Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 1 SC423407 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to eight children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 23 October 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

There were eight children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: 14 November 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: SC423407 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good 07/06/2021 Full Good 13/02/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children have lived at the home for several years. The manager and some core staff team provide continuity of care for the children. Children who live at the home prepare welcome packs and have video calls with new children moving into the home. This means that children are welcomed sensitively to the home and quickly begin to develop positive relationships with staff and their peers. This is despite many of the children arriving with histories of trauma and being unfamiliar with the local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children describe moving from previous homes and can reflect on their past experiences. Children say that this home has ‘saved their life’ and that they feel ‘loved and cared for.’ One child said, ‘In this home nobody gives up on you.’ This has helped children to trust the staff who are looking after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend and make progress at school. Some children who had not attended school for a long time prior to coming to this home now attend daily. The manager and staff consistently communicate with staff from the children’s schools. Children gain qualifications, receive impartial careers advice, and enrol in further education courses. Consequently, children have aspirations about their future, and this improves their future life opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff understand the importance of family ties. Staff support children to travel to various parts of the country so that they can maintain relationships. Children know that the support they receive from staff extends to their family members. Children say how the manager has helped their parents and relatives. This promotes children’s identity and helps them and their family to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children describe feeling included and involved in decision-making about themselves and their home. Children contribute to the decor and furnishings and enjoy spending time together in the large lounges and kitchen area. Additionally, children have personalised bedrooms that they see as their private space. This helps to create a family feel and children take pride in their home. Pets in the home are well cared for and help children to develop empathy and responsibility of caring for an animal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop independence skills and are helped to prepare to move out of the home. Staff support children to visit their new home and help them to become familiar with services in the new area. Children are reminded that the home is still a part of their support network, and children stay in touch.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that some of their favourite things about the home involve making memories. Children enjoy a range of activities for fun and learning. Staff take photos and collect memorabilia for children’s memory books. This helps children to have positive memories of their childhood. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 4

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

Children feel a strong sense of belonging at the home, which helps them feel safe. Children can identify more than one staff member that they trust and feel able to speak to. The core staff team is adept at forming trusting relationships. Children have predictable boundaries and understand the routines in the home.

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

Children are educated about individuality and respecting differences; this promotes pro- social behaviour and ensures children do not experience bullying. When staff identify tensions or inappropriate relationships between children, this is managed swiftly and sensitively. Children also said that they know staff will act quickly if there were any concerns of ill-treatment towards a child.

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

Staff benefit from the input of the provider’s therapist. This practice allows the staff to increase their knowledge and understanding of the children and learn how to improve the care they provide. Children are supported to understand their experiences and develop healthier strategies to manage their emotions. Staff use their positive relationships to de-escalate situations. As a result, children are very rarely physically held by staff.

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

The children have access to the internet and are supported to be safer online through ongoing conversations about online safety. Children understand the checks made by staff on mobile phones and electronic devices are for their safety. Children develop skills to manage their time using electronic devices in a healthy way.

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

Children are supported to take age-appropriate risks such as developing relationships and being independent in the community. This helps children to build resilience and gain skills that will prepare them for adulthood.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted. However, inspectors observed some institutionalised language and behaviour responses to manage children’s behaviour. This includes using a colour code to categorise behaviour, with a generic consequence of always removing mobile phones or activities. Staff’s responses and consequences are not individualised and are not restorative as they are not linked to the behaviour. Additionally, some behaviour responses include a financial consequence where the child would be expected to pay for a planned activity. Children say that the consequences they receive are not reflective of their behaviour. The manager has reconsidered this practice and recognised alternative strategies.

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

Children smoke and vape tobacco, which poses a risk to their health. Staff educate children about the risks. However, there is an acceptance within the home that children use tobacco and staff do not always deter them from smoking. This means that children are not helped to fully understand the risks to their health to help them make an informed choice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 5 Children have individual risk assessments that are reviewed regularly. Staff have a good knowledge of the children’s risks and therefore can respond to their needs. However, inspectors observed that some children’s risk assessments do not include all the known risks. This means that the manager cannot be assured that staff respond consistently to help the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is steadfast in her approach of having high standards and aspirations for the children. She is present in the home and children naturally seek her out. She is trusted by staff and children and provides stability and good leadership. The manager is reflective of her practice and welcomes external oversight, such as the findings of the independent visitor. This helps to make improvements in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by a core staff team who provide continuity of care. There have been several staffing changes recently which have been managed well. The staff are committed to the children and worked at the home longer hours to prevent the use of agency staff during this time. There is mutual respect between the manager and the staff team, and this helps to create a harmonious feel in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported and hold the manager in high regard. Staff say their own well-being is promoted, which helps them feel confident and capable of providing good-quality care. Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly and include discussions about children and practice-related topics to develop staff’s knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of incidents and safeguarding concerns in the home. When there are concerns identified about staff conduct, the manager acts quickly and follows safeguarding procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals report positive and effective relationships with the manager and staff team. Professionals say that they receive regular updates and communication is good. Family members say that they feel listened to and have confidence in the staff team. This collaborative work protects the children and promotes positive working relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and oversight of the home are inconsistent. The manager completes audits of children’s files; however, they do not always identify when statutory documents are missing. Additionally, the manager does not consistently escalate concerns when documents are not received. The escalation policy in place does not help the manager to do this. Consequently, the manager cannot be assured that the children’s care plan is understood and followed by all staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) 30 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vi)) 30 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 7 No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable, or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation. (Regulation 35 (1) (2)(f)) 30 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 30 November 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff help children understand, and where necessary work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well- being such as using tobacco through smoking cigarettes or using vapes. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: SC423407 8

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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

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC423407 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 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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