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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 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 provides care for up to seven children who may have learning disabilities. The home is run and managed by a large private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 22 December 2020.

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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

The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider.

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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

Date of last inspection: 12 February 2020

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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: 1247773 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2020 Full Good 10/10/2018 Full Good 10/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by a committed staff team. Staff have spent time developing positive relationships with children. Children benefit from living in a spacious home with the development of new facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff support children to spend quality time in the sensory, soft play and activity rooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the often-complex needs of each child well. Placement plans for children provide staff with appropriate guidance on how best to support each child. Children’s plans are regularly reviewed to reflect their changing needs. Children are supported to make choices and develop their independence skills. A good example of this is one child regularly helping staff to prepare dinner for everyone.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well supported through staff working collaboratively with specialist health services. Children’s education and learning is well promoted. Children have made good progress from their starting points. Professionals shared positive feedback about the support that staff provide to children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate well for children. The team actively promotes children spending meaningful time with their family. One parent shared positive feedback about how the staff have helped their child to develop and supported the child’s emotional well- being. Professionals commented on the positive relationships staff have developed with parents. Staff work closely with social workers when there is a planned move into and on from the home, including moving to an adult care setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop links to their community through taking part in activities available through the local offer. Children have also enjoyed days trips further afield, including a Christmas-themed train ride. Staff support children to take part in activities that they feel are important to them. One particularly inspiring example, chosen by one child, was for them to save their pocket money to donate to a food bank. This kind action helped the children to see how they, in turn, have helped others locally.

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

Children’s known vulnerabilities and identified risks are well understood due to the effective risk management plans in place. Staff are provided with clear strategies on how to appropriately support each child. When a child’s individual needs have changed, staff have been provided with up-to-date guidance in relation to, for example, additional safety measures being put in place to keep children safe.

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

Staff maintain good communication with the professional network for each child. This ensures that changes to assessment of risk are discussed and increased support measures are agreed collaboratively with each child’s social workers. This includes appropriate consideration of relevant deprivation of liberty safeguards. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 4 Children benefit from a good level of individual support from known staff. This helps children to develop trust with staff and enables them to take part in activities safely.

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

There was a period during which there was an increased use of agency staff to meet the needs of children. This followed significant changes in the staff team during the pandemic. However, children’s needs remained a priority, with the staff and management team working additional hours to provide continuity of care. New staff have been recruited to address this gap which will strengthen the consistency of care. This is important in the context of children’s specific support needs.

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

The small number of agency staff now supporting the core staff team are provided with clear guidance on the scope of their role. Agency staff are not expected to physically intervene where it is necessary to ensure the safety of children. Therefore, they are not provided with the relevant training in responding to challenging behaviours which challenge. Without this training, they are not equipped with the specific skills to respond to a child, who may need to be held, to keep children safe.

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

The small number of allegations against staff have been appropriately investigated, resulting in no further action following consultation with the designated officer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced registered manager is committed and child-centred in their approach. They have a good understanding of the complexity of each children’s needs and how these affect other children within the group setting. The registered manager is a strong advocate for children. They are confident in challenging professionals where needed, for example when there is a drift in children’s agreed plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager, along with the experienced deputy managers, is responsible for a large staff team. Together, they provide a good level of support. Staff feel valued and appreciate the considerate approach of the management team. There has been a significant number of staff who have started working at the home and then left during the pandemic. This is in part due to some staff not having the skills to undertake a caring role. However, recruitment has since focused on ensuring that staff fully understand the expectations of the caring role in meeting the needs of children. The home’s statement of purpose does not accurately reflect these staffing changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Learning and development for staff is recognised as key to the quality of care staff provide to children. The registered manager has developed a good range of learning opportunities including regular workshops focused on meeting the needs of children. Staff receive individual supervision, which provides space for them to reflect on their own practice. However, this has not always been provided regularly to all staff. The registered manager has prioritised this and staff are now receiving more frequent supervision. Most requirements from the last inspection have been met. However, annual staff appraisals have not been completed on time. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 5 The registered manager has ensured the continued development of the home environment. However, there has been a delay in a small number of maintenance issues which needed addressing. The registered manager actioned this during the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

inspection with an agreed timescale for the completion of works now in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual has a good understanding of the children’s needs through their regular time spent in the home. They effectively support the registered manager. The responsible individual has ensured that additional resources are provided in response to recommendations made in the monthly monitoring visits conducted by an independent person. These monitoring reports are appropriately shared with Ofsted. However, there have been delays in sharing these in recent months. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 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 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that maintenance issues are addressed once identified. 7 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

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

Specifically, ensure that agency staff receive the same training as employed staff, in relation to the use of physical intervention. 7 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 7 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 7 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b)(c)) 07 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 7 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that monthly reports are shared with Ofsted within required timescales. 7 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) Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 8 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 9

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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: Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Inspector

Maria Lonergan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1247773 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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