Children's Home run by Keys Education Ltd in Herefordshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC062074 1 SC062074 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 by a private provider. The home provides care for up to four children with complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2017.

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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: 31 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: SC062074 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2024 Full Good 27/02/2023 Full Good 15/06/2021 Full Good 30/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC062074 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. Out of these three children, one chose to speak to inspectors about their experience living in the home. The other two children engaged with inspectors informally and were observed in the home. The child spoken to said they liked living in the home and that if he had to give it a score out of ten, they would give it a nine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection. The planning for this move was robust and led by staff. They ensured that the child felt well supported. The child was actively involved in the decision-making about their move, and staff advocated for them. This helped ensure that they moved to the geographical location that would ensure their support needs were met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and is maintained to a good standard, having recently been decorated throughout. Children contribute to the personalisation of their bedrooms. They are supported to care for pets, which forms part of their daily routine and gives them a sense of purpose and responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage positively in their education. Staff support children to attend school when they find this difficult. When children are not in education, staff support them to engage in education at home and in the wider community. This supports their learning and offers them structure and routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are understood well by staff. Children receive good support to attend routine appointments and access more specialist support in response to any emerging needs. One child had been supported to understand their health condition through key-work sessions. This has helped them understand what was happening to them and what support is available to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to promote children’s relationships with the important people in their lives. They listen to children’s wishes and feelings and support children when they wish to see or speak to someone who is important to them. This contributes to the development of children’s identity and sense of self.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s files contain the necessary information that staff need to care for them effectively. However, files are disorganised, which can lead to information being difficult to locate.

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

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and associated risks. Children’s plans are individualised and up to date. They clearly identify strategies to ensure that children’s Inspection report for children's home: SC062074 4 welfare is promoted. Staff understand their role and responsibilities to safeguard children and consistently put plans into practice to reduce the risk of children experiencing harm.

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

A recent complaint has been made by a child who has left the home. The provider took immediate steps to ensure that children were safeguarded, and all relevant professionals and agencies were notified. This complaint is subject to ongoing investigation.

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

Direct work with children is carried out in line with their needs and care plans. Planned and impromptu sessions are tailored to each child’s age and understanding and tackle existing and emerging issues. One child received extensive support to understand their eating disorder, and this child made positive progress in reducing the risks after being supported to engage in treatment.

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

When emerging needs present for children, the registered manager acts swiftly to ensure that the staff receive the relevant training to support them. For example, staff have received specialist training in relation to eating disorders. Alongside this, they access support from relevant agencies to ensure that children’s needs are met consistently and safely.

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

Physical intervention is rarely used and only as a last resort to keep children or others safe. Detailed records of any incidents are kept and reviewed by the manager. All relevant people are informed, and the staff and children involved are spoken to afterwards to help the manager understand what might have been done differently.

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

Incidents of conflict between children have reduced. Staff have received relevant training and support to address this issue, and children are being given consistent messages about appropriate behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and has relevant management experience. The manager is described as supportive by the staff team and demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the children and their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are being cared for by a stable team of staff who have high aspirations for them. This means children receive consistent care from staff they know well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is regular and staff value the opportunity to reflect, which they recognise helps them improve their practice. Staff have access to a wide range of training, which managers ensure is kept up to date. Training is specific to the needs of the children and supports staff to meet individual children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have good-quality relationships with professionals involved in children’s lives. This is cascaded down by the registered manager, who values partnership working. This helps ensure that everyone involved in the children’s care works together effectively. Inspection report for children's home: SC062074 5 The manager is proactive in challenging others and advocates for children well. The manager was concerned about the planning for one child moving out of the home, feeling the placing authority for the child wanted this to happen too quickly and with not enough support. The manager challenged this decision, and this resulted in a more extensive plan of support being put in place, including staff from the home staying in the local area near to the child to help them settle.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager undertakes a six-monthly review of the quality of care. However, this does not clearly record the consultation and feedback of others, and this limits the quality of this review. Inspection report for children's home: SC062074 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should arrange children’s files in a way that is helpful to the reader. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64/65, paragraph 15.2)

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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: SC062074 7

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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

Kate Savage, Social Care Inspector Siân Heffey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC062074 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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