Children's home run by Keys Child Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2669971 1 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This residential home is run by a private organisation. It provides care and education for children and young people with a variety of complex needs aged between 11 and 18 years old who need specialist support.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since the home opened in February 2022 and is registered with Ofsted.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2669971 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have moved to the home since it opened in February 2022. The children have started to make good progress in all areas. They have built positive, trusting relationships with the staff team. The staff understand children’s past traumas and the impact that traumas have on their behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The atmosphere at the home is calm, inviting and friendly. Children and staff appear happy and relaxed in each other’s company. There are laughter and appropriate jokes between the staff and the children. Children spoke positively about the staff and said that they enjoy spending time with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide good support to children who are moving to the home. The staff visited the child before the move. New children are given photos of the home to prepare them for the move and reduce their anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are in good health. Staff support them to attend their health appointments. This includes children who need specialist health professionals, such as community mental health teams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work closely with education providers and encourage the children to attend education. Children’s school attendance has improved since moving to the home. Some children attend school and others have tutoring at the home while suitable education provision is found.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s placement plans are individualised and regularly reviewed. Children contribute to their plans by adding their comments and views. This participation puts children at the centre of their care. Clear placement plans mean that staff have guidance to follow in order to meet children’s needs effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend regular house meetings. However, these are not used to gain the views and wishes of the children. The meetings are not recorded in a child-friendly format, the records are sparse and do not give a clear overview. This means that following meetings, children do not know if their wishes or views are listened to or acted upon.

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

Children said that they feel safe because they can talk to staff if they are worried or upset and the staff will listen to them. The house is calm and settled, helping children feel stable.

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

There have been several safeguarding concerns recently, including allegations from children which were later retracted. The management team undertook full investigations in consultation with the local authority designated officer. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2669971 3 manager completes a review with staff following each incident to ensure that lessons are learned and staff practice is adapted. There are times when staff have not maintained professional boundaries or failed to close down inappropriate conversations. This can lead to children feeling unsafe and being given inconsistent support.

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

Staff challenge unwanted behaviours and reinforce boundaries. The children’s risk assessments are comprehensive and individualised. They are devised with children, who identify potential behavioural triggers and identify how the staff can help them in a crisis. This supports the staff to guide the children in ways that work.

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

A police officer from the child sexual exploitation team said that the manager is proactive in reducing risks. He said that the staff go above and beyond expectations to keep children safe. The officer visits the home to spend time with the children. The local community police officers attended a fundraising day organised by the children. This encourages children to have links with the local community and positive relationships with the police.

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

The staff use appropriate sanctions, when needed. They record the reason for the sanction and the outcome. However, the effectiveness of the sanction is not always recorded, and the children do not routinely comment. This could lead to inconsistencies in how staff manage the children’s behaviours.

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

The staff occasionally use low-level physical interventions, which are appropriate and proportionate. Following these, children are not always debriefed within the required time frames. The manager does not always evaluate the intervention, which means there is a lack of oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in February 2022. He is experienced in residential childcare and is in the process of completing his level 5 diploma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager work well together and share the same vision to maintain good-quality care and continue to improve the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular, effective supervision. This supports their work and develops their skills and understanding. Regular staff meetings enable staff to share practice issues and reflect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have undertaken all mandatory training as defined by the organisation. The staff have achieved or are working towards a relevant level 3 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children know how to complain. However, their complaints are not always acknowledged, and children are not made aware of the outcome within an appropriate timescale. This means that children do not know if their complaint has been taken seriously. Inspection report for children’s home: 2669971 4 Children have assessments completed by the clinical team. However, the reports are not sent to the manager in a timely way. This means that the staff may not be working in line with the clinician’s recommendations. This could lead to staff not working consistently with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2669971 5

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)) 4 November 2022

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)) 4 November 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 27 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2669971 6 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) — has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 27 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 27 October 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping. In particular, ensure that the clinician’s records are shared with the manager promptly and used to ensure a consistent approach. (‘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 for children’s home: 2669971 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Second Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2669971 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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