Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 1 Registered provider: Keys Educational Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to four children. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that care is provided for children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/10/2022 Full Good 23/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress and experiences are variable. Children have significant barriers to their school attendance and most children are on part-time timetables. Staff are not consistent in their expectations of children attending school or engaging in learning in the home. Staff plan for social and learning activities but do not actively pursue alternatives when children choose not to be involved. Staff do not have up-to-date educational information for children, which further hinders their progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not always able to successfully encourage children to maintain healthy routines, particularly around sleeping. Some children are allowed to sleep into the afternoon, even on school days. Staff carry out regular checks during the day, but this is having little impact on the children’s well-being. Lengthy periods in their bedrooms have led to non- engagement with formal learning, missing regular meals and sleep patterns being disturbed.

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improvement to be good

The ‘Children’s Guide to the Home’ is colourful, informative and useful. It helps children to develop a sense of what it might be like for them to live in the home before they move in. There are plenty of photos of the home and staff.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers carefully consider the needs of children moving into the home alongside the needs of those already living there. Staff visit children and support them to visit their new home. This helps children to develop an early sense of being listened to and belonging. Children’s bedrooms are mostly clean and tidy, although lack necessary furniture and personalisation for a homely feel. Some of the children have asked for their bedrooms to be decorated but no action has been taken for several weeks. This is of particular importance as some of the children have struggled to settle into the home.

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improvement to be good

When children move out of the home, leaders and managers ensure that the move is planned with familiar staff supporting the children’s move. Staff support children with visits to their new home, telephone calls and visits after children have moved in.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to participate in healthy routines, including sitting together for dinner and going to bed at a reasonable time to prepare them for the following day. Evening meals are social events, and the staff encourage everyone to eat together. Staff sensitively encourage the children to enjoy and maintain a healthy diet.

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improvement to be good

The environment is large and spacious, and clean and tidy. Leaders and managers are considering refurbishments of the home and changes to the layout to make better use of some spaces. The garden is large and well kept, with play equipment for the children, including a swing, trampoline and football goals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 4 Staff ensure that children attend all of their medical appointments for their physical and emotional health. Staff work with external services to understand when children may self-harm and how to support children to develop alternative ways to self-soothe.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance that each child places on spending meaningful time with their loved ones. Staff take time to understand a child’s family network and regularly speak to parents to help the time that children spend with the family to be a positive experience. This helps to ensure that children enjoy significant, valuable time with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to gain confidence and learn new skills. Some children enjoy a varied range of recreational and social activities to help them build their self-esteem and social skills. Most of the children enjoy activities outside of the home, such as going to the skatepark, horse riding, having beauty treatments and going to theme parks.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from children is mixed. Although children said that living in the home is OK, one child said that they do not feel listened to. They voiced concerns about feeling ‘too scared’ to tell people their views and opinions, as ‘nothing would change’. One child also spoke about inequalities in how their finances are managed, which impacts their accessibility to essential hygiene products.

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improvement to be good

The management of complaints varies and is not consistent with the complaints procedure that is outlined to children. Managers are unclear about what constitutes a complaint and are unable to provide an accurate overview of complaints or concerns. Feedback is not always provided to children, which means that children do not always know that they have been listened to.

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improvement to be good

Some of the language used by staff is not child-focused and one child said they feel like ‘a child in care’. Some care planning decisions inadvertently stigmatise children as being different from their peers.

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improvement to be good

A workforce development plan is in place which recognises the varied experience, skills and knowledge of staff. Suitable actions have been identified to upskill the team, although the plan is not regularly reviewed or updated. There is a lack of understanding of some important policies and procedures. Staff, including managers, were unable to name safeguarding individuals in the organisation.

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improvement to be good

When safeguarding concerns are raised about staff’s practice, immediate action is taken to help keep children safe. Concerns are shared with the relevant professionals and actions and outcomes are agreed. Feedback is provided to children so that they know they are being protected from harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 5 There have been two missing-from-home episodes since the last inspection. Staff take proactive action when children are missing from the home. Incidents are managed well with staff being clear on what is expected of them to search, follow and encourage a quick and safe return home. Return home interviews are undertaken and leaders and managers identify themes and learning.

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improvement to be good

Staff use a range of strategies to help children to express themselves and reduce the risk of self-harm. Staff follow clear procedures when children have harmed themselves in order to ensure that children are safe. There is a multi-agency response to self-harm, which includes input from the home’s therapist.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Weaknesses in leadership and management are having a negative impact on children’s overall experiences and progress, and undermine the safety and well-being of the children in the home. Leaders and managers have failed to provide children with consistency of care or stability in daily routines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are continuing to fail to meet statutory requirements. Since the registration of this home in January 2019, Ofsted has completed seven inspection visits. Regulation 13 (The Leadership and Management Standard) has been issued on six occasions. The registered provider is failing to make and sustain necessary improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff talk about difficult dynamics in the home and describe a dysfunctional team that lacks consistency, experience and support. Leaders and managers have acknowledged that the work environment can be challenging and have taken some steps to start to improve the culture in the home. Despite staff noting some early improvements, the negative atmosphere in the home is having an impact on the care of children. One member of staff described the home as a ‘miserable place’ to be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervision sessions are often consumed with discussions about the difficult team dynamics. There is minimal exploration about children’s individual needs, the quality of care that they are provided with, and how staff can support children to overcome their barriers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children’s files are not up to date and essential information such as care plans and personal education plans are missing entirely for some children. One child’s progress seems to have stagnated and there has been minimal challenge from managers when the responses from external professionals has been insufficient. Staff do not always know how to care for children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Medication is stored securely and administered safely. Medication administration records are regularly audited, and inconsistencies are identified. This allows for leaders and managers to identify when staff may benefit from additional guidance about medication administration and recording. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 6 The registered manager is new in post and has identified some areas for development. Some actions have been taken to address the requirements and recommendations that were raised at the last inspection, although many vulnerabilities in the quality of care that is provided remain. Team consultations, which include input from the home’s therapist, provide a forum for staff to reflect on children’s individual needs and the strategies that staff need to support them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 7

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to the children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; and

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are age appropriate for their age and understanding. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff help all children to have healthy sleep hygiene routines. In addition, the registered person should ensure that children have access to any essential health or hygiene items. This specifically relates to children being supported to maintain healthy routines and self- care.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated from the previous inspection. 27 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 8 The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; and

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should support staff to provide care to children that promotes their educational attendance and achievement. When children are not attending full-time education, staff should engage children in suitable structured activities that promote their learning and development. This should also support children to build their confidence and help them to reintegrate into formal education.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated from the previous inspection. 18 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 9 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(b)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the monitoring and analysis of care supports staff to meet the needs of children effectively.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated from the previous inspection. 1 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. 18 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 10 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(d)(ii)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should respond and take action to address any complaints made by children. In addition, the registered person should ensure that children are aware of the complaints procedure and how to feed back about the care that they receive.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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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. (Regulation 5 (a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should challenge the placing local authority when there are delays in decision-making or shortfalls which are having an impact on caring for children. 1 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 11

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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: 2507631 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Educational Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspectors

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Stacey Pellow, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2507631 13 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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