Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in West Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2692062 1 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Ltd

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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 registered to provide care for up to four children who may experience emotional, behavioural and social difficulties. There were three children living at the home at the time of inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation that operates several registered children’s homes.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous registered manager left the home on 5 May 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

Date of last inspection: 18 December 2023

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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: 2692062 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2692062 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and the children thrive in the staff’s care. Interactions between the staff and children are playful and engaging. The children are keen to spend time with the staff and there is laughter throughout the home. One professional commented, ‘I will describe the home as a perfect big family home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive, trusting relationships with staff and freely approach them for support. These relationships help the children develop the confidence to speak to staff about their worries and share past experiences. One child said they have grown in confidence, because of the support of the staff. One child said, ‘I can talk to them, and they actually care.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the value of children’s relationships with the people who are important to them. They encourage them to spend time together. The staff support children in re- establishing relationships with family and exploring links with their wider family networks irrespective of how far away families live. One child spoke about how they enjoy having their friends come and spend time with them in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has been proactive in trying to ensure that the children have appropriate access to education. However, children have had varying experiences in relation to quickly accessing formal education. In cases where partner agencies have not ensured sufficient appropriate education for children, the manager and staff have taken positive steps. Staff support the children’s learning and development, providing educational activities, trips and access to online learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children become more independent. They involve children in cooking meals for the home and household activities. Staff help children learn life skills, such as travelling on the bus, going out shopping and budgeting for items. One child enjoys helping with household jobs and proudly showed inspectors their cooking and cleaning skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff promote inclusivity, helping children understand tolerance and socially acceptable language. However, there is not a well-planned approach to helping children from diverse backgrounds better understand and celebrate their cultural heritage.

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

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and their responsibilities to keep them safe. When concerns do arise, staff take appropriate action to ensure that children get the support they need to stay safe. They carefully assess risks for children and keep these under regular review. Staff are not risk-averse and understand that taking well- managed risks is an essential part of children’s development. They balance well the Inspection report for children’s home: 2692062 4 need to keep children safe with allowing children age-appropriate freedoms and responsibilities, such as independent travel and time out with friends.

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

The manager ensures any concerns raised or allegations made by children are thoroughly investigated and managed appropriately. Information is appropriately shared with relevant partner agencies, including the local authority designated officer for safeguarding. Children who raise any concerns or complaints are well supported. They receive a letter to help them understand the outcome of their concerns. Restorative work takes place to rebuild the adult-child relationship as appropriate.

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

Children do not go missing often. However, when they do, staff are proactive. The staff try to contact and locate the children. They talk to the children when they return to see how they can prevent them from going missing again and help children reflect on the situation. However, on occasion, the recording of these incidents is not sufficiently clear and does not demonstrate the actions staff take.

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

The staff know the children well and work alongside them to understand their feelings and behaviours. This helps staff and children to explore strategies together to prevent and manage difficult situations. Staff seek guidance from the specialist behaviour support team when required. Staff are creative in their approach and engage with the child in the way which best suits them. For example, staff found one child who struggles with discussion will open up more by having time alone and communicating via text messages.

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

Staff have helped children build emotional resilience through the trusting relationships established. Consequently, children’s self-injurious behaviours have reduced. Appropriate risk management plans are in place to guide staff in how to support children who may display self-injurious behaviours.

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

The house is generally safe and well maintained. However, at the time of the inspection the shed which contained hazardous items was not locked and a butter knife and metal rod were lying in the garden. These hazards were addressed during the inspection. However, this was particularly relevant as some children have previously harmed themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has been in post since May 2024. She has yet to apply to register with Ofsted. She works closely alongside staff to ensure that children receive consistent, good-quality care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and is aware of the home’s strengths and areas for development. She has plans in place to further develop the team and the service. The manager acts on recommended actions from the monthly independent person’s visit. She uses the feedback to further enhance the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692062 5 The manager has high aspirations for all the children and has inspired the same beliefs in the staff team. The manager ensures that the therapeutic and child-focused approach is embedded in staff practice. One professional commented, ‘The home is second to none in how they care for the children and build relationships with them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good morale and enthusiasm in the staff team. Staff said that they feel well supported by the manager and senior leaders, whom they described as knowledgeable, experienced and approachable. One staff member said, ‘The manager is fantastic, caring and compassionate.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision arrangements ensure that staff have a formal space for professional development and reflection. The staff team has regular meetings to discuss ideas about service development. Staff benefit from good training opportunities. They are provided with specialist learning opportunities specific to the needs of the children. Clinical consultations with the organisation’s specialist professionals further support staff development and the care they offer to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively with other agencies. She has arranged consultations for social work professionals with the organisation’s specialist team, to better help them understand the child. One professional said that their consultation with the organisation’s psychologist helped to inform them about the best way to care for the child. This information has since been incorporated into the child’s care plan to support them now and in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of care practice through effective monitoring systems. However, some children’s records lack clarity and on occasion conflicting information. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692062 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home complies with relevant health and safety legislations. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and 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)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 2692062 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Child Care Ltd

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Callard

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Inspectors

Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Joanna Heller, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2692062 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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