Children's Home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2701100 1 Registered provider: CF Social Work Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by an independent provider and offers care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in August 2023. A new manager was appointed in December 2023 and registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2701100 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/04/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2701100 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. One child has moved out since the last inspection. Staff continue to keep in touch with the child. Despite the difficult circumstances leading up to the child’s move, staff continue to reflect and talk about him warmly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved to the home. Detailed assessments were carried out to reflect each child’s needs. The organisation’s therapeutic lead was involved with the children’s pre-admission assessments and provided child-focused workshops for the staff. This helped the staff to understand the child and their lived experiences before they arrived. As a result of this sensitive and thoughtful process, the children have settled well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed positive relationships with staff. The staff know the children well. There is warmth in the exchanges between staff and children. This gives children a sense of stability, which is beneficial to their emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build and maintain relationships with their families and carers. For some children, there have been significant developments with their involvement and relationships with family members. Staff recognise the importance of these relationships and help the children to spend quality time with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are doing well at school. Staff support children with their homework and make learning enjoyable. Managers work closely with the schools to ensure that any barriers to learning are removed quickly. Both schools provided extremely positive feedback about the support they receive from staff at the home. One teacher said, ‘No concerns at all, they are brilliant, we really enjoy working with them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities, including swimming, gymnastics, going to amusement parks and football matches. Staff focus on children having positive experiences and building self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is small and has been creatively planned to provide different rooms for children to play and relax. Children have been involved in choosing the colour schemes and wall art in the games room. Children’s bedrooms are individualised and reflect their interests. There are photos of the children throughout the home. This gives children a sense of ownership of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s welcome guide is not child focused or presented in a way that is individual to each child’s cognitive ability. There is an overuse of words and professional terms. This makes it overwhelming and difficult for children to understand. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701100 4 The complaints procedure is not easily accessible, and the children do not have access to appropriate advocacy support. This makes it difficult for the children to raise a concern as they do not have an independent trusted person to confide in should they need to.

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

Staff understand trauma and the behaviours that are associated with traumatic experiences. The children are supported by staff who know them well and use the strength of their relationships to gently help the children to make sense of previous experiences and to reduce negative coping strategies. The use of physical intervention techniques has rarely been necessary. Consequences are not used and there have been no episodes of children going missing from the home.

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

Staff keep the children safe through good supervision and understanding of their vulnerabilities. The children trust the staff. This is demonstrated through them seeking out staff for company or a cuddle.

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

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans provide staff with detailed risk-reduction strategies. The staff are consistent in their responses and approaches to keeping children safe. They understand that children’s behaviour is a means of communication and seek to understand the child’s needs while maintaining clear boundaries.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities, and they have a good knowledge of whistle-blowing procedures. They put the children’s safety and best interests at the centre of their practice.

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

Staff use an electronic recording system to record incidents. The system provides descriptive terms to illustrate the nature of incidents. On occasions, staff have used the wrong descriptive terms. This does not ensure that the incident is recorded in a way that is helpful to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A dedicated and experienced manager manages the home. Parents, carers and professionals are positive about the communication and working relationships with the manager. Children benefit from collaborative working between the manager and external professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the manager and say that they feel supported personally and professionally. They receive regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals of their performance. Therefore, they are provided with regular opportunities to discuss their well-being and professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established a stable and experienced staff team. Staff enjoy working at the home. Children benefit from consistent and familiar staff at the home each day. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701100 5 The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. A comprehensive development plan has been created to ensure continued improvement to the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication at the home is good. Child-focused team meetings are held regularly. The meetings provide a forum for discussion and decision-making. This helps staff to feel confident in their approach and to be consistent in their responses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are suitably trained. Training includes areas that are relevant to the known needs of the children. Staff said that their training provides them with the skills and knowledge they need to meet children’s needs more effectively. Several members of staff are working towards the level 3 diploma. Two members of staff have other recognised qualifications; however, the manager was unable to demonstrate how these qualifications are equivalent to the required level 3 diploma. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701100 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the children’s guide is presented in a format that is appropriate for each child’s age and stage of development and includes an accessible complaints procedure for children. In addition, ensure that children have access to an independent advocate. 5 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, ensure that staff record the nature of incidents in a way that is helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff’s existing qualifications are mapped for equivalency to the level 3 diploma for residential childcare and any gaps are addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.13) Inspection report for children’s home: 2701100 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: 2701100 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CF Social Work Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 and 4b K Line House, West Road, Ipswich IP3 9SX

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Inspector

Rachel Watkinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2701100 9 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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