Children's Home run by Keys ACE Limited in Bury

Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 1 SC420388 Registered provider: Keys ACE Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home provides care to meet the needs of children who may experience emotional and behavioural difficulties. At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home. They spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2019.

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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 outstanding

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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: 13 December 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: SC420388 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2021 Full Good 30/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/05/2018 Full Good 19/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they like living in the home and feel safe. The children are making progress and are provided with a high standard of care from the staff who look after them. The children say that they would not change anything about the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a large house which is spacious and homely. There are personalised communal areas for children to relax and enjoy. Children’s bedrooms have recently been decorated. They are bright and personalised to reflect children’s individual tastes. There is a large garden with different areas where children can play football and engage in other activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff know the children well. They are nurturing and speak to children positively. The staff team brings a broad range of skills and life experiences which, coupled with the consistent care provided, helps children to feel settled and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home as they have reached adulthood, and one child has moved into the home. These moves were thoughtfully planned. This enables children to feel supported and valued as they experience changes in their lives. The children created a welcome video for the child who moved into the home, which helped them to feel positive about the move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s education well. All children attend school routinely. One child has achieved 100% attendance, which is a major accomplishment. There is good communication with professionals from each child’s school. One educational professional said, ‘The home is a fantastic home with an excellent team of supportive adults.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is supported in line with children’s plans. This enables children to have meaningful time with their parents and siblings. Staff take time to promote and nurture these relationships so that children develop an understanding of their heritage and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience and enjoy different activities and have been on holiday in the UK and abroad. The children get involved in the decision-making to arrange trips. This enriches their lives through providing them with opportunities to access different experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to look after the home’s pet rabbits. This gives children a sense of responsibility and pride in caring for a pet. The manager is a reflective practitioner and has allowed the staff to use research to introduce the concept of mindfulness to children. This has been embraced by the children and helps with their self-reflection and well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 4

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

Children have individualised risk management plans that enable staff to keep them safe. Staff help children to understand their plans and to make safer choices. Risks and vulnerabilities are understood and reflected in children’s plans. This means that appropriate action to minimise risks to children is taken in a timely manner.

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

Children are helped to develop respectful relationships in the home. The team has been trained in a new therapeutic model that is based on relationships. The team is well supported by the organisation’s therapy team which offers therapeutic advice and services.

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

Clear messages help children to understand that positive and negative behaviours have consequences. Children can gain rewards, and any consequences in response to negative behaviours are clearly explained and relevant to the child’s behaviour. Children are given opportunities to understand and reflect on their behaviours.

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

The manager has oversight of all safeguarding incidents and any allegations. These are all managed in line with the home’s policy and procedures. Children rarely go missing from the home. However, when they do, it is for a short time and staff understand the procedures well.

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

All recording is completed daily. Some handwritten entries are difficult to understand, and it is not clear who has written them. This limits oversight of records and is not helpful for children accessing their records now or later in life.

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

The routine use of bedroom door alarms at night does not take into consideration children’s individual needs. Risk assessments are in place. However, these are not specific to each child or reviewed frequently in relation to safeguarding risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is exceptionally committed, passionate and child focused. She has high aspirations for children. She shares her wealth of knowledge with the team so that they can provide a high standard of care to improve children’s outcomes and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff say that the manager is very approachable and supportive. She cares about the well-being of everyone in the home. The manager ensures that safeguarding is a thread which runs through children’s meetings, team meetings and supervision sessions. This creates a strong safeguarding culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team has changed significantly since the last inspection. The team is continuing to develop, and staff work well together. New members of staff are supported to develop their understanding of the role, and they receive a thorough induction. Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 5 Training is identified through good-quality supervision sessions and appraisals. Staff either hold or are working towards the relevant qualification in the agreed time frame. Staff receive high-quality mandatory and specialist online and face-to-face training. The staff team has received training to meet the specific needs of children to ensure the safety and well-being of all children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager reviews the independent person reports each month to make improvements to the quality of care when required. The reports are of high quality and include feedback from parents, professionals and children. These reports are discussed in team meetings to inform staff of the improvements required to ensure that children receive the best possible care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording that is helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that any limits to children’s privacy and access in the home, such as the use of bedroom door alarms, are for safeguarding purposes only. Any limits should be subject to a rigorous assessment of each child’s needs and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: SC420388 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 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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