Old Rectory Cottage

Inspection report for children's home: SC429011 1 SC429011 Registered provider: Keys 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 one of a group of homes that makes up the Cross Regional Project, which has been set up between the Keys Group and four local authorities: Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. The home cares for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 1 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. 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 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 for children's home: SC429011 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2019 Full Good 24/04/2018 Full Good 14/08/2017 Full Good 12/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC429011 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have the skills and knowledge to enable them to build strong and trusting relationships with the children. Staff know the children extremely well and adapt their care practices to meet the children’s individual needs. Staff also use a wide range of methods to ascertain each child’s individual views and opinions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consequently, children’s views are respected and incorporated into the daily operation of the home. Children know how to make a complaint and they share their views with confidence. The ‘child’s voice’ is embedded in staff practice. The ‘you said, we did’ tool is an excellent resource that is frequently used in this home. Children feel listened to and, as a result, they know that they are valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s educational needs are a priority for the staff. All children are enrolled in education. Staff maintain good relationships with education professionals and keep in regular contact. If children are struggling in an education setting, staff work collaboratively with those staff to support the children. A headteacher commented that staff are ‘amazing’ and ‘do all they can’ in supporting the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Close links with schools and families ensure that good contact is maintained. Professionals and families comment on the open communication between themselves and the staff. This provides the children with continuity across the home, school and their family environments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional and behavioural progress is tracked by quarterly therapeutic assessments. These assessments ensure that children are provided with the highest level of care specific to their individual needs. Areas of further development are identified and plans of action over the next quarter are child-focused and clear. Children are therapeutically supported to manage the intensity of their emotions more effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Preparing children for leaving the home is a strength of this home. Tools such as detailed and bespoke ‘transition books’ and focused key-work sessions are of high quality. Staff go to great lengths to ensure that children feel well prepared for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Clear planning and the regular reviewing of practice by managers has ensured that there has been a good level of support for the children and staff throughout the COVID-19 restrictions. Despite challenges, leaders and managers have prioritised the safeguarding of the children. The staff have continued to provide a good and safe service for the children. Inspection report for children's home: SC429011 4

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

Safeguarding practice is strong. Staff and managers produce high-quality risk assessments that help the staff to maintain a good understanding of the risks faced by the children in their care. Good-quality training and guidance provides the staff with clear processes to reduce risks for individual children.

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

Safeguarding processes are well managed. Staff follow clear protocols to respond to children who are at risk of going missing from home. The registered manager ensures that any safeguarding issues are responded to promptly. The local authority designated officer raised no concerns regarding safeguarding practice.

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

Staff work proactively with other professionals to safeguard the children. This has resulted in a transparent and collaborative approach. Professionals and family members reported that children are safeguarded.

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

All staff are recruited in line with safe recruitment practice. Leaders carefully follow prescribed recruitment and selection guidance to reduce the risks of employing unsuitable people.

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

The home is a safe environment for children. Fire risk assessments are clear and detailed, and regular fire alarm testing takes place. However, not all maintenance requests are actioned swiftly, presenting avoidable hazards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is experienced, child-focused and passionate about her role. She is providing exceptional leadership to the staff and ensures that they understand the aims and objectives of the home. This sets an aspirational culture within the team and the staff’s practice. Staff members describe leaders and managers as ‘massively supportive’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager knows and understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses well. A detailed workforce development plan clearly sets out the home’s objectives and how these will be achieved. The statement of purpose is reviewed regularly, and updated versions are submitted to Ofsted promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring systems that help leaders to track and review progress are of exceptional quality. All documents and plans are reviewed by senior managers at regular and frequent intervals. This provides the registered manager with excellent oversight of practice and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager provides regular and supportive supervision for the staff, which enables them to develop as they reflect on their experiences of supporting the children. The registered manager also uses supervision as an effective tool for the staff’s continuing professional development, which feeds into the wider appraisal and internal progression system. As a result, staff feel listened to, appreciated and fully part of the staff team. Inspection report for children's home: SC429011 5 The registered manager promotes equality, diversity and inclusion effectively. Senior managers promote the children’s choices and encourage them to develop and embrace their sense of self and personal identity. Every child’s opinion is valued, and this helps the children to feel respected and treated with dignity. Inspection report for children's home: SC429011 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d)) 4 March 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: SC429011 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/o Pinsent Masons Llp, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT1 3LP

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Inspector

Skye Frain, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC429011 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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