Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report for children's home: SC370949 1 SC370949 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 organisation. It provides long-term care for up to three children with social, emotional, behavioural or mental health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 17 January 2023

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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: SC370949 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2023 Full Good 21/06/2021 Full Good 10/09/2019 Full Good 31/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC370949 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have continued to live at this home since the last inspection. This inspection was brought forward in order to address specific concerns received by Ofsted. These concerns are still being investigated by the provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has undergone a recent refurbishment. It is warm and homely and the communal areas are nicely decorated. There is a new gaming room that children enjoy spending time in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend a lot of time with children, which helps them to build positive relationships. Staff are playful with children, who appear happy and confident in the company of the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support and encourage each child’s education. Two of the children are at college and one child has a bespoke education plan. Alongside this, one child has a job in a local shop and another child volunteers at a local charity shop. Helping children take an active role in their community is important for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two of the children are approaching adulthood. They have been supported to develop independence skills that are suited to their individual needs. One child, who has been at the home for some time, is moving out in a few weeks. The staff have created a comprehensive transition plan. They worked with the local authority to find new accommodation, going above and beyond their usual roles. The social worker was very complimentary about the staff team and the work they have done for this child. The child is happy and well prepared for these next steps.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have created memory books for children that are individual to the child. They include pictures, phrases, sayings and messages. These provide illustrated keepsakes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of positive experiences. Each child had an individual holiday in the summer. The staff arranged weekly summer activities which culminated in a festival. This gave children the opportunity to socialise with peers, have fun and build memories. One child proudly showed the photos of this event.

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

Children have a sense of permanence and stability. This has helped them to make progress in their lives.

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

Children have never gone missing from the home. This shows that they feel safe and secure. Each child has a missing-from-home plan and the staff are proactive in considering children’s safety. Inspection report for children's home: SC370949 4 The staff use a system of incentives to recognise positive behaviour. Each child is praised for little things, such as making a good choice, being good company or remaining calm. Over time, this helps children to build a positive sense of self.

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

Physical intervention has been used when necessary. These interventions are recorded well and staff and children always have a chance to talk about them afterwards.

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

Children are supported to think about online safety. One child needed some extra support in this area. The staff worked with a range of people to help create a safety plan to educate this child about online safety.

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

One child has made a complaint. This has been referred to the local authority designated officer (LADO) and an internal investigation is ongoing. This is being overseen by senior management. During the inspection, another child made a historic allegation about a member of staff. This was also referred promptly to the LADO. During some key-work sessions, one child made an allegation about poor staff practice. The staff recorded this but failed to escalate it to management. This has now been addressed and the manager plans to revisit recording and reporting expectations with staff in the next team meeting.

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

Children’s plans give a good sense of the child. However, there is inconsistent information in different parts of one child’s plans. This means that staff may not have the most up-to-date information to support the child.

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good

The home is managed by an experienced manager. Recently, there have been some unsettled times. Staff and some of the children have said that the manager is not always approachable. The manager confirmed that some periods of the day are difficult for her. Leaders and managers are working together to think about the impact this may have on children’s and staff’s morale.

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good

Leaders and managers have systems in place to monitor the quality of care that is provided. They have developed a monthly system that identifies any patterns in children’s behaviour. This helps them to create more individual plans for children.

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good

The staff receive a good range of training. The manager monitors timescales to ensure that staff achieve their required training targets. All mandatory training is up to date.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions and team meetings usually take place each month. These are used to upskill staff and ensure that they have a good focus on children. This helps the staff to provide a consistent approach to children’s care. Inspection report for children's home: SC370949 5 There is a drive to improve staff practice and to increase restorative approaches. This can be seen in records that have been reviewed by the responsible individual and from conversations with the management team. Inspection report for children's home: SC370949 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 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

promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the manager is approachable and demonstrates the behaviour and attitudes expected from staff. 8 November 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the policy for the protection of children from abuse or neglect and act in accordance with it. In particular, escalate concerns and report to the LADO. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.21)  The registered person should ensure that children’s records are kept up to date. In particular, the information in records should be consistent. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: SC370949 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

Mary Costello, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC370949 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 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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