Children's Home run by Keystone Staffordshire Ltd in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: 2773571 1 Registered provider: Keystone Staffordshire Ltd 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 an independent provider. The home is registered to care for up to three children who have social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties and are likely to have experienced trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection since the home was registered by Ofsted in April 2024. The home has a registered manager who has a relevant management qualification. The manager has experience of managing in other residential children’s homes.

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Information about this children’s home

One child lives in the home. The child was present for some of the inspection and the inspector was able to speak with the child and gather their views.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2773571 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home was registered, two children have moved in, and one child has left. One child moved from the home earlier than planned because their risks escalated, and staff could not keep the child safe. Managers consulted with agencies and the child, to support the child to move in a planned way. The child’s social worker said their experience of working with managers and staff was overall positive. They said that staff had good quality supportive discussions with the child and the child made progress in education and with their skills for independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The current child moved into the home in a planned way. As a result, the child has quickly settled, and they say they like living in the home. Although the child has lived at the home for only a few weeks, the child is developing trusting relationships with staff. The child’s social worker says that staff understand the child’s needs and they want the child to do well and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff sensitively support the child’s health and wellbeing. They support the child to attend routine health appointments, and they prioritise the child’s emotional health needs. Managers and staff consult with the child’s social worker and seek specialist help when needed. The multi-team approach means that the child’s emotional health needs are supported, and the child is developing strategies to effectively regulate their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives well planned care. Internal placement plans are regularly reviewed with the child. Staff encourage the child to set their own goals and to have aspirations which they constantly encourage the child to meet. This promotes the child to develop a sense of achievement and encourages the child to invest in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has many opportunities to express their views in planned discussions and ad hoc conversations. The child says they can talk with staff, and that staff arrange activities they like such as going to the zoo and arranging pamper sessions. This supports the child’s engagement and promotes positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are not always vigilant about risks in the home. For example, a metal trim is missing from around the window in the bathroom. Sharp edges from the remaining trim and from exposed tiles are accessible to the child, who is at high risk from harming themselves. Managers and staff were unaware of this damage and did not know when it occurred. The damage was repaired by the end of the inspection.

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

Staff support the child during times of crisis. They are skilled at using approved strategies to help the child to understand their feelings and regulate their strong emotions. On occasions, staff physically restrain the child to manage the child’s complex Inspection report for children’s home: 2773571 3 behaviours and to keep the child safe. Following these incidents managers sensitively talk with the child and with staff and ensure that restraints are necessary and proportionate. The child says that generally staff ‘use words’ rather than restraint to keep them safe.

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

Staff support the child to contribute to their risk management plans by talking to the child about what they need to keep them safe. These plans provide the staff with the information and guidance they need to understand and support the specific vulnerabilities and risks for the child.

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

When children go missing from the home, or attempt to leave the home without permission, staff follow the joint protocol effectively. Searches conducted by staff show children they are cared about. Proactive collaboration with local authorities and police supports children to return home safely. However, there is a lack of managerial oversight as managers are unaware if interviews with an independent person or a child’s social worker have taken place.

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

The team’s approach to supporting children who harm themselves is highly nurturing and caring. Staff are comfortable talking to the children and gently challenge them to consider the effect of their risk-taking behaviour. Staff talk openly with children and listen to their views on why they want to harm themselves. Staff help them to work through their emotions and to talk more openly about their worries.

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

Staff are skilled at helping the child to behave increasingly well. The child receives verbal praise and highly personalised rewards for having a good day and for making safe choices. Negative sanctions are rarely used and are restorative. Staff show the child the lovely comments written by managers and staff when the child makes these positive choices. Professionals say that this positive approach to behaviour management is helping the child to take responsibility for their actions and to develop their self-esteem.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic and aspirational for the child and the staff. They have a genuine desire to improve the outcomes and experiences for children who come to live in the home. The manager and the responsible individual work as a team and have a strong presence in the home. They maintain oversight of the home using a range of review and monitoring systems. This means that managers can quickly address issues and plan developments and improvements across the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good partnership working between managers and staff and professionals from other agencies. External professionals are positive about the care and support that the child receives and the communication with the registered manager and staff. They say that there are improvements in the behaviour of the child and that staff have an understanding and nurturing approach when the child is struggling.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from having a diverse team of staff from a variety of backgrounds. The manager is well regarded and is nurturing towards the team. This means that staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2773571 4 work in an environment where they feel well supported. The manager ensures that there is a positive culture amongst the staff. Team meetings are held regularly, and staff are encouraged to reflect on their wellbeing and the positive contribution they make to the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child receives consistent care that has enabled them to develop relationships with adults who know them well. This is because the home is fully staffed, and no agency staff have been used to cover shortfalls in staffing. One staff has a relevant qualification and three are enrolled. The remaining staff will be enrolled once they have completed their probationary period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes a supportive environment for staff to work in. Staff receive regular good quality supervision and a range of training opportunities to meet the child’s needs. New staff receive a thorough induction, including training, and complete induction workbooks to support their understanding and help them develop. However, staff have not undertaken training relevant to all the child’s safeguarding needs. The manager has not developed monitoring systems to address this shortfall. Inspection report for children’s home: 2773571 5

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that the home is well maintained and free from hazards and that they take prompt and effective action to rectify shortfalls in the safety of the home. 06 October 2024

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that staff receive training in ligature. 06 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2773571 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 2773571 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keystone Staffordshire Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 24 Brookside Business Park, Stone, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 0RZ

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2773571 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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