Children's home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 1 Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

The interim manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 14 December 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/01/2022 Full Good 30/07/2019 Full Good 29/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 3

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improvement to be good

Three children live in the home, and they appear to be happy and settled. One child said, ‘I feel cosy in my house.’

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improvement to be good

Two children attend school on a regular basis and are making good progress. However, one child does not have an allocated school place. Education planners do not provide the child with a full timetable of activities. This limits the child’s progress with their education.

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improvement to be good

The registered person has ensured that there is consideration of the needs of other children in pre-admission planning. Staff helped one child to move in to the home by using social stories. This helped the child to understand their move from one home to another.

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improvement to be good

The staff are passionate about their work and create a positive environment, which is calming for children. One worker said, ‘The children are safe and loved and happy.’

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improvement to be good

Leaders are currently supporting children’s moves to adult services. They are advocating on behalf of children to ensure that they move to suitable placements.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are generally well managed. They take part in a range of Activities, including holidays, swimming, and cultural events. They also eat a range of healthy foods and enjoy eating their evening meal together. Staff support family time for children, which promotes their emotional well-being and builds relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff restrict access in and out of the home for children to keep them safe. However, for one child, it is not clear why their access is restricted as this is not included or reviewed in their risk plans. This may unnecessarily restrict the child’s access in and out of the home.

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improvement to be good

There have not been any complaints for several months. However, one child told the inspectors that they do not know how to make a complaint. It is not clear in the statement of purpose how a person can access the complaints policy or who to make a complaint to in the company.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not consistently report serious incidents to Ofsted or within the required timescale. This means that the regulator has no initial oversight of what action staff take to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 4 The children’s environment is generally homely and welcoming. Children’s living areas are decorated with pictures of their family and friends and contain lots of activities and games. However, some areas of the home do not provide children with an appropriate environment to live in. This includes one child’s bathroom and another child’s bedroom. Leaders acted during the inspection to rectify these concerns.

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improvement to be good

Staff use physical interventions as a last resort to keep children safe. However, on one occasion, staff did not notify the manager that they had used a physical intervention, and they did not record the incident. This meant that the manager had no oversight of whether the physical intervention was appropriate or how it had affected the child. In addition, staff do not have individual debriefs following an incident to reflect on their practice.

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improvement to be good

Managers carry out regular medication audits to ensure that practice is safe. They also assess staff’s competency prior to medication being administered. This helps to keep errors to a minimum.

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improvement to be good

Each child has a risk management plan that helps staff to identify and manage their vulnerabilities. This includes clear actions for staff to follow to prevent children from going missing from home. As a result, there have not been any missing-from-home incidents for many months.

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good

The home has been without a registered manager for over a year. An interim manager has been in post since March 2023 and has applied to become registered with Ofsted. They have identified several of the team’s strengths and weaknesses to help them to improve the quality of care.

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good

Leaders and managers do not have effective monitoring, evaluation, and oversight in relation to children’s day-to-day care. The interim manager is working to improve this, and they have started to monitor children’s progress and improve general practice. However, this is not embedded into practice.

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good

Staff support children’s communication with social stories, language programmes and symbols. However, children’s access to communication aids and resources throughout the home is limited. This may affect their progress and their ability to express their wishes and feelings. This is an area that the manager is currently developing.

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good

Staff feel supported by the manager. They attend regular supervision meetings to reflect on their practice. Staff also attend appraisals on an annual basis. However, appraisals do not include the views of the children or key individuals. This limits their effectiveness. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 5 Staff feel that poor use of communication systems affect teamwork within the home. This means that staff are unable to respond consistently to children’s needs. In addition, there have been several changes within the staff team in the past year, which has impacted on the continuity of care that staff provide for children.

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good

Staff attend a range of training to develop their knowledge and skills. However, some staff have not had training related to children’s needs. This affects their ability to understand and respond to children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children’s living areas are maintained and provide a healthy environment for children to live in. In addition, ensure that staff report all safeguarding incidents in line with procedures. 8 December 2023

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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; 15 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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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

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 15 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 8 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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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(b)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff receive relevant training in order to help children to aspire to fulfil their potential, and ensure that communication systems support effective teamwork within the home. 15 December

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training 15 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 9 targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8(1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff help all children to engage in education as part of a daily structured and planned routine, in accordance with the children’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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 an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(d)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all children understand how to make a complaint. 15 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 10

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to a broad range of resources and communication aids throughout the home to help them to express their views, wishes and feelings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should ensure that any decision to limit a child’s access to any area of the home is informed by a rigorous assessment of that child’s needs. It should be properly recorded and regularly reviewed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that they regularly review the statement of purpose and ensure that all elements of schedule 1 are met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals take into account,

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Recommendations

where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 1247491 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Mark Woodbridge, Social Care Inspector Cathy Trengove, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1247491 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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