Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 1 SC423407 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to eight children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 23 October 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

There were eight children 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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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: 28 February 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: SC423407 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 07/06/2021 Full Good 13/02/2020 Full Outstanding 17/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress because of the stability provided by the core team of staff in the home. There has been some staff turnover, however this has been well managed and has not impacted negatively on the children. Children develop positive relationships with adults and peers in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children contribute to decisions made in the home. They hold regular meetings and share their views about menu choices, activities, and holidays. Children are encouraged to personalise their space and their individual interests are promoted. This gives children a compelling message that their voice is important. This ensures that children feel valued and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend education regularly. When children do not attend mainstream education, they attend the on-site school. Some children had not attended school for a long time before moving to this home. Consistent attendance at school and the support that children receive from staff is improving their academic attainment. There is also a positive impact on their social development. Children who complete statutory education, continue on to further education and have part time jobs. This helps to raise children’s aspirations and future life options.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are treated with dignity and respect and their individual cultural heritage is promoted. This includes children having access to specialist foods and products which is essential for their sense of identity and self-worth. Additionally, children build tolerance and understanding of others which creates a culture of acceptance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to specialist therapeutic support. There is a collaborative approach between staff at the home and professionals from the placing authority. This helps to ensure that children can access services in the area they live. This means that children receive the support they require promptly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain and improve family relationships where appropriate. Staff support children to visit family members who do not live locally. Parents and relatives are complimentary of the efforts staff make to support the arrangements. This commitment can involve travelling some distance which shows the children that staff value their relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop empathy and care. Some children have their own pets to look after which gives them a sense of responsibility. Additionally, children contribute to their local community by taking part in charity events to raise money. This helps children to develop their own personal values and pro-social behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Communal areas of the home are large and inviting which provides a homely feel. Pictures of children enjoying activities are on display throughout the home. This helps children see that their memories and experiences are valued. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 4

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

Staff know the children well which means staff identify risks promptly and intervene to prevent further harm. Children can identify an adult at the home who they trust and feel able to speak to. This is because staff invest their time with children and get to know them. One child said, ‘I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t come to live at this home’.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. Children who have previously experienced high numbers of missing episodes are much less likely to leave the home. When children do go missing, staff understand what action to take and initiate a well- coordinated response.

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

Children engage in a range of key work sessions and discussions to help them stay safe both inside and outside of the home. Targeted key work sessions cover relevant topics around risks within society. This helps to educate children and increase their ability to access available support. Workshops where children design and create posters about social topics are an effective way of engaging children to recognise and understand risks. The posters are displayed on walls and children can refer to these for information.

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

Some of the records related to children are not written in sensitive language. Some of the language blames children using phrases implying that children place themselves at risk of harm. Should children read their records now or in the future, this use of language is not helpful to them in understanding their story.

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

Risk assessments and progress plans are updated regularly and reflect current risks and progress. Some documents contain inaccurate dates and it is not clear when risks changed. This could limit the ability of staff to be confident that the most up to date plans are being followed.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted in the home which means incidents are rare. Staff understand de-escalation techniques and use physical holds only as a last resort. There has been one incident involving holds in the home where staff intervened between two children. This incident was only recorded for one of the children and did not consider the intervention with the other child. Both children were spoken to about their behaviour and how this can be better managed in the future. However, the records did not reflect their thoughts or feelings about the physical intervention itself. This limits the opportunity for children to make sense of their experience and how they feel.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses audits and monitoring tools to improve standards in the home. Safer recruitment procedures are followed which provides assurances that adults who care for the children are appropriate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 5 The registered manager brings stability to the home which the children recognise. She has an in-depth knowledge of the children which is reflected in children’s care plans. This helps staff to respond to children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff communicate with a range of professionals involved in the child’s network. Professionals are complimentary about the care children receive at this home. The registered manager ensures regular communication takes place with local police officers to share. This helps to share information and helps staff better manage the risks in the local community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said they feel supported and that they work together as part of a team. This has helped to minimise the use of agency staff. As a result, children to feel safer as they are being cared for by familiar adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete mandatory and additional training which helps them meet the children’s needs. However, one member of staff has not been enrolled on the required qualification within the mandatory timeframe. This could hinder the consistency and quality of care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager assesses children’s needs before they move into the home. This helps to ensure that staff can meet the child’s needs. However, the assessment does not consider the compatibility with other children who already live in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are supported to move on from the home when this is their agreed plan. For one child, the manager was unable to demonstrate how their transition home was managed. It is unclear what support the child and their family received in preparation for moving home. This lack of oversight limited the manager’s ability to review the effectiveness and ongoing suitability of that plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager does not follow the escalation policy to challenge the child’s placing authority when statutory documents are not received. The manager cannot be assured that the staff are always providing care in line with children’s most up to date care plans. Additionally, one child has not had their statutory health assessment which may compromise their access to health services if needed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) 16 February 2024

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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; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 16 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff prepare children, emotionally and practically, to move out of the home whether they are returning home, moving to another placement, adult care of to live independently. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that they only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person must ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non- stigmatising way. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way

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Recommendations

that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person must ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date. In particular, the registered person should ensure that dates in risk assessments are accurate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60) Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 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: SC423407 9

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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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Inspectors

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Jess Elliott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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