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

Inspection report for children's home: 1247491 1 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 provides care for up to four children who may have learning disabilities. The home is run and managed by a large private company.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 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 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: 7 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1247491 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/01/2022 Full Good 30/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1247491 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting and secure relationships with staff who know them well and who prioritise their well-being. Staff treat children with dignity and respect, and they experience care that is sensitive to their individual needs and abilities. Staff speak fondly and passionately about the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote positive behaviour. Achievements are celebrated with children, which makes them feel valued. Staff ensure that children have access to a wide range of activities to meet their needs and support their hobbies and interests, such as swimming, trampolining, visits to a farm and shopping. Staff also respect children’s wishes to spend time in the home with their own home comforts.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is supported in line with agreed plans. Staff support this flexibly to ensure that it meets the individual needs of children. This helps children to maintain relationships which are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain and embrace their cultures and heritage. This is done through immersive culture nights, food choices and learning about each other’s cultures. This promotes inclusivity and helps children to develop a sense of their own identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good attendance at school. One child who is new to the home is being supported by staff to travel to their school, despite the long distance, to provide some consistency for them and to ensure that their educational needs are met until a suitable local school can be identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. They attend routine medical appointments. Additional support is sought when necessary to meet their health and well-being needs, such as therapy services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can express their views and contribute to their day-to-day decisions. They have a choice in their meals and activities and are supported to understand key information through their preferred communication method, such as social stories, objects of reference or electronic devices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have left the home have left in a positive and planned way in line with their individual plans. Staff have supported children with the move to their new home to make the transition as comfortable as possible for them. When two children moved into adult services, they were both supported by the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming. Each child has their own space in the home. They have contributed to the decor of their space, showcasing their individual personality. There are photos of the children and pictures by the children on display Inspection report for children's home: 1247491 4 throughout the home. The manager and staff have considered individual children’s communication and sensory needs in the decor of the house.

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

There’s been one allegation of harm against a child. The manager and staff took suitable and appropriate action and notified all relevant professionals, ensuring that the welfare of the child was a priority throughout. The manager reviewed this incident in detail and identified some learning for the staff team to ensure that there are no delays in reporting concerns.

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

Children’s plans are clear and robust documents which provide detailed strategies and guidance for staff to follow to ensure that support for children is consistent. Plans are child-centred, and, where possible, children are involved in contributing to their plans.

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

Children receive help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings safely. Staff understand children’s experiences, respond with appropriate boundaries about what is safe and acceptable for each child and seek to understand the triggers for behaviour. The effective use of the organisation’s positive behaviour model helps staff to respond suitably to children.

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

When it has been necessary to use physical intervention, it is reasonable and proportionate, and only used as a last resort. Physical intervention reports are detailed and reflect the strategies used by staff to de-escalate situations before the physical intervention was necessary. The manager has oversight of these events and has evaluated the effectiveness of measures used. Following a physical intervention, staff support children to understand why a hold has been used.

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

Children are supported to move into the home with the best possible planning under the circumstances and time frames available. When children are new to the home, their compatibility is suitably assessed based on information available at the time of referral, alongside information gathered from people who know the child well. However, staff’s skills, knowledge, experience and training are not currently considered to ensure that they are equipped to meet the child’s needs.

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

Staff carry out regular direct work sessions with children to support them to understand when there are changes or new situations to prepare for. They are also used to support children to understand appropriate and acceptable behaviour, current affairs and emerging risks. These are conducted using children’s preferred communication methods.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has an ambitious vision for what he wants to achieve for children and for the development of the team. He is supported by senior managers, who are readily available for support and guidance. Inspection report for children's home: 1247491 5 The manager is visibly present in the home and spends time with the children. Staff said that the manager is readily available for support and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to ensure that he has an overview of the care provided. These systems ensure that he is able to build on strengths and identify and address any shortfalls in practice. The manager has reviewed and introduced new systems to monitor the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have effective links with external agencies to provide support to the home and children, such as social workers and the local police support officer. This ensures that there is a child-centred, wraparound approach to providing the best outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent staff team in place which is complemented by the use of regular agency staff, who have established positive relationships with children. Staff have completed all necessary training, including modules specific to children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised annually, which include the views of key individuals. Supervision sessions take place frequently and are a supportive tool for staff. However, they do not reflect on staff practice specific to the needs of the children and the impact the staff member has on children; this limits their effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended by the team. They are used as an opportunity to share information, reflect on significant events and as a development opportunity for staff. They are also used to offer support to staff. Inspection report for children's home: 1247491 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

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 25 October 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that plans used to identify the suitability of the home for new children identify whether the staff team has the skills and experience to meet that child’s individual needs prior to the child moving into the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.7)

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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: 1247491 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

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1247491 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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