Children's home run by Keys Child Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 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 home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the visit, there were two children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first visit since the home was registered in October 2022. There is a manager in post who registered with Ofsted at the same time as the 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: Not previously inspected

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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: 2692117 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress because of the individualised care and support that they receive from staff. Managers and staff know the children well. Staff are sensitive to each child’s individual needs and strive to deliver consistently good care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood by the staff team. When children need support from specialist services, referrals are made quickly to ensure that children’s needs are met. Where children struggle to access health appointments, the manager and staff support children to reduce their anxieties and help them understand the importance of attending routine appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have an excellent understanding of children’s preferred methods of communication. Staff consistently support and promote these methods so that children can express themselves. One child’s vocabulary has improved since they moved to the home. This allows them to make choices and express preferences about their daily life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions for children into the home are very well planned. The manager carefully assesses whether the home is suitable for children and whether their needs can be met by the staff team. Children have made positive transitions as a result of highly individualised transition plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child does not have an education placement. The manager has appropriately escalated concerns to relevant agencies to ensure that a suitable provision is identified. The child is supported at home by staff who have a good understanding of their educational needs. Staff use a variety of learning resources to ensure that the child continues to make progress towards their educational outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a range of activities that support their social and physical development. One child was happy to share photos of their trip to a theme park with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is furnished to a high standard. There is a large, outdoor space for children to enjoy, which has various sensory activities for them. Children have their own apartments that are decorated to reflect their personal tastes and address their individual sensory needs. Some areas of the home require minor repairs. The manager took action to address these on the day of the visit.

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

Managers and staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Risks for children are clearly identified and assessed. Staff are consistent in their approaches and take effective action to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 4 Incidents of crisis behaviours have reduced. Staff effectively de-escalate challenging situations and restraint practice is only used in accordance with legislative guidance. However, the records of physical restraint are not sufficiently detailed and do not contain the information set out in the regulation.

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

Children are helped to reflect on incidents of challenging behaviour. The manager and staff use short stories that describe social situations to good effect with children to help them understand decisions or prepare them for any changes to their plans or routines. This helps them to develop strategies to manage their behaviour and feelings safely.

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

Staff positively reinforce behaviour and encourage children to manage situations in a positive way. Staff implement firm boundaries and good routines, which helps children understand the expectations and make positive choices.

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

There have been delays in notifying Ofsted about significant events in the home. This is in relation to allegations made by children. Although the manager has taken appropriate action to safeguard children immediately, failing to notify Ofsted affects external monitoring of significant incidents, which could have a negative impact on children’s safety and welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced manager who demonstrates strong values and high ambition.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager, and responsible individual share the ethos and values for the home. They are an effective team and ensure there are high standards of care for children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team values the strong leadership and support from the manager. Staff find the manager to be motivational and say that they are well supported to fulfil their roles. Staff report that supervision is undertaken regularly and that this is beneficial. However, records do not demonstrate that supervision is practice-based. This is a missed opportunity to develop staff practice and make continuous improvements to the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the quality of care provided to children through the use of an internal monitoring tool and by completing observations of staff practice. However, internal monitoring must be strengthened to provide more robust oversight and evaluation of significant incidents in the home. Furthermore, the manager must improve the oversight of staff supervision and training records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with training in matters that are relevant to the needs of the children that live in the home. However, ineffective oversight of staff training records and staff rosters resulted in occasions when staff working with children did not have the skills to meet their identified needs. For example, not all staff had completed Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 5 training in the administration of medication that could be needed for one child. The manager took action to remedy this shortfall during the visit.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional relationships are strong because the manager and staff work proactively with external agencies. These effective working relationships are ensuring high standards of care and promoting positive outcomes for the children that live in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a consistent, core staff team. Although the manager does use agency staff in the home, he ensures that they use the same individuals to cover shifts. This means that children are always cared for by staff that know them well. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 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 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 that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that staff have appropriate training in learning disabilities, neuro- developmental conditions and rescue medication training.

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Requirement Due date

Further to this, the registered manager must improve the monitoring and evaluation of incident records and the home environment. 6 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 6 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 6 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 7 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or 6 June 202 Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 8 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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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: 2692117 9

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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 B63 4AH

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Inspector

Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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Inspector

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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