Children's Home run by Keys Direct Care Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1240397 1 Registered provider: Keys Direct Care Limited 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 operated by a large national provider. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may require support with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2019. They were not present for the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living at 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1240397 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2024 Full Good 23/11/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good 04/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1240397 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a good standard of care. They work hard to form positive relationships with children. Despite changes in the staff team, children have a core person in their lives with whom they have a relationship. Staff are caring and nurturing in their approach to children. Over time, this has enabled trusted and positive relationships to develop. Children share their worries with staff, and they know that staff will respond in a caring way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Interactions between staff and children are relaxed and supportive. The home feels welcoming, and staff have thoughtfully created spaces that children enjoy using. For example, there is a ‘chill out’ area where children can have space and privacy. This is a welcome addition to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s time with families is encouraged and supported. Staff ensure that arrangements are in place for children to spend time with people who are important to them. Overall, there is good communication with family members and professionals. Feedback from families outlines the nurture and care children receive. A parent said, ‘I just think the place is brilliant; it is incredible; they are incredible’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A professional and a family member both said staff had gone ‘above and beyond’ following two children experiencing a significant family bereavement. Staff supported children through this difficult time. Staff had memory bears made for the children from the clothes of their loved ones. Support was also given to family members, resulting in a strengthening of children’s networks.

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

Social workers say that communication with staff is good. They say that children make progress with their mental health and that for some children, risks have reduced, meaning they are safer. Staff inform social workers of all incidents and concerns. Children benefit from this effective partnership working.

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

Missing-from-home incidents have significantly reduced. Regular discussions with children have contributed to this. Missing-from-home risk assessments are detailed and thorough. Staff are aware of how to keep children safe and respond appropriately when a child goes missing. There has been a focus on building relationships to help children feel safe when they return.

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

Processes for responding to and managing allegations are robust. Investigations follow the correct processes. Children feel they are listened to, and allegations are taken seriously and children are told of the outcome. However, notifications have not always been sent to Ofsted in a timely manner following allegations, which prevents the regulator from properly evaluating safeguarding practices for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240397 4 Consequences used are not always proportionate to children’s behaviour. They are not always linked, which could be confusing for children. There is a lack of restorative work, and records of this are not always clear. Leaders and managers are working with the team to change the approach to this area of practice.

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

Staff sometimes use physical restraint to protect children and others. This is for the shortest time possible and in proportion to the risk. Delays to the manager’s oversight and a lack of reflection impact the opportunity to learn and improve care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has led the home through a difficult period. This has included one child struggling with their behaviour, which resulted in notice being served on their placement. Leaders and managers made the difficult decision when they identified that the home was not the best placement for the child. They recognised the impact of this on other children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers use learning from practice and feedback from others. This helps to improve experiences and care for children. Since the last inspection, there has been a significant incident in the home. Managers used this as a learning opportunity to upskill the team, conducting a thorough investigation and response. This has resulted in multiple positive changes being implemented for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they enjoy their work, and they spoke kindly about the children and managers. They have felt the pressures of challenges in the home but have shown commitment to the children. There have been occasions when some staff have not worked in line with the home’s ethos and therapeutic model of care. This has caused inconsistencies in the care children have received.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide staff with regular supervision and team meetings. The staff team acknowledges that there is a supportive management team. There is evidence of reflective practice in some supervision records for staff, which supports their learning. The level of supervision provided each month to staff has been inconsistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a comprehensive induction and training programme. The provider is keen for all staff to learn and develop in their role. Staff have completed all the training required to support the children in their care. However, one staff member has not achieved the relevant qualification in the required timescale. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240397 5

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Statutory requirement

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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff not having achieved the required qualification to support them to meet children’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the therapeutic model of care outlined in the home’s statement of purpose is not consistently used by all staff in the home and has not yet been embedded across the workforce;

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Requirement Due date

management monitoring and oversight is not yet robust, particularly regarding incidents, which has had an impact on the 17 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240397 6 staff and children’s ability to reflect on and learn from past events.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. They should ensure, where needed, that children make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour. The staff in the home should be skilled in supporting the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 1240397 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Direct Care 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

Eleanor Quanbrough, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1240397 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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