Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2738017 1 Registered provider: Keys Child 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

This home is owned and operated by a private company. The home can provide care for up to two children who may be experiencing social and emotional issues.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There is an experienced manager in post and registered since July 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: 30 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: 2738017 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2738017 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are able to develop a sense of permanence and belonging in the home, building trusted and secure relationships with the staff. Children said that they ‘love’ living in the home and their favourite things about the home are the grown-ups who look after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health, and they are supported to understand their own needs in a child friendly way. Children are supported to make healthy choices about food and take part in physical exercise. Staff are quick to identify any health needs that children need extra support with and take action, without delay, to contact health professionals for the additional support required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy going to school and are making good progress. Staff are ambitious for children, and teachers comment on how well the manager and her staff communicate and share information, fully supporting the children’s education. Children have made friends, who they also see at weekends and in their free time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to ensuring that the children have opportunities to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Children who have previously struggled to develop relationships with their peers and access community activities have gradually been introduced to activities such as scouts, horse riding and swimming. This approach means that children are building confidence and having the opportunity to develop friendships with children of the same age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to improve their life chances. They teach children to build on their independence skills, and their views and opinions about whether they like something or not are taken seriously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have carefully assessed family time with the people who are important to them. There are some restrictions in place. However, staff are supportive and work alongside the professionals to ensure this is safe and that the children are happy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming, with photos of the children displayed throughout. It is decorated tastefully to a high standard, with lots of home comforts for the children to enjoy.

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

Children feel safe and identify staff as trusted adults. The plans in place are individual to each child, and they support staff to consistently care for children. Internal care plans are reviewed regularly to ensure that they address current risks and minimise the risk of harm to each child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2738017 4 The home is a safe and secure environment, and the children are protected from harm. Risk assessments document clear strategies for staff to use in order to help keep children safe. Staff were able to talk about the risks associated with each child and how to work around these risks to achieve the best outcomes for the children.

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

Children are supported to take appropriate risks dependent on their age and level of understanding. When children are with their friends in the community, staff use their professional curiosity to identify where they are spending their time. In addition to this, they have regular contact by mobile phone to ensure the child’s safety and well-being.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Children have had very few negative consequences imposed in order to regulate their future behaviour. Managers track and monitor children’s behaviours using a model of therapeutic care. Staff work consistently as a team and follow clear boundaries and routines, and manage situations relating to negative behaviours well.

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

Staff are recruited safely, and processes are in place to ensure that the right people are employed to keep the children safe. Employment checks and references are verbally verified, and agency staff are not used.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led and managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She is supported by an equally experienced and qualified deputy manager. The manager was absent during this inspection. However, it was evident that management team works well together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The members of the staff team are child focused and have a variety of backgrounds and experiences. This enhances the overall experiences for the children. Staff rotas are up to date, planned in advance and managers are included on the rota.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager consistently monitors the quality of care provided to the children. She has established effective systems to maintain oversight of the home, allowing her to identify strengths and weaknesses. Children’s needs are understood by the management and staff team. However, the internal plans, although detailed and comprehensive, were not always written in child friendly language.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works with professionals to help the children make progress and invests in the professional development of the staff team in order to improve the quality of care provided to children. Feedback from external professionals was positive, particularly regarding the advocacy work on behalf of the children. Managers challenge social workers when they don’t feel the local authority are acting in the children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that is child-focused and reflective. Managers support staff to reflect on the care children receive and allow them an opportunity to reflect on Inspection report for children’s home: 2738017 5 their practice and identify any additional support they need. Individual concerns regarding staff conduct or practice are reviewed in additional supervision sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are well attended by staff, and the internal behavioural therapist will also attend meetings to provide staff with opportunities to discuss the children at length and reflect on their care needs. Meetings are underpinned by research and development, such as on managing internet safety, attachment theory and self-harm. This helps staff to identify how best to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff complete all required training and do shadow shifts before working unsupervised in the home. The management team encourages staff in their professional growth, and staff feel supported in their development. Staff work as a team and say they enjoy working in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2738017 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2738017 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Child 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

Nicola Jeffery, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2738017 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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