Children's Home run by Keys Direct Care Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC419429 1 SC419429 Registered provider: Keys Direct 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 provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

Currently, there are four children living in the home.

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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 outstanding

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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 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: SC419429 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2023 Full Good 17/01/2022 Full Good 21/11/2019 Full Good 23/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC419429 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home and two children have moved in. Additionally, there have been some changes to the staff team, but these have not had an impact on the care children receive. Care planning for children is good and the manager carefully considers the risk and impact of new children moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress from their starting points in a variety of ways. For some children, this has meant re-engagement with education. Others are actively involved in planning to move towards being independent as they approach adulthood. Children are provided with nurturing and consistent care. They have positive and trusting relationships with the adults in the home. This means that children are settled and are being helped to grow and develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a range of education opportunities that reflect their individual needs. Two children do not yet have an education provision but are being provided with some education in the home. Another child is attending college and is making good progress in their chosen course. The manager has worked with education professionals to adapt timetables to meet children’s needs and has provided additional staff support for the child in school. This has helped the child to start to improve their attendance and participation at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with health professionals and additional support has been provided by the organisation’s clinical psychology team when needed. The manager can access additional support and guidance from experts in the clinical psychology team, which helps to inform risk assessments and support plans. Staff have received additional training to help them understand the preferred model of care used in the home. Children have not been provided with support and guidance around healthy lifestyles and have not been encouraged to look at ways to help improve their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to remain in contact with those who are important to them. The manager has worked alongside other professionals in helping to improve family relationships, and this has benefited children. Some children have friends away from the home, and staff support them to have a social life which has included having sleepovers with friends. This supports children to develop social skills and friendships in their local community and gives them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a clear voice in the home, and the manager places a strong emphasis on listening to and supporting children. Children’s documents have their own personalised logos and fonts, which children have chosen, and this helps them to take ownership of and to contribute to their plans. Children have their own reflection books, where they can record any concerns, complaints or views they may have. The manager has oversight of these books and meets with the children to discuss Inspection report for children’s home: SC419429 4 their reflections. This means that children feel heard and are confident that they are being listened to. This has led to a reduction in complaints from children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a safe, homely and welcoming environment. Children have chosen the décor for the home, including their bedrooms, which are all highly individualised and reflect the children’s personalities, likes and dislikes.

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

Staff know the children very well. The children’s unique needs are captured in detailed and individualised risk assessments. Some risk assessments would benefit from being updated to ensure that they capture the most up-to-date information and accurately reflect the current concerns. Risk assessments relating to bullying do not accurately represent the current concerns.

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

Children do not always have positive relationships with each other and there have been some incidents of bullying. The manager has taken a proactive response to a recent incident and has arranged for the children involved to have a short break from the home. This was to allow for time to repair and restore relationships and for targeted work to be completed. The manager has also arranged meetings with professionals to discuss safety plans and possible action should these events continue.

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

Children have made several complaints and allegations. These have all been investigated thoroughly by senior leaders and relevant action has been taken. External safeguarding professionals have been consulted, and their advice and guidance has been obtained when required. The manager has had regular discussions in supervisions and team meetings with staff to develop and improve care practice. Consequently, complaints have reduced in number.

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

Children have not gone missing from the home and for some children they have become safer in this area. The manager worked closely with the local police in identifying risks and implementing an agreed risk assessment should any missing- from-home incidents take place.

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

When incidents of concern have taken place, the manager has carried out a reflective and considered evaluation. These evaluations have identified areas for staff’s development and learning. The manager provides good oversight and has been creative in safety planning to keep children safe. Children are encouraged to reflect following an incident. These reflective sessions have replaced behavioural consequences, and help children understand the impact that incidents may have on others and themselves. This means children are developing additional skills in managing their emotions and relationships with others. Inspection report for children’s home: SC419429 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides strong and effective leadership. She has a clear vision of the ethos and culture she wants to create. She has demonstrated reflection and resilience in establishing an environment where children are at the centre of the home. The manager said, ‘Children are the be-all and end-all, and I wanted to effect change in the home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a positive, inspirational and child-centred leader who role models the high expectations she has of staff. The manager has high aspirations for the children. This means children are provided with a caring, consistent and nurturing environment where they are supported to grow and develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has highly effective quality assurance systems and processes to monitor the day-to-day care practice and operation of the home. The manager has been creative in improving existing systems to meet the needs of the home and staff. She uses evaluation, reflection and analysis to good effect in driving improvements. The home’s development plan is detailed, ambitious and evidences the clear vision the manager has for further improvements to support the children and the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel well supported and are happy and motivated in their roles. The manager provides regular, reflective supervision and staff appraisals. This has supported staff to grow, learn and develop, and they have a sense of pride in their work. The staff are encouraged to take responsibility for finding solutions to problems and contributing to the development of the home, which they find empowering.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

New staff receive a thorough induction and are provided with mentoring and support to help them to develop their knowledge and skills. The manager has created a document around professional boundaries for staff which has been disseminated across the region and is now used in the organisation’s wider staff inductions. This gives new staff information on the importance of professional boundaries while providing safe and consistent care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have access to a wide range of training and development courses. All staff have completed mandatory training in areas such as safeguarding and health and safety. Additional training is provided around the specific needs of children to help staff develop more awareness. Established staff in the home also have opportunities to attend a leadership course, which provides additional training in areas such as safeguarding, risk assessments and staff supervision. This means staff are well prepared for taking on additional responsibilities in supporting the manager and the home in the manager’s absence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC419429 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. ‘(Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should continually assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. ‘(Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC419429 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Direct Care 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

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC419429 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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