Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2570535 1 Registered provider: Keys NHCC Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a large private company. It is registered to care for up to four children with a variety of complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has worked in the home since it was registered and is qualified to level 5 in health and social care management.

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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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2570535 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2570535 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In February 2022, a third child moved into the home. Staff struggled to meet the needs of this child or to manage the dynamics between the three children. In June 2022, the child moved out, leaving the original two children living in the home. The home has returned to being settled and the two children are making good progress in many areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with children, which allows them to have conversations with children about difficult topics. This enables staff to manage and defuse most incidents and supports the children to make informed decisions about their lives and futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have historically struggled with education have re-engaged, sat exams and made good progress. Staff have worked with academic professionals to support one child to secure a further education college place and the other child an apprenticeship. However, staff have not chased a date for an exam re-sit for one child or the exam results for the other child. In this instance, staff have not been proactive in supporting children’s educational outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to the children. There are regular key-worker sessions and children’s meetings. Children confirmed that staff consult with them on topics such as what they want to eat and what activities they would like to do. This is ensuring that the children play an active role in their day-to-day care and influence their plans for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When appropriate, staff work closely with parents to help them maintain positive relationships with their children. Parents are kept informed of their child’s progress and are involved in conversations with staff to keep their child focused and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children develop and maintain hobbies and interests. For example, one child takes good care of her two hamsters and has recently purchased a tank for a new goldfish. Staff also sensitively encourage the children to learn skills ready for living independently. One child now travels independently on trains and buses to visit a friend, and both are developing their budgeting, food shopping and cooking skills. This prepares the children for their future moves into adulthood.

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

Staff work closely as a team and with partnership agencies and parents to safeguard the children. When the children are unsettled or threaten to harm themselves, staff take prompt action in line with children’s individual risk assessments and plans. This means that children receive the support that they need to be kept safe. Inspection report for children's home: 2570535 4 The responsible individual and registered manager have a good understanding of patterns and trends of incidents in and outside the home. They listen to the children and staff. When they identify that a child’s needs are not being met or that children are not safe, they adjust practice and take appropriate action, for example, making safeguarding referrals to the local authority and making sure strategy meetings take place. This ensures that children have access to the professionals that they need to remain safe.

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

All staff have completed training on the use of physical interventions and de- escalation techniques. The frequency of incidents requiring physical intervention is very low because staff are successful at promoting positive behaviours and preventing situations from escalating. Staff place a strong emphasis on supporting the children to learn to appropriately express their feelings and emotions. They also promote independence and the child’s voice by encouraging the children to make informed choices. These new skills enable the children to communicate their needs and influence their lives more effectively.

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

Since the third child has moved out of the home, there have not been any missing- from-home incidents. However, missing-from-home protocols are up to date, reviewed regularly and shared appropriately with relevant professionals. This helps staff know what to do in the event of a child going missing from the home.

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

Recruitment practices are strong and only suitable people work in the home. Health and safety checks confirm the safety of the premises, and staff undertake regular health and safety checks. Damage to the property is quickly reported and repaired.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual and registered manager have a clear understanding of the current strengths of the service and the areas that still require further development. Since the last Ofsted inspection, internal and external quality assurance processes have been used to inform a quality improvement plan. This has helped managers to address historical shortfalls and drive up standards. For example, additional management support was used to ensure all records, risk assessments and children’s plans were up to date. These initiatives have enabled the manager and staff team to catch up with a backlog of work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual has made the decision to delay moving another child into the home. This has enabled the two remaining children to settle and the staff team to recuperate. This is supporting managers to re-establish a good baseline of care and practice moving forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The stability of the staff team is a contributing factor to achieving positive outcomes for the children. Staff feel supported by managers. They receive regular supervision, appraisals, staff meetings and mandatory training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When necessary, the registered manager challenges other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are met, for example, chasing social workers to complete Inspection report for children's home: 2570535 5 assessments to enable children to visit and stay with family and friends. Advocating on a child’s behalf promotes and increases their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team benefits from the input of clinicians and the organisation’s self-harm lead, but this is not yet resulting in a cohesive team approach. Staff have not received training on the organisation’s psychologically informed care planning or the organisation’s practice-based theory. The organisation is in the process of introducing new training that will address these shortfalls and be delivered to the staff as a team in September 2022. The responsible individual is also planning to run a team-building event. This will help the team reflect, evolve and continue to move forward collectively and focus on achieving positive outcomes for the two children living in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2570535 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 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

that staff help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)) 30 September

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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 the staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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)(b)(c)) 30 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enables them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5) Inspection report for children's home: 2570535 7

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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: 2570535 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Dawn Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2570535 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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