Children's Home run by Keys Direct Care Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC419429 1 SC419429 Registered provider: Keys Direct 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 by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to four children with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The statement of purpose states that the home only provides care for females.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2021 and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 21 November 2019

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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: SC419429 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2019 Full Good 23/10/2018 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Good 06/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC419429 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. They say that they are happy in the home. Children are building positive and trusting relationships with the staff, who have started to use a more nurturing approach in their work practices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children have education in place which is tailored specifically to their needs. Some children have returned to education after a long period of absence and are making progress. Staff work well with schools and communication is described as good. When issues have occurred, the manager has attended meetings and supported children to have a voice, to reach a resolution. As a result, children have felt supported and have maintained their school placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with people who matter to them. They have built friendships and have social time away from the home with their friends. This is helping children to develop social skills and independence and have a sense of belonging to their community. Children are supported to maintain connections with their families and to build on these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are being met and they have access to external health professionals who provide additional support and guidance. Children’s care plans do not consistently document children’s diagnoses or consider any adaptations that may be needed to working practices. Some language used within reports is not child- focused or empathetic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are not regularly reviewed and updated. Some updated information is recorded on scraps of paper and not all information is easily located. This means that not all known and current information is documented. Consequently, this limits the staff’s understanding of the current needs of the children. There is an overall lack of attention to detail and care in documenting children’s lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently undergone some refurbishment and redecoration. Children have contributed their views in planning this refurbishment and they have benefited from having a say in what the home looks like. Children’s bedrooms are highly personalised, and most children have their own pets. This contributes to the welcoming and homely environment that they live in.

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improvement to be good

Some shortfalls have been identified which have the potential to cause harm to children if not addressed. The management of allegations and complaints has not been in line with safeguarding policies and procedures designed to protect children. External professionals have not been informed of concerns in a timely way, or prior Inspection report for children's home: SC419429 4 to managers undertaking their own investigations. This could potentially compromise external investigations into concerns raised by children.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always followed safeguarding policies in reporting allegations and concerns to managers and external agencies. This has led to delays in action being taken in response, to investigations and to agreeing plans to safeguard children. Additional training and guidance for staff has been provided.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are not helpful to staff and risk causing confusion. They do not contain all relevant information and do not link to other plans. Not all risk assessments detail how risk is to be reduced or mitigated. This prevents staff from having a clear understanding of the management of risk and how best to support children in keeping safe.

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improvement to be good

The home has regularly used agency staff to cover gaps in staffing. Identification checks of agency staff who have come to work in the home have not been documented. Any induction undertaken with agency staff is not documented. This impairs the management oversight in relation to what information has been shared and who has been working in the home.

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improvement to be good

Incidents in the home are usually well managed and they have started to reduce in frequency. Staff have followed procedures when children have gone missing and they have worked with external agencies in locating children and bringing them home safely. On their return, children have been given opportunities to discuss the reasons for their absence. Children have adults in the home that they trust and who they can discuss their concerns with. Children have been supported when making complaints and have a voice in the home.

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good

The impact of COVID-19 has led to some staffing shortages recently, due to staff sickness and periods of self-isolation. The manager has prioritised supporting the day-to-day care of the children during this time, which has had an impact on the management oversight of the home.

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good

The new manager has a clear vision of how she wants the home to develop and progress. There have been difficulties for the manager in trying to implement some alternative approaches in working with children. There has been some resistance from some of the staff, which led to staff resignations. This has impacted on the quality and completion of paperwork and tasks. The manager is now rebuilding the team and is in the process of completing a home development plan to reflect her vision for the home.

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good

Not all staff have completed additional training which would support them in having a better understanding of some of the children’s needs. All staff have completed a range of mandatory training courses, including safeguarding. Not all staff have had Inspection report for children's home: SC419429 5 regular supervision. This limits opportunities for reflection and discussion around working practice and the children.

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good

Management monitoring and auditing systems are not yet embedded, and the oversight of key documents is weak. Children’s plans are disjointed, out of date and do not contain all relevant information. It is difficult to assess children’s progress in the home due to a lack of documented evidence.

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good

External audits have not provided sufficient scrutiny in identifying shortfalls or areas for development, or in making recommendations that would support improvement in the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC419429 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to children’s plans reflecting all known risks and staff and managers working in line with child protection policies and procedures. This also relates to induction and the verification of identification for all staff working in the home. 1 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. 1 March 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC419429 7 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;

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to staff having training that is specific to children’s needs, to develop understanding. This also relates to the manager having clear systems in place to monitor and review children’s plans.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to children’s care plans, to ensure that they are regularly updated, reviewed and maintained to a good standard, taking into account children’s views and using language that demonstrates care. 1 March 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person carrying out visits to the home undertakes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home, taking into account arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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 for children's home: SC419429 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Direct Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC419429 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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