Children's home run by Keys Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2548418 1 Registered provider: Keys Care 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

This home is registered to provide care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. There were four children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2023.

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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 outstanding

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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: 2548418 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/01/2024 Full Good 17/01/2023 Full Good 21/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2548418 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make positive progress when they move into the home. Staff demonstrate a strong focus on supporting children to be involved in decisions about their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from opportunities to participate in a wide range of positive experiences, including holidays and community activities. Staff ensure that the memories of these events are captured well in records and made available to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have built strong relationships with staff who know them well. Children regularly seek practical and emotional support from preferred staff. The members of the staff team promote good boundaries for children, which provides a strong foundation for children when they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children engage well in education and provide additional educational opportunities for children in accordance with their plans. Staff actively encourage children to develop their understanding of diversity and difference, and they support children to consider differing ethical perspectives. The diverse staff team provides further opportunities for children to explore their understanding of the world.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are valued, and staff ensure that children’s voices are heard. The members of the staff team provide children with access to independent advocates when required. The impact of this is that children have a strong sense of self- autonomy and trust that staff will act on their wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are continually supported to develop their self-care and independence skills, and this takes into consideration their individual plans and developmental ages. One child has been supported to maintain a prior interest in cooking and baking since moving to the home, which has enabled this child to settle well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are new to the home are welcomed in a planned and sensitive manner, and the members of the staff team have worked hard to ensure that the environment has a homely and welcoming feel. The ending for one child moving on from the home was excellent, and staff have continued to provide formal support to support the child in their new home. The child’s social worker said to inspectors, ‘I was very impressed with the transition. It was the best transition plan I have seen in 7 years as a social worker.’

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

Children receive the right support when safeguarding concerns emerge, and the members of the staff team are curious and focused on ensuring that children are kept safe. Consequently, there has only been a very small number of safeguarding incidents since the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548418 4 Children have a strong sense of permanence in their home and the members of the staff team have ensured that communal spaces and children’s bedrooms are appropriately personalised.

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

Staff who are new to the home are carefully vetted, and all staff receive a range of training. Managers acted promptly to arrange further specialist training for the staff team following an emerging safeguarding concern for one child.

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

Staff recognise the risks towards children from the internet and their online activity. Children benefit from clear and fair expectations and staff help children to stay safe online. Staff enable children to make informed choices about the level of supervision and oversight they have regarding their online activity.

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

Staff ensure that children maintain regular contact with their families and work alongside the placing authority to ensure contact arrangements meet children’s needs. In one example, the staff team worked well with the child’s social worker to review family time arrangements following a missing episode.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a dedicated and child-centred registered manager who demonstrates an excellent understanding of the providers model of care. The registered manager regularly monitors the progress of individual children and maintains strong evidence of the benefit the home’s approach provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager’s ethos of ‘connection before correction’ is embedded within the home and emphasises the significant importance the management team places on staff building positive relationships with children. The impact of this is that staff recognise the defining roles they have in children’s lives and use their positive relationships to encourage children and directly influence the progress they make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The members of the management team have carefully thought about the presenting needs of children before making decisions about who should live in the home. Consequently, children living in the home are well suited and very settled. The planning and the support children receive when they move into the home or leave the home are exceptional.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The members of the management team have the highest ambitions for children and strongly advocate for children’s wishes and feelings to be heard. For example, challenging placing authorities when they believe care planning decisions are not in children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from regular therapeutic consultations and have access to specialist advisers within the organisation, who have a range of expertise and knowledge in supporting children’s presenting needs. Consequently, children’s plans effectively identify their presenting needs and therapeutically informed staff carefully plan the support that Inspection report for children’s home: 2548418 5 children need. Staff ensure that children have a primary voice in determining the support they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The morale in the staff team is very high and all staff speak highly of the support they receive from their colleagues and managers. Staff receive regular supervision, and this provides a strong foundation to ensure the needs of children are met to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have implemented several innovative strategies to recognise the support that staff provide to children and celebrate personal achievements for staff. The impact of this is that staff feel valued, and they demonstrate a strong sense of positivity in supporting children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a strong culture in the staff team of creating positive experiences and memories for children. Staff take great pride in preparing personalised memory books for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548418 6

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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: 2548418 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Ashley Edwards, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Louise Webling, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2548418 8 regulates and inspects to 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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