Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2513340 1 Registered provider: Keys 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 owned by a private company and was registered in January 2020. The home cares for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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: 21 September 2022

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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: 2513340 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2022 Full Good 11/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/10/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2513340 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. One child has lived at the home for over a year. The other two children have lived in the home for several months. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that staff are skilled and equipped to meet all children’s needs. This enables the staff to prepare and support children well so that their moves into the home are smooth and successful. Although one child’s placement ended when notice was served, this was due to an escalation in unsafe behaviours that impacted on the other children living in the home. The manager supported the child throughout the transition process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff genuinely care about the children and are committed to helping them achieve their full potential. The children are consulted about all aspects of their care, and as a result, they experience positive affirmation, which encourages them to achieve their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and has a family atmosphere. Children’s belongings fill the home. Their photos are proudly on display, and soft furnishings help to create a nurturing environment. Children personalise their bedrooms, which allows them to take a sense of pride in their home and promotes their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of education. They work in partnership with schools and the placing authority to find children a suitable provision that reflects their learning needs. They have successfully supported all children to reintegrate into education despite them having a history of poor school attendance. This helps children to maintain a daily routine that supports their academic needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to stay in touch with people who are important to them. Staff support family visits and recognise the importance of these relationships. One family member told the inspector, ‘Apart from them being at home, I wouldn’t want my child to live anywhere else.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are positive about living in the home. One child told the inspector, ‘I love it here; the best thing is the staff who look after me and being able to stay with my sibling. The only thing that could make it perfect would be having my family live here too.’ It is a home where care for everyone is promoted. Staff and children celebrate and cherish their individual and shared successes. These positive relationships and experiences have resulted in children developing a sense of security and belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: 2513340 4

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

Children have individual behaviour support plans. Staff use de-escalation techniques such as the PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) model of care and distraction techniques to support children. As a result, incidents of restraint are rare. Staff physically intervene when children show behaviours that place themselves or others at risk of harm. Staff understand the reasons behind behaviour and provide good support to children afterwards. This helps children to move on from the incident. The manager provides close scrutiny of all incidents and measures of control to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. Good management oversight and prompt action to address issues mean that children are treated fairly and stay safe.

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

Children told the inspector that they feel safe and could identify a trusted adult. This means that children do have someone they can talk to if they have any worries. Children know how to make a complaint, and any complaints are taken seriously. As a result, children feel listened to and valued.

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

The manager and staff place a high priority on keeping children safe. They work in partnership with placing authorities to protect children and promote their safety. The effectiveness of these relationships helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities, and they have a good knowledge of whistle-blowing procedures. The depth of staff’s safeguarding knowledge is continually reflected on during team meetings and supervision sessions.

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

When children go missing from care, staff follow the joint protocol effectively. Searches conducted by staff and persistent attempts to make contact show children they are cared about. Proactive collaboration with parents, local authorities and the police supports children to return home safely. Missing-from-care incident records are clear, enabling thorough monitoring of these events by the manager.

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

The manager and staff demonstrate a good understanding of the children’s vulnerabilities and potential risks posed to them. Clear guidance and strategies to follow are recorded in written risk assessments. However, on one occasion after a significant incident where the police attended the home, one child was arrested and spent time in custody. The child returned home the same evening and continued to display unsafe behaviours. Despite this, the child was allowed to go on free time in the community after only being back in the home for 40 minutes. As a result, the child was later reported as missing from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the team. The manager keeps children at the heart of all she does. She is passionate and ambitious for the children and ensures that this ethos spreads through the staff team. The manager has good knowledge of children’s starting points and what they have accomplished since living at the home. She is fully involved in children’s lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2513340 5 The majority of the staff hold the required level 3 diploma. A small number of staff are currently working to achieve this, and plans are in place to ensure that they complete it within the required timescales. Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets the children’s individual and diverse needs. Team meetings and supervision sessions take place monthly and are used as a place for reflection and learning. Important issues are tracked and discussed, and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

children are at the centre of all practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training in therapeutic approaches and an understanding of attachment theory underpin staff practice. Regular consultations with the in-house therapist are used well and are effective in improving staff practice. This enables staff to better understand the reasons behind some of the children’s behaviours and provide a nurturing environment in which children thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established good connections with partner agencies. Professionals are positive about the communication with the staff team and about the care provided for the children. One social worker told the inspector, ‘The communication from the home is a strength. They have implemented different strategies to keep children safe and have consistent rules and boundaries.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home. Effective auditing tools are used, which produce action plans to develop the staff’s practice further and promote consistency in the home. Therefore, the manager has a good understanding of how well this home is supporting children and the extent to which the aims for each child have been achieved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home. The manager is well regarded, and she is nurturing towards the team. This means that staff work in an environment where they feel well supported. There is effective support and challenge, and the manager ensures that all actions are reviewed. This means that poor practice is addressed effectively and that good practice is promoted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2513340 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The manager must ensure that there are safe strategies in place to reduce the risk of harm to children. 7 January 2024

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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: 2513340 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/o Pinsent Masons LLP, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT1 3LP

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Inspector

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2513340 8 regulates 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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