Children's Home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2665860 1 Registered provider: CF Social Work

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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 privately run home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and may have experienced childhood trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in February 2024.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2665860 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/01/2024 Full Good 20/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2665860 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and one child has moved into the home. One of two children currently living at the home shared their views with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have trusted relationships with children. Staff talk about children with warmth, care and pride for their accomplishments and progress. Staff provide meaningful conversations to children around their relationships, health and personal safety. Staff understand children’s needs well and know how and when to offer extra help. As a result, children enjoy spending time with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make educational progress from their starting points. One child moved into the home with no education provision in place. They now attend a provision and staff help them to attend daily. Their education offer is tailored to their interests. For example, they enjoy baking and are given opportunities to enjoy and learn about this. Another child has sustained their previously good educational progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to explore their interests and aspirations. This includes children going to the gym, playing pool, visiting arcades and attending a youth club. One child has volunteered and fundraised for a charity; this child also enjoys taking part in an apprenticeship teaching others to play sport. The other child has an ambition to become a chef and is being helped to find work experience in this area. This helps children to improve their confidence, self-esteem and sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support family relationships. A parent said that they were very pleased with the level of communication with staff and the quality of their child’s care. They reported that their child is happy and being helped, and that the staff keep their child busy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, welcoming and decorated to a high standard. Children are supported to personalise their spacious, light bedrooms, which are a pleasant space for them. Children can use a large kitchen diner that encourages social time together and leads out onto a large garden, which they use in the warmer months.

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans for children are individualised and reviewed regularly by leaders and managers. Children’s plans are comprehensive, and staff follow these plans to reduce risks for children.

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

Leaders and managers prioritise training for staff. There is a well-organised system that ensures that mandatory and any additional training that staff need in relation to safeguarding practice are in place and attended by staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2665860 4 Staff receive regular clinical support from an external specialist that encourages reflection on their practice. This takes the form of both individual and group sessions. This helps staff to develop their understanding of children’s needs and how best to safely support children when they are in distress.

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

Children are helped to use social media safely. Staff have regular conversations with children about associated risks and how to stay safe online. They undertake regular phone checks to ensure that children are using devices safely.

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

Leaders and managers have not followed an action identified in the fire risk assesment. Staff allow a child to prop open their bedroom door with a door wedge while they settle at night. This increases the risks to the child in the event of a fire. Additionally, there have been occasions where staff’s fire checks have fallen short of the home’s policy.

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

Children are not permitted to enter the staff office. Despite this, one child has been able to enter the office and obtained staff’s personal medication. Leaders and managers have reviewed this incident and have emphasised the importance for staff to ensure that this room is locked. However, appropriate measures are not in place to ensure staff’s belongings are secure should a similar incident occur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has not had a registered manager since February 2024. Leaders recruited an experienced manager from another home in February 2024. However, they failed to apply to register with Ofsted and they left the home before this was completed. A new manager has now been appointed, who has applied to register with Ofsted. The current responsible individual in this home is also new to their post and is undergoing suitability checks with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have appropriately responded to allegations made against staff and referred these to the local authority designated officer (LADO). However, leaders and managers have not always notified Ofsted of these concerns, as required. This means that Ofsted’s ability to monitor leaders and managers’ responses to safeguarding concerns has been reduced on these occassions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been one occasion where a staff member has not followed an agreed policy around the use of mobile phones. Leaders and managers did not notify Ofsted or the LADO of this practice concern. Although this has not affected children’s safety, it limits external professional oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers’ six-monthly review of the quality of care lacks children’s, families’, staff’s and professionals’ views of the support provided. This lack of feedback reduces leaders and managers’ capacity to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers undertake safe recruitment and ensure that only suitable staff are employed. Staff receive regular supervision. When practice has fallen below the Inspection report for children’s home: 2665860 5 expected standards, managers have responded promptly and identified learning to prevent similar occurrences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is well staffed, and staff are knowledgeable and resilient. This has provided children with continuity and stability. Despite the changes in the management team, staff report that they feel well supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are either enrolled on their level 3 qualification courses or have completed this. Two staff members are working towards their level 5 qualification and a further staff member has this qualification. The manager is on course to finish her level 5 qualification ahead of timescale in spring 2025.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The current manager is well regarded by staff, who said that she is approachable and listens, and they feel supported by her. The manager is knowledgeable about the children’s backgrounds and experiences prior to coming to live at the home and understands their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2665860 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that fire doors are not propped open and staff’s fire safety checks are completed in accordance with the home’s policy, and ensure that staff’s personal belongings, including any medication, are securely locked away. 29 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 26 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 28 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2665860 7 The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(b) (5))

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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: 2665860 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: CF Social Work, 3-4b K Line House, West Road, IPSWICH, Suffolk IP3 9SX

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Inspector

Carrie Twinn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2665860 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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