Children's home run by Keswick Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2483830 1 Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for up to two children who may have emotional or social difficulties, or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 1 April 2022.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2483830 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2022 Full Good 06/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2483830 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress because they are receiving good-quality individualised care from staff who know them well. Children have secure relationships with staff and respond to the nurturing and consistent care they receive. This provides children with a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a welcoming and comfortable environment. The home is maintained and furnished to a good standard. Children make decisions about the decoration and are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. This gives children a sense of personal identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have improved health because of the help and support they receive. Staff help children to talk about their fears and anxieties. As a result, children’s engagement with health services has improved. Children who have an identified need for therapy are accessing support. Staff work collaboratively with therapeutic services to ensure that they are equipped to provide children with care that benefits their emotional and mental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress in education is mixed. One child has improved attendance and has achieved formal qualifications. Another child is not accessing any formal education. However, the manager and staff understand the barriers to education for the child. Staff make efforts to provide structure to the day and opportunities for informal learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with their hobbies and interests. For example, one child plays the guitar and has singing lessons and the other child is learning to swim. This helps children to develop their social skills and build confidence. One child has been successful in their audition for a televised talent competition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are sought about all aspects of their care, and they are consulted on major decisions about their life. Children are accessing support from an independent advocate. When children make a complaint, it is taken seriously and investigated. Children are supported throughout this process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy spending time with the people who are important to them. Staff promote family time in line with the children’s plan. One parent said, ‘The staff are amazing. Communication is good. I look forward to receiving the newsletter and photographs they send to me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s records and memory books detail their journeys and their progress. This provides children with a clear picture of their experiences and achievements while they have been living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483830 4

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improvement to be good

Staff mostly respond to serious incidents in line with the children’s individual safety plans. However, there has been one serious incident when staff did not respond to concerns about a child. This lack of response could have led to the child being inadvertently harmed. However, senior leaders and managers acted immediately when they became aware of the concerns and staff took prompt action to ensure the child’s welfare. They worked collaboratively with the local designated officer to ensure a thorough investigation of staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Individual risk assessments identify all known risks to the child, and they provide clear guidance for staff. Staff spoken to at the inspection understood the risks and vulnerabilities to children and they are clear about the steps to reduce some of those risks.

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improvement to be good

Children very rarely go missing. When this has happened, staff were proactive in searching for the child until they were found. Staff understand their responsibilities to children who go missing. Children are provided with the opportunity to speak with an independent person when they return home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are clear on the action to take in the event of an allegation being made. Immediate action is taken to keep children safe. The manager refers matters directly to the local authority designated officer. This helps to ensure a well-coordinated approach to investigations. Concerns about staff are acted on swiftly and referrals to other agencies are made so others can explore their suitability.

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improvement to be good

There is a multi-agency response to children who are at risk of self-harm. This means that children’s safety plans and the safeguards in place are informed by mental health professionals. This positive approach means that staff are better equipped to support children at risk of harming themselves.

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improvement to be good

Staff are imaginative in their approach when they talk to children about risks. They use various activities to engage the children. Records show that staff use research- based material to inform the direct work that they deliver to the children.

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improvement to be good

Incidents where children show unwanted behaviour are rare. This is because staff use their positive relationships with children to help them to manage their difficulties. However, one incident was escalated to the police for assistance when children caused a mess in the home with food. The staff response was not restorative and had the potential to criminalise children unnecessarily.

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improvement to be good

Holds and restraints of children are rarely needed. When they are used, they have been necessary and proportionate. When children have been held, staff have spoken to them about the measure. However, the manager has not ensured that she has spoken to the child and recorded that this has happened within the regulatory timescale. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483830 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and she is suitably qualified. She is a positive role model who is committed to developing the staff team. She sets clear expectations for staff about their role and responsibilities to children. This has created high morale at the home and a staff team that is aspirational about the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective internal and external monitoring and auditing systems. The manager maintains a strong oversight of the care, records and staffing matters. Any shortfalls are swiftly addressed by the manager. This makes certain that the home continues to provide good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is welcoming and nicely decorated, and there is an abundance of photographs of the children on display. Children are involved in choosing the decoration of the home and they have decorated their bedrooms to their choice. The children have helped to design and decorate a cinema room in an outbuilding, and to convert an outdoor space into a sensory garden.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective. They feel supported by the manager. Team meetings happen regularly and provide staff with the opportunity to discuss the children and to take part in activities which are designed to enhance their knowledge about safeguarding children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built strong relationships with other professionals involved in the children’s care. There is evidence of strong partnership working with other agencies to ensure that children are receiving the right support. Professionals said that staff know the children well and that communication with the home is good.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some new staff have not completed all the core training as set out in their induction plan. Information about the core training requirements in the home’s statement of purpose conflicts with the details in the home’s training plan. The plan does not include a timescale for when the training should be completed. One member of staff has not completed the relevant qualification for their role within the regulatory timescale. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483830 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, The 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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 17 October 2023

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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)(c)) 17 October 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that police involvement in managing behaviour is absolutely necessary. Children should not be charged with offences resulting from behaviour within a children’s home that would not similarly lead to police involvement if it occurred in a family home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.40)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s workforce plan contains the detail and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory Inspection report for children’s home: 2483830 7 qualifications). (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2483830 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 17 Cedars Business Centre, Barnsley Road, Hemsworth, Pontefract WF9 4PU

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Inspector

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2483830 9 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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