Children's Home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020607 1 SC020607 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 home is owned by a large private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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: 14 September 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: SC020607 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/09/2021 Full Good 13/11/2019 Full Good 12/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC020607 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are three children living in the home. Since the last inspection, two children have moved on from the home. One child successfully moved on to independence while attending military preparation college, and the other child moved to a specialist home where their specific needs can be better met. Staff support moves well with good introductions to the home and preparation for leaving. All children receive a memory and positive comments book to take with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to make good progress in all areas. This is achieved because the staff know the children well and individualise their care. For example, staff consider how one child is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and how this affects their level of understanding and communication. With extra training, the staff know how to respond and care for children who have additional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education. The children are making progress with their education, such as one child preparing to take their GCSEs. When children struggle with their learning, they are supported accordingly, and staff use creative ways to engage children who are educated in the home. When needed, staff advocate for the children to ensure that they attend the right education setting, and this has been achieved for one child who started attending a better suited school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have family time. They ensure that the children have quality time with their families and support all necessary arrangements as agreed. This means that staff develop positive relationships with families. Encouraging feedback was gathered during the inspection from parents and grandparents, who spoke highly of the care their children receive and the communication with the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a well-maintained, warm and welcoming home. Research has been completed with the in-house clinician to develop a homely environment for the children to feel relaxed and valued in. The children have personalised their bedrooms and contribute to changes made in the home.

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

Children are kept safe by staff who know them well. There are clear and robust behaviour support plans in place, and staff use them to respond to challenging behaviour and associated risk. Plans are updated monthly and detail any developing issues that are discussed in team meetings. When needed, additional training and guidance are requested to support staff.

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

Children report feeling safe. One child explained how the staff do everything they can and go above and beyond to make sure children are safe. Observations suggest that the children feel secure and build trusted relationships with staff. This is Inspection report for children’s home: SC020607 4 particularly evident with one child, who initially struggled with female staff; however, they are now developing positive relationships.

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

The children do not go missing from home, and incidents resulting in physical intervention are minimal. All incidents are followed by a debrief and direct sessions to explore triggers and develop strategies. Staff work hard to adapt this work for the different needs of the children. For example, the debrief is done in pictures for one child as this is how they prefer to communicate their feelings.

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

Staff help children to understand their emotions. Children receive support from staff who use a therapeutic model of parenting. This helps the children to explore their thoughts and feelings through conversation and activity with empathetic staff.

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

Children are encouraged to develop their own interests, such as one child attending a football club, and the staff promote joint activities to support the children living together. Recent work has started to expand the children’s knowledge of culture and diversity, which is being achieved through monthly celebrations such as Chinese New Year.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is qualified and highly experienced, giving her a wealth of knowledge. She leads by example and has high expectations of the staff and the care that they provide to the children. This means that the home environment is maintained to a high standard, the calibre of staff is good and the children are receiving quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the children well and has good oversight of their lived experiences and how these affect them Her knowledge supports the development of the staff team, particularly for new staff. When required, the registered manager will ask for support from other professionals and request additional training for the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes to the staff team; however, this has not reduced the quality of care to the children. There is a core team of experienced staff who worked together to cover staff shortages and reduce the number of agency staff. No agency staff have been used since September 2022, and new staff are appropriately vetted and are engaging in their probation periods and mandatory training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that staff receive good-quality, reflective supervision that is regular and develops their practice. Staff’s strengths and areas of development are captured in appraisals and development plans. Staff are encouraged to take ownership of their continued professional development, which is evidenced with one staff member taking responsibility for research-informed practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has implemented robust monitoring systems and has good oversight, ensuring that documents are of good quality, include her evaluation and Inspection report for children’s home: SC020607 5 are updated and shared correctly. This means that, when appropriate, professionals and families receive timely updates on the children’s care and progress, and there is positive partnership working in place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020607 6

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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: SC020607 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

Stacie Sharpe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC020607 8 and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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