Children's home run by Keswick Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2594543 1 Registered provider: Keswick 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 and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2023

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2594543 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/10/2022 Full Outstanding 19/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2594543 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive consistent and nurturing care, so they enjoy secure and trusting relationships with staff. They know the children well, and they understand how children’s past experiences have affected their lives. Staff have open and honest conversations with the children, and they respond sensitively when children are experiencing difficulties in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s individual health needs. They are proactive in helping children who are anxious about attending health appointments. For one child, this has led to improved health because they are now accessing dental treatment. When there are concerns that children are using illegal substances, referrals are made to local services to ensure the children receive the right support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s mental health and emotional well-being. They respond sensitively to children when they are experiencing difficult feelings and emotions. Staff work collaboratively with therapeutic services to ensure that they are equipped to provide children with care that benefits their emotional and mental health. The manager challenged other professionals when one child’s mental health needs were not being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff understand the barriers to children’s education. They work in partnership with education professionals to ensure that the provision for children’s education is appropriate and is kept under review. However, there is sometimes a lack of structure to the children’s school day. The records show that there are inconsistencies in how staff promote informal learning as an interim measure when children do not have a school place, or their school timetable is reduced. There are, however, lots of examples of conversation with children about their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to see the people who are important in their lives. One child’s family said, ‘The staff are fantastic. They couldn’t do more for the child (name). They are like extended family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create memory books for children, starting from the first day they move into the home. They capture the child’s experiences in photos, memorabilia and messages written by staff. This provides children with a way to look back on the things that they have done in this home, and they can take these with them when they move into adulthood.

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

Children’s risk assessments are individual and identify all risks. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities, and they are clear about the steps they must take to reduce some of those risks. There is a proactive Inspection report for children’s home: 2594543 4 approach to educating children about risks, and children contribute to their safety plans.

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

Children rarely go missing. Staff are clear about the steps they need to follow, including searching for the children and reporting them as missing. Children are provided with the opportunity to talk to an independent person when they return home. When there are additional risks to some children, in the community, these risks are assessed and understood, and there is a multi-agency approach to managing the risks.

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

Physical restraint has not been necessary with the children living in the home. This is because staff use their positive relationships, and respond appropriately when children are in distress. Records show that when consequences to behaviour have been used, staff have not always ensured that the measure used is proportionate or restorative. This relates to one child’s unsupervised time in the community being restricted for multiple days when they have returned home late.

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

Allegations are taken seriously, and they are shared with safeguarding professionals. Staff are aware of how to report an allegation and they understand the whistle- blowing policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She values the staff, and she provides them with effective leadership and support. There is an established and experienced staff team at this home that means children receive good-quality consistent care. Staff said that they feel happy and supported, and that moral is good.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well-equipped to meet the children’s needs. The staff receive a good range of training that is kept up to date and under review for all staff. This includes training in areas specific to the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions that are reflective and allows them the opportunity to discuss the children plans. Team meetings take place regularly, and they provide the staff with a further opportunity to develop as they refresh topics to ensure their safeguarding knowledge remains current.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided to children and staff development are effective. The manager has good oversight of the home. The manager has taken appropriate action when shortfalls related to staff performance have been identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is strong partnership working at this home. Other professionals hold the manager and staff in high regard. One professional said, ‘The staff are excellent. They really know the children, and they always go the extra mile.’ The manager confidently challenges other agencies to ensure that the children’s plans are met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594543 5 The manager has made child-centred decisions when children have moved into the home. However, when one child moved into the home their needs were not fully understood because full information was not shared with the staff. Unfortunately, this led to the provider serving notice, and the child moved out prematurely. The manager has reflected on the lessons learned, and she has escalated these concerns to the child’s placing authority. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594543 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, that in the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2594543 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 17 Cedars Business Centre, Barnsley Road, Hemsworth, Pontefract WF9 4PU

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Inspector

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2594543 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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