not being met, the manager does not challenge other agencies or professionals effectively. This results in children’s plans not being followed and has a negative impact on the child’s experience and progress.

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improvement to be good

The home is well maintained and spacious. Children choose how their bedrooms are decorated, including the layout and furnishings. There is good indoor and outdoor communal space, including a separate annex where children can attend appointments with professionals or hold meetings.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to develop positive friendships in the community. Staff show curiosity around who the children spend time with to assure themselves that relationships are safe. Where appropriate, children invite their friends to visit the home to socialise and enjoy a meal. This helps children to feel comfortable in their home. Inspection report children's home: 2483830 4 Children enjoy new experiences, such as trips away with staff. The staff help the children to remember these enjoyable times, by taking some photos and a record of the activities the children have enjoyed. Staff create memory books for the children to keep and include personal messages of endearment.

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improvement to be good

Children have individual care plans and risk assessments which include most of their needs and targets. However, these documents are not up to date and do not give staff clear guidance on the action and strategies to follow. This may affect the consistency of care that children receive, and risks being managed effectively.

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improvement to be good

When children are missing from home, the staff take appropriate action to help to locate the child. They actively search for the child and share information with other agencies who also assist. Staff keep good records and gather intelligence on children’s whereabouts, which staff use for future reference.

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improvement to be good

The staff help children to understand dangers and risks, particularly in relation to exploitation and harmful relationships. Staff undertake key-work sessions with the children. In some examples found, not all records are written in a child-friendly style.

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improvement to be good

The staff consult with the in-house therapy team to devise strategies to manage the children’s behaviour effectively, with a focus on de-escalation techniques. However, the manager has failed to evaluate the effectiveness of the behaviour management strategies, such as sanctions and rewards. In addition, he does not ensure that techniques are clearly understood by staff. Therefore, the child’s behaviour is not consistently managed by staff.

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improvement to be good

Allegations and concerns about staff practice are taken seriously. Senior leaders in the organisation carry out thorough investigations. When practice issues are identified, action plans are implemented and, if necessary, additional training and advice are provided.

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good

There have been changes to the management of the home since the last inspection. Senior leaders have provided additional management support during recent months and advice to the manager. However, the quality of management requires improvement to be good.

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good

The management arrangements and oversight are not effective and have led to several shortfalls. The manager does not lead or inspire the staff. Alternatively, he delegates responsibilities to other staff who have little time or have received minimal guidance. He has a poor understanding of the home’s therapeutic model of care and Inspection report children's home: 2483830 5 the statement of purpose. The quality of management has had a negative effect on children’s experiences in the home.

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good

Staff retention has affected the consistency of care for children. Some staff have joined the home and left after a short period of employment. The deputy manager and other staff have worked additional shifts, and staff from the provider’s sister homes have also been used when necessary. When describing the challenges of staffing, the manager said that staff were ‘firefighting’ and acknowledged that this has affected the quality of care for children.

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good

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an added complication and challenge, which has placed additional pressure on staff and the management of the home. At times, staff morale has been low.

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good

Staff recruitment is managed centrally by the provider. The recruitment process is thorough. In most cases, applicants have two interviews and attend an observed practice as part of assessing their suitability for the role. This includes feedback from a child. Staff speak positively about the induction process which helps staff to prepare for working in the home.

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good

Staff complete mandatory training and have access to a range of other training opportunities organised by the provider. This includes training which is specific to the children’s individual needs. Staff speak positively about the quality of training and the balance between face-to-face and online learning.

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good

Staff supervision takes place on a regular basis and a record is kept from the session. Supervision is reflective and structured, and, where appropriate, actions are set for staff development. The manager’s system for tracking supervision is not reliable and has not been shared with the deputy manager. This has resulted in separate records being created which contain contradictory information. Inspection report children's home: 2483830 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, the 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

consider a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (d)) 31 March 2022

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff ensuring that children’s plans are up to date and followed. 31 March 2022 Inspection report children's home: 2483830 7 The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)(iii)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(viii)) 31 March 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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 31 March 2022 Inspection report children's home: 2483830 8 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 the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)(f))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2483830 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hylton House, 150 Barnsley Road, Hemsworth, West Yorkshire WF9 4PQ

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Inspector

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2483830 10 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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