Children's home run by Keys Care Limited in Belfast

Inspection report for children’s home: 1242216 1 Registered provider: Keys Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since January 2024. A new manager has been appointed but has not yet registered with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 21 November 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1242216 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2023 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Good 16/11/2021 Full Good 19/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1242216 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The building is welcoming, well decorated and furnished to a high standard. It feels like a family home. There are photos of all the children and staff making happy memories together. One child’s artwork is on display throughout the home. Staff celebrate children’s talents and interests with pride.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support positive relationships with children to flourish. Children are happy in the company of staff. The manager ensures consistency of care is maintained for children alongside appropriate behavioural boundaries. As a result, children have made progress from their starting points when they moved to the home. One child said, ‘This is my home, they are all I have.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and promote children’s education. Staff advocate for children when they are attending alternative education provision to support their educational achievement and get them into mainstream education as soon as possible. Where children are not in education, they receive support with finding employment. Staff continue to provide them with options to increase their attainment and self-esteem.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has a therapeutic approach to all aspects of care practice. Children respond positively to this. Children can talk to the psychotherapist, who visits the home regularly. The therapist said, ‘The new manager has improved the well-being of the children. The home has a fantastic energy.’ Staff spend time with the therapist. This develops their knowledge on how to understand and meet children’s needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a voice, and they are consulted with about the care they receive. Children’s meetings take place regularly. The manager responds to requests and makes plans to improve children’s experiences. Discussions with children are meaningful and considerate of their experiences and needs. Staff know the children well. They use their good relationships with the children to tackle more challenging discussions or suggestions for change.

p.3

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

Children have gone missing from the home. The responses of the manager and staff to these incidents have been good. The manager has developed the knowledge of staff in managing children going missing. The manager works with external professionals to create effective safety plans for children. Children understand and engage with their plans. Incidents of children being missing have significantly reduced. One child is making safer choices.

p.3

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

Physical restraint has not been used in the home to manage children’s behaviour. Staff focus on keeping children safe by developing trusting relationships with them. One social worker said, ‘The staff know the child well through their relationships and know how to Inspection report for children’s home: 1242216 4 keep them safe.’ When children struggle to communicate their emotions, staff are consistent and skilled in de-escalation. This prevents children coming to harm and reduces risk-taking behaviours.

p.3

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

Staff support children to learn how to manage their own behaviours, especially when these are overwhelming for the children. Staff place an emphasis on reflection and learning from incidents to prevent further incidents. The children’s individual behaviour support plans are detailed. One child’s plan was missing information that was important for staff to know. This is to ensure that staff can recognise signs and reduce the chance of harm to the child.

p.4

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

There is an emphasis on positive reinforcement from the manager and staff. Consequences are not used in the home. Staff focus on restorative conversations with children following incidents.

p.4

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

The manager has improved staff’s skills and knowledge around safeguarding. There is a positive open culture in the home. The manager has improved information-sharing and recording systems. Staff understand the roles of wider professionals in ensuring the safety of children living at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a new manager and deputy manager of the home. Both are experienced and strong leaders. They have high aspirations for the children and staff. The managers have made improvements to the home’s systems of recording, monitoring and oversight. There have been occasions where opportunities for more in-depth oversight have been missed. This was in relation to one child’s experience of a supportive intervention.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have experienced some instability following the change in leadership and some staff have left. This also affected the children. The new managers have improved morale and staff feel well supported and confident in their roles. There is a clear ethos of staff working together and supporting each other. This is driven by the manager.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses an individualised approach to staff development and training. They take time to understand staff’s preferred methods of learning and any additional support they need. Staff respond positively to this, and the standard of practice is good. There is a focus on work-life balance from the manager, and this improves the well-being of the team. This has a positive effect on children living in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is up to date. The manager also uses the input of the therapist to improve knowledge on children’s experiences. However, there needs to be more training in one specific area for a child living in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have positive relationships with professionals, and they advocate strongly for children. The managers have concerns about one child and how they will manage a new stage in their life. Professionals around the child have not been challenged robustly. The pathway plan does not fully address concerns or meet the needs of the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 1242216 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the positive behaviour support plan includes information relating to a child’s self-harm or where medication has been taken. There must be clear strategies for staff to use to prevent the risk of significant harm. 16 July 2024

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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; and 16 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1242216 6 seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. This relates to bespoke training to support one child and the staff in relation to their specific needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

p.6

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: 1242216 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/o Pinsent Masons LLP, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT1 3LP

p.7

Inspectors

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Eleanor Quanbrough, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1242216 8 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8