Children's home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC016124 1 SC016124

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Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education 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 two children. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that the home offers long-term and transitional placements for children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2018.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC016124 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/08/2023 Full Good 17/05/2022 Full Good 02/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC016124 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in this home. One child spoke positively about their recent educational achievements. They have passed their exams and they are considering how they are going to pursue and explore their future paths of study for their chosen careers. When difficulties in school are encountered by children, staff work closely with school staff to share ideas about how to support children effectively and ensure that consistent, positive messages are provided to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare needs are being met. Children are supported to access appropriate medical and emotional healthcare services, both internal and external to the home. The emotional healthcare support that is provided by staff is informed by guidance from specialist professionals. This support has helped children to develop more positive outlooks about their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with nurturing care and positive daily routines. As a result, children’s personal hygiene and sleep patterns have improved. One child enjoys story time with staff each night, and often continues to read independently to help them settle to sleep.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about how staff help them to spend enjoyable time with their family members. Children’s time with their family members is carefully planned and supported by staff. Children also enjoy a range of fun activities inside and outside of the home. One child is enjoying regular trampolining lessons, as well as being supported to do this in their leisure time. Children also enjoy gaming, playing in the garden together, going shopping, and going to the skatepark. When children express an interest in more organised hobbies, such as youth groups and sports clubs, staff support children to join local community provisions with children of a similar age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has recently started volunteering in a local charity shop, which has further increased their self-esteem and social skills. They are also being helped to develop their life skills to help them to prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and tidy, suitably furnished and decorated to a high standard. It feels warm and homely. The gardens are well maintained, with play equipment for children, a pet rabbit in its enclosure, and various planters to help children to grow their own vegetables. One child’s bedroom is personalised in line with their interests. Another child is being supported to plan how to redecorate their bedroom.

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

Staff have developed positive and trusting relationships with children, which are helping children to develop their confidence and express their thoughts and feelings safely. Inspection report for children’s home: SC016124 4 Children appear relaxed and comfortable in their home, and staff interactions with them are warm, caring and kind.

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

Staff know the children well and are aware of the potential circumstances that may cause children to experience difficult emotions. Staff support children to talk about their feelings and help them to identify the external services that are available to help them. Staff’s favoured strategies for supporting children centre around spending positive time with them, celebrating their achievements, and offering genuine love and care; all of which have proved to be effective.

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

Staff help children to build positive relationships with each other and to live co- operatively together. When children’s relationships become fractured, staff support children to talk about their frustrations, reflect on their relationship, and agree how they can move forward. S

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

Staff follow the agreed protocols when children walk away from the home or staff, including searching the local area and attempting to contact the child. As a result, children have not been reported missing-from-home. Staff are curious about why the child walked away, ask them about what they were doing, and check on their welfare. Staff are accepting of children’s feelings and provide them with positive messages about what they could do differently in the future to express themselves more safely.

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

Children have raised concerns about the actions of three members of staff since the last inspection. When concerns are raised, the registered manager responds swifty to ensure children’s safety. Concerns are shared with the relevant professionals and the registered manager has clear rationales for the actions that are taken. The registered manager maintains a chronology of all concerns that are raised about staff, although it does not clearly outline the reasons for the decisions that are made.

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

Typically, children’s plans provide staff with a helpful overview of children’s needs and the support and care that staff provide them. Children are helped to understand and contribute to their care planning. However, some plans do not contain the most up-to- date information and/or the most recent plans are not available to staff. When the response from external professionals is insufficient and is contributing to delayed care planning, the registered manager does not always escalate their concerns effectively to try and resolve the issues. As a result, children do not always have a clear understanding of their care or the decisions that have been made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is instrumental in defining the culture and ethos of the home, which is characterised by warmth, nurture, and care. Children are helped to overcome their barriers and to discuss their difficult emotions with staff who genuinely care about them and enjoy being with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has taken action to address the recommendations that were raised at the last inspection. The registered manager has a sound understanding of the Inspection report for children’s home: SC016124 5 strengths of the home and regards a particular strength to be the consistent and stable staff team. As a result, children are provided with continuity of care, from staff who they know well, and who are suitably qualified and have the necessary skills to meet their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in this home. They say that they feel supported by the registered manager and that they go ‘above and beyond’ to help children feel cared for, safe and listened to. Staff celebrate the positive outcomes that children have achieved. Staff write positive messages of affirmation for children and record the memories that they have shared with them in individual diaries. These will serve as a nice keepsake for children to help them to remember the time that they have spent with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported to reflect on the children’s needs and the care that they provide. Regular staff supervisions and performance appraisals help staff to understand what they do well and their areas for development. These discussions are complemented by consultations with the provider’s specialist advisors, who help staff to identify the most effective ways of supporting the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager critically analyses the care and support that is provided by staff to children. This allows for learning to be identified and clear expectations for staff are defined. The well-being of children is central to the care that is provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Positive feedback is provided by external professionals. One educational professional said that their child has ‘thrived’ in the home. Professionals say that the staff know their child well and have developed positive relationships with them. As a result, their child feels as though the home is ‘[their] home’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Robust safer recruitment checks are in place for permanent members of staff. However, leaders and managers had not verified the safer recruitment checks that were completed by an agency for agency-employed members of staff to work in the home. As a result, leaders and managers could not be assured that satisfactory checks had been completed and that agency-employed staff were suitable to work with children. The registered manager took action to resolve this vulnerability during the inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC016124 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 meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must 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

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

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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)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should escalate their concerns when the response from external professionals is insufficient and results in delays to essential care-planning decisions being made for children. Furthermore, the registered person should ensure that staff have access to the most up-to- date information and most recent children's plans so that staff are able to support children effectively, without delay. 23 September 2024

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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: SC016124 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education 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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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC016124 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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