Children's Home run by Keys ACE Limited in Bury

Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 1 SC420388 Registered provider: Keys ACE Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to four children who may experience emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home. They spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living there.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager is in post and has submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

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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: 6 and 7 March 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: SC420388 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2023 Full Good 13/12/2021 Full Good 30/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home. They feel happy, valued and loved. One of the children living in the home has lived there for over six years, and two children have lived there for over three years. Staff provide a high standard of care, and children are making progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and children are positive. Children enjoy spending time with staff, both inside and outside of the home. Staff talk about the children with warmth and enthusiasm. The language staff use is child-centred and helps children to understand their emotions and behaviours positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a strong sense of belonging in the home. Children’s bedrooms are spacious and furnished to meet their needs. Communal areas are homely, and the hallway is personalised with photos of the children having fun. There is a large garden for children to relax and play in. The large home is comfortable and welcoming. However, some areas need redecoration, and damage to a ceiling is awaiting repair. This is something the manager had identified and planned to rectify before the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children routinely attend school and college. Staff support and encourage children with education and are ambitious for children to do well. One child is completing a college course of their choice and is thriving in education. Staff have effective working relationships with school staff and are highly regarded. One education professional said, ‘We have established a consistently cohesive and collaborative relationship, working closely to support the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health. Staff understand children’s healthcare needs and support children to attend health appointments. Staff provide children with healthy meals, which children help to plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in different activities of their choice. Two children attend weekly football training, scouts and a board games club. Staff take children on day trips and holidays aboard. This supports children’s social development and helps improve their self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to spend time with people who are important to them. Children are encouraged and supported to maintain relationships with parents and siblings where possible. This helps children understand their identity and develop skills to form positive relationships throughout their lives.

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

Children are safe and protected. Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are well understood, and their risk plans are thorough, individualised and clear. Staff know Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 4 how to respond to children should risks arise. However, the routine use of bedroom door alarms at night for some of the children does not fully consider their individual safeguarding risks, nor is it reviewed effectively. This unnecessarily limits children’s privacy.

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

Children are encouraged and supported to take risks appropriate to their age and understanding. Older children are involved in their independence planning and know what skills to develop to help them prepare for adult life. Children rarely go missing from home. This indicates that children feel safe and secure living at the home.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Staff use creative and fun methods to reward children, which children respond well to. Children receive help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings safely. Appropriate and consistent boundaries are in place, providing stability and a calm environment for children. Consequently, there has been a reduction in the number of times when staff need to hold children to keep them safe. When incidents do occur, there is clear oversight from the manager.

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

Children are supported to develop their understanding of issues that may affect them. However, one child did not receive the necessary help and support when exploring issues relevant to them with a member of staff. This had not been identified until it was raised by the manager during the inspection.

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

Staff are trained in a therapeutic model and supported by a therapeutic team. This helps staff to understand and manage children’s experiences and behaviours in their day-to-day practice for the benefit of all the children.

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place to ensure that only adults who are safe to work with children are employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager is new to the role. She is passionate about the welfare of the children and is working hard to maintain a stable, loving and well-run home. The manager is fully involved in the children’s lives and is an effective and reliable advocate for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager. She is held in high regard by staff, the children, their family members and other professionals. One staff member described her as ‘approachable, professional, fair and kind’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some staff are relatively new to their roles; however, they are well supported by the manager and by experienced staff members. Staff benefit from monthly supervision sessions and regular team meetings that provide them with opportunities for reflection and learning. Staff have access to a comprehensive training programme that includes areas specific to the needs of the children living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 5 The manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided to the children. She knows the strengths and weaknesses of the home and takes action to make improvements. For example, staff are due to attend training in report writing skills soon. The manager and staff have high expectations for themselves and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively and positively with other agencies and professionals. External professionals are highly complimentary about the collaborative working and the communication they receive from the team and the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff promote the child’s welfare and value and nurture the child’s individuality. 29 March 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are well maintained. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any limits to children’s privacy and access in the home, such as the use of bedroom door alarms, are for safeguarding purposes only. Any limits should be subject to a rigorous assessment of each child’s needs and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10) Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 7

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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: SC420388 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Zillah Brooks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC420388 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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