Children's home run by Keys Child Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 1 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022. They are due to leave the home imminently. An interim manager is in post.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/04/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have complex needs and disabilities and use a range of communication aids to enable them to express their wishes and feelings. The core staff team has a good understanding of each child’s individual needs. Children have trusting and meaningful relationships with staff. One child said they are happy and like living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have complex health needs and require support with their personal care. Staff support children to attend routine and specialist health appointments. Staff work alongside external agencies to ensure that effective multi-agency working is in place to meet children’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend an appropriate education provision. Staff support the children to attend school regularly. When barriers arise in education, staff use creative approaches to support children. Staff went to school with one child to build their confidence and help them to settle. This support enabled the child to build trusting relationships with education professionals and supported the child’s transition to a structured classroom environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences when moving into the home. Plans are devised to allow the children to meet with staff and visit the home. This supports children to start to build relationships with other children and staff before moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support the children to spend time with people who are important to them. When appropriate, staff arrange and supervise family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s personal spaces reflect their individuality. The home has a welcoming feel to it and is tailored to meet the individual needs of the children living there. There are lots of photos of the children and their family members around the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External professionals said that communication with the staff team can be inconsistent. The provider is aware of the areas for improvement and has made changes to the management structure of the home.

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

Risks to children are known and understood by staff. Children’s individual risk assessments are detailed and have clear guidance for staff to follow. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practices and share relevant information with external professionals in a timely manner. This enables effective external monitoring of children’s safety and welfare.

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

Children have individual positive behaviour support plans in place, with clear guidance for staff to follow. Staff implement appropriate boundaries and routines and reinforce Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 4 positive behaviour using incentives and rewards. This enables children to gain an understanding of acceptable behaviours and helps them to make positive choices.

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

Staff use social stories to help children understand when there are planned changes to their care. As a result, children are informed about any changes in their lives, such as a planned change to family time.

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

Professionals and family members are generally positive about the care that children receive. One parent said, ‘[Name of child] has come on leaps and bounds. Staff go above and beyond to meet [name of child]’s needs. Staff have been able to do what a lot of others haven’t in terms of school and routines.’

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

There have been a small number of medication errors. The interim manager has implemented a new structure and routine for administering medication. There have been no further errors in administering medication since its implementation.

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

When children are physically held, the level of scrutiny by the registered manager is variable, so it cannot be established whether the holds are safe, necessary and proportionate. This may mean that some children are held by staff when it is not necessary to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has not had sufficient oversight of care practices in the home. His monitoring and auditing systems have failed to identify the shortfalls raised, which means that they are not currently effective and embedded into practice. The interim manager, who is new in post is keen to begin to address the shortfalls raised and has a clear plan of how she intends to do this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have varied experiences of working in the home. Some staff say they feel well supported by leaders and managers and enjoy working in the home. However, others say they feel unsupported and that the staff team is not working well together. However, the interim manager is aware of this and has plans in place to address the culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

When complaints are made, there is limited management oversight. The rationale for actions and outcomes is not always clearly recorded by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children are not always supported by a sufficient number of staff during the night, in line with their care plans. The registered manager has relied on a high number of agency staff to address the shortfalls in the rotas. This means that children are not always cared for by people who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision of staff takes place regularly. However, the quality of the records of these sessions is poor. The records do not evidence that staff have had an opportunity to discuss children during sessions or identify any learning or development opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 5 A large number of staff are working towards qualifications. However, staff development plans are not up to date, and annual appraisals of staff practice are not consistently taking place. The interim manager has identified shortfalls in this area and has plans in place to address this. This includes specific training for all staff relevant to the children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The quality of children’s records is inconsistent, and records do not always reflect action taken by staff. This is a missed opportunity to capture the progress and experiences of some children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

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 that 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(g)(ii)(h)) 4 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 4 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 7 have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair, necessary and proportionate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 49, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2692117 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Child Care 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

Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2692117 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 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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