Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2495335 1 Registered provider: Keys Education Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022.

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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: 23 January 2024

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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: 2495335 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2024 Full Good 10/05/2022 Full Good 08/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/04/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2495335 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care from a child-focused staff team. Staff know the children well and are supportive and encouraging of them achieving positive outcomes. One child has moved from the home after staff identified they could no longer meet their needs. A transition plan was developed, which provided the child with a planned and positive move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school and college regularly and are making progress in education. Staff provide support to children when barriers to learning are identified. Since the last inspection, one child refused to attend education for several months. Staff offered continuous encouragement and identified alternative education. As a result, the child was supported to complete their GCSEs. The child is now enrolled and engaging in their learning at college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of positive relationships and nurture children’s time with their families and the people who are important to them. Staff are supportive when children experience challenges in their relationships. Staff advocate strongly for children to ensure that their time with family and friends is safe and positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in a range of activities. Two children have recently been on a holiday abroad with staff. Children’s independence skills are actively promoted, with support offered by staff when they face challenges in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Significant improvements have been made to the home environment, which is now homely and tastefully decorated. When damage has been caused to the property, the registered manager has ensured that this has been addressed. Children have been able to personalise their own space. Communal areas are warm and inviting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

To ensure their safety, it is necessary for two children to have door alarms fitted to their bedrooms in line with their individual behaviour support plan. However, an alarm fitted to a third child’s door is not in line with their behaviour support plan. A blanket policy for surveillance does not promote children’s individual needs.

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

Risks faced by children in the home are known and understood by staff. Children are supported to make informed behavioural choices, and positive reinforcement highlights children’s achievements.

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

Since the last inspection, incidents where staff have requested the support of the police to manage violent and antisocial behaviours displayed by children have increased. All staff are trained in supporting children who display challenging behaviours and have utilised these skills during incidents. Reports are detailed and have highlighted that Inspection report for children’s home: 2495335 4 police support has been requested as a last resort and staff have made significant attempts to de-escalate any situations.

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

Following one child moving on from the home, the number of incidents reduced. However, in recent weeks, challenging behaviours displayed by one child have increased. The use of physical intervention has been required to ensure that the child and the team members are safe. The registered manager has sought multi-agency advice to encourage the reduction of incidents and access appropriate support for the child.

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

The registered manager has carried out investigations when children have made complaints. This ensures that children feel confident that their voices are heard and valued. However, there has been a delay in the registered manager notifying Ofsted of an allegation made against staff.

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

Risk assessments consider all known areas of risk for children and provide actions for staff to support children and promote their safety. When incidents occur, these are added to the assessment, which means that staff are aware of any developments to presenting risk factors. However, some recordings read as a chronology of events and lack evaluation. The registered manager has not identified when some assessments have required a review to ensure that they fully reflect children’s current needs.

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

Although staff and children engage in regular fire evacuation drills to promote fire safety, two new staff members have not engaged in a fire drill within a reasonable time of starting work in the home. As a result, staff and children are vulnerable in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified registered manager, who is child centred in her approach. She has developed positive working relationships with professionals, who have complimented the staff’s care of children. One education professional said, ‘They have stuck by [name of child] through lots of challenges.’ Family members are also positive about the care provided by staff. One parent said, ‘The staff go above and beyond.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the support that they receive from the registered manager. More recently, staff members have questioned whether they can continually meet the needs of one child in the home. The registered manager has sought advice from external agencies and has requested guidance from the provider’s therapy team. The registered manager is aware that some staff members continue to have concerns and has plans in place to review this with her team and professionals working with the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. Therapeutic consultations with the home’s therapist are also frequent, with staff invited to contribute. Therapeutic sessions provide the staff team with the opportunity to discuss individual children and review strategies and approaches to consistently respond to their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2495335 5 Staff receive reflective supervision from the registered manager or a senior staff member. Supervisors provide constructive challenge to address shortfalls in staff’s practice. The registered manager has extended the probation term for staff members where she has identified areas for continued professional development. This ensures that the staff working in the home are skilled and suitably experienced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good oversight of the home and uses internal monitoring systems to carry out regular checks on recordings and staff development. Although there has been some improvement from the previous inspection, the registered manager has not identified when some handwritten records are incomplete or illegible. A recommendation is therefore restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2495335 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that fire drills take place as soon as practical when new staff members are inducted into the home. 5 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that bedroom door surveillance alarms are subject to risk assessments for individual children and not used as a blanket provision. 10 October 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Risk assessments should be clear and directive and should not become a chronology of events. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful and clear recording, Inspection report for children’s home: 2495335 7 ensuring that handwritten records are legible. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious incidents are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2495335 8

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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: Thomas Cappleman

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Inspector

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2495335 9 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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