Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 1 SC454901 Registered provider: Keys BR Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

An experienced manager who is registered leads this home.

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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: 30 November 2021

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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: SC454901 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2021 Full Good 27/08/2019 Full Good 10/07/2018 Full Good 24/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well cared for by a resilient team that is committed to helping them reach their full potential. The manager and staff know the children very well. They create and develop well-considered care plans which are adapted as children change and grow. The team is currently caring for children who are growing in their independence skills and confidence. The manager and staff work hard to maintain a secure base for children now that they are spending more time with their friends. Children therefore have the emotional support available to them when they return home, so they can talk about new experiences and the challenges that come with getting older.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff prioritise children’s education. Children are attending school or college, where they are making progress with their learning and in peer relationships. For some children, attending full-time education can be difficult. In these circumstances, the manager has arranged for tutoring to take place at home. This ensures that children maintain a full timetable of learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. The staff ensure that children attend routine health appointments and that they respond well to unpredicted events. Consequently, children receive timely medical interventions. For example, staff have helped and support one young person with a specific medical condition. She has been encouraged to work with a range of professionals to make sure she is healthy. As a result, the young person has developed trusting relationships with agencies who will support her going forwards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

New children settle in well at the home. Some children stay there for long periods of time and stay in touch when they leave. Where possible, the manager and staff ensure that children make transitions in planned ways. One child’s placement ended more quickly than anticipated. Managers ensured a suitable placement was found within the organisation, which met the child’s needs. This meant that the child was supported with the transition by familiar adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff have good relationships with children’s families. They support children to spend time with people who are important to them. The manager keeps family members informed of events that impact on the children concerned. The staff also form relationships with the parents of children’s friends, as any good parent would, so they can keep in contact when children spend time at their homes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff create evocative memory books for children containing photographs, poems and pictures, which are presented in a thoughtful and personalised way. These are records that children can cherish when they move on and look back on a significant time in their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 4

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

The manager and staff understand the risks posed to and from children well. They are managing a range of complex risks and vulnerabilities. Individual risk assessments contain pertinent information which enable staff to take effective action to keep children safe. This is not without challenge, as the children are beginning to assert their independence. However, the managers and staff review risks regularly and respond to emerging information, involving other agencies where necessary.

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

Children say they feel safe. They have trusted relationships with adults and can talk to them about sensitive issues. Children feel supported by the staff, and know that if they are away from home the staff will look for them and prevent them from coming to harm.

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

The manager and staff respond well to children missing from care. This is a particular issue for one child who is often away from the home. Staff keep in regular contact with the child and, when this is not possible, they look for her and report her missing. The managers and staff work closely with involved agencies to ensure that the child is returned safely. There are regular meetings in place to assess increasing risks to children. This enables information to be shared and measures taken to reduce risk in a timely way.

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

The staff use their experience and knowledge to manage children’s behaviour well. The home is generally settled. However, there have been some incidents recently where staff have had to intervene to keep children safe. These interventions were undertaken skilfully and considered everyone’s safety. The manager and staff continue to help children repair their relationships, again with good effect.

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

Leaders and managers have a very good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff are appointed following safe recruitment procedures being implemented. The manager addresses concerning practice in a timely way, using the processes available to her. This prevents unsuitable adults from caring for children and putting them at increased risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an experienced manager who provides strong and supportive leadership. She has the children’s safety and welfare at the heart of her work. The manager is passionate about children receiving good experiences and expects a high standard of care. The manager is well supported by an equally committed deputy. Together, they provide solid leadership, which is the foundation from which children receive good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established and retained an experienced core staff team that works hard to ensure children receive consistent care. The staff receive good-quality supervision, and their work is regularly appraised. Managers can respectfully challenge staff where required and help them to improve their practice, for example Inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 5 reducing the use of language which can have a negative impact on children. Training is regular and relevant to children’s individual needs. As a result, staff maintain and develop skills to care for children safely and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are happy with their managers. Staff value their supportive approach with professional and personal issues. Staff say that the manager is ‘the best they have had’ and they feel valued and cared about. Leaders and managers have recognised that staff are feeling tired due to covering staff vacancies and managing some difficult incidents. As such, leaders and managers are planning some team-building events to increase staff morale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers recognise how important it is for children to have good multi-agency risk management plans. In situations where they feel this is lacking, they challenge relevant professionals. Following inspection, the manager recognises that further escalation can be used in some situations where the child’s safety and/or welfare is at risk of being compromised. This will protect children from decision-making that may not be in their best interests. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home, or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs (see regulations 5(c)). Staff should act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. The registered person should consider the use of an independent advocate (see paragraph 4.16) if the child’s needs are not being met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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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: SC454901 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 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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